More than 30,000 students returned to the classroom on Tuesday in Clay County for in-person learning.
Action News Jax Alicia Tarancon got a sneak peak inside Fleming Island Elementary School to see what sort of safety protocols are in place.
Faculty and staff at the elementary school welcomed back 500 for in-person learning with smiles underneath face masks.
Chris Ather told Tarancon even though his 6-year-old son isn’t required to wear a face mask, he thought it was safer for his son, Logan, whose entering the 1st grade.
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“I mean the virus is still going around. The last thing I need is for my kid to get sick,” Ather said.
Our Action News Jax Sky Vision Drone flew over the elementary school to show you the long lines of cars and students returning to school.
Jennifer Collins, the elementary school’s principal, says she waited five long months to see her students.
“I can’t just contain that excitement. I got chills. I got tears when the kids walked onto the school grounds this morning, just everybody being back here today,” Collins said.
Parents were not allowed to walk their kids to their classrooms, but we got a look inside to see how safety measures are being enforced.
In the 6th grade class we visited, a music class, Tarancon noticed that all the students had their face masks on.
Each student was assigned a number and told to stand on a marked spot 6 feet away from each other and socially distanced.
Inside the 5th grade class we visited, desks were spaced farther apart.
All students in 3rd grade and up are required to have face coverings and inside the classrooms and cafeteria, students have assigned seating to help the district keep up with contact tracing in case a student gets coronavirus.
Ather said with all the protocols the district has in place, his son is ready for this school year. “I think so. I think he just has first day jitters,” Ather said.
150 students at Fleming Island Elementary School have opted to do virtual learning instead of in-person learning. That’s about 23% of students that will learn online.