TEMPLE, TX — Temple ISD is one of the latest school districts to gain a sense of normalcy as some students head back to school tomorrow.
It’s the Wildcats turn to head back to school, and as Adilyn Largent heads into third grade, her mom is making sure her daughter knows what to expect.
“Well, she’s gonna wear her mask everyday,” Candace McCarty said. “And I’ve been teaching her about germs.”
Families aren’t the only ones excited for the school bell to ring. It’s been 185 days since the faculty has seen their students’ faces.
“For the in-person learners, I’m extremely excited to see them and welcome them back,” Bobby Ott, Temple ISD’s superintendent said. “I’m also excited to stay connected to our remote learners as well. It’s just been a long time since we’ve had school and so we’re really excited to have them back.”
Daily screenings, limited classroom sizes and teacher questionnaires are all part of the safety precautions Temple ISD is embracing.
“I just feel that the school has done a lot to make sure that we feel safe to send the kids back,” Tina Barron, a parent said.
Sixty percent of the student body will be learning in-person Tuesday.
With other Central Texas school districts experiencing COVID-19 cases, there’s clearly a risk.
“Of course I’m nervous about having cases,” Ott said. “But I think that we’ve put in plans to do everything we can to minimize those transmissions and to minimize the risk of those transmissions throughout the building.”
As far as Ady goes, she feels well prepared to meet her teacher and classmates from a distance for now.
“I just said, "We’re going to go with it here also and wear our mask and use our Germ X,"” McCarty said, smiling. “Right?”
“Yup. You got me a little backpack to put it in!” Adilyn, her daughter, replied.