In-person classes start for some students in Plano ISD

PLANO, Texas - Some – but not all – of Plano Independent School District’s 55,000 students returned to the classroom Wednesday.

Plano ISD students have not seen the inside of a classroom since March.

The current school year started on Aug. 12. But because of the pandemic, all instruction has taken place online.

Beginning Wednesday, parents have the option to either keep their kids home for virtual learning a while longer or send them back into the classroom.

Wednesday was the first time Plano ISD students walked back through the doors of their schools after being away for months.

“I know she’s excited to go back and get some interaction,” said parent Jacob Swift.

For elementary through middle school students who are returning to in-person learning, they and their teachers will be on campus five days a week.

Students will wear either masks or face shields when they are inside the building. When they are outdoors, they can remove their masks if they are at least six feet apart.

“Our teachers have put in mask breaks. They’ll go outside during certain periods, stand six feet apart and have a mask break. We also have cleaning breaks. We’ve put in to the master schedule to ensure that it’s ready for learning and we’re killing the germs,” said Nidia Cedillo, the principal at Weatherford Elementary.

School leaders say there will also be breaks to clean classrooms throughout the day.

Parents say it’s all new territory for everyone to get used to.

“So I keep trying to let the kids know, you’re going to go through these doors, you have to hand sanitize, you have to wear your mask, and then you go here,” said parent Shannon Ritaeco. “They’re overwhelmed and I keep trying to reassure them.”

For high school students in Plano, those returning to the classroom will be on campus two days a week with three days of asynchronous learning at home.

Their classmates choosing to stay home for virtual learning will have the same schedule of two days of live online instruction and three days of independent classwork.

It’s a way for the district to limit class sizes and limit the number of kids on the high school campuses at any given time.

With this hybrid model, some parents are concerned about the inconsistency and quality of education their kids are getting.

“This is not the experience you would want going back to school,” Ritaeco said. “I realize it just kind of is what it is.”

“We’re doing everything we can to be as safe as possible knowing there are no guarantees,” said Plano ISD Superintendent Sara Bonser. “We’re going to do the absolute best we can.”

Students are locked into the learning options they chose for the first nine weeks of school but can change in between grading periods.

As far as high school athletics go, fall sports teams started holding practices in accordance with UIL safety guidelines this past Monday in preparation for games that will start in mid to late September.