ROCK HILL, S.C. — On Tuesday, 2,539 Pre-K through 2nd graders are the first wave of students to attend Rock Hill Schools full-time for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students have not attended classes five days a week, since last spring, when classes were forced to move online due to the coronavirus.
WCNC Charlotte's Billie Jean Shaw was at Mount Holly Elementary school Tuesday morning as more than 200 students returned to classes.
Interim principal Sabrina Miles said districtwide, there are three major COVID preventative measures in place which include mandatory masks, plexiglass at desks and students will be seated at least three feet apart.
Miles also said students will remain in the same class all day.
"Kids won’t intermingle classrooms they stay with their cohort so if something does happen our nurse and district leaders will be able to track who those kids have been around," said Miles.
These same measures have been in place for the last two months while the district was under a hybrid plan where students were only in classes a few days out of the week.
Since September 8th, districtwide, 55 students and 35 staff members tested positive for COIVD-19.
District leaders say they are ready to change plans at a moment's notice in the event of an outbreak as thousands of students return to school.
Third, fourth and fifth graders are scheduled to return to school on November 30th. High school students will return next semester, a final date has not been set.