Stacey Moore in Dublin has a son with autism. As is the case with so many families, the last year for them has been difficult.
“He needs services I can't give him at home," Moore said.
Moore said she understands some parents are concerned about sending their children back into school because the pandemic is not over.
“Everyone has their own situation but for me returning full-time is actually a really good thing," she said.
Monday marked the first day back to all-in learning at school for some big school districts after the pandemic forced them to go virtual last year.
While some students returned for state’s largest school district, Columbus City Schools, more students returned to the classroom for Dublin City Schools, Grandview Heights, Hilliard City Schools, and Olentangy Schools.
Dublin City Schools, which represents about 16,500 students, selected March 15 for the move, as teachers would have been fully vaccinated by that time, according to the district’s website.
Chris Valentine, the president of the Dublin City Schools board said conversations began last August about a full return to in-person learning and what that would look like. https://www.dublinschools.net/domain/1146 He said a team of local medical experts helped guide school leaders throughout the process.
"Now is the time to get our kids back full-time in the classroom,” he said. "We need to do this now because we're not sure what the fall's going to look like so we need to begin to make those adjustments."
Adjustments include mask-wearing and maintaining at least 3 feet of physically distancing at all times.
There are similar safety protocols in place for Hilliard City Schools, which represents more than 16,000 students. They will maintain one-way hallways, where possible.
"Personally I feel like Hilliard has really handled the pandemic well,” said Tori Dudding, a mom in Hilliard to three kids. “The fact that they are requiring masks makes me as a parent feel safe and secure."
Students in Plain City started returning to in-person learning full-time, last month. That’s where two of Courtney Paton-Amick's children go to school.
"I've learned that I'm not a very good teacher,” she said about helping her kids learn remotely. “I'm just really excited everyone's getting back to some kind of normal and that's all we can hope for at this point."
Just last week in Upper Arlington though, hundreds of students had to be quarantined after their return to in-person learning.
Paton-Amick said it’s a risk she’s willing to take. She works as a hairstylist, and if one of her children has to quarantine, her clients have been flexible, and understanding.
"It is what it is. You kind of just have to roll with the punches at this point," she said.