LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville is less than a week away from sending its youngest students back to class.

On Friday, as they prepared to greet kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders on Wednesday, we spoke with maintenance and teaching staff at Byck Elementary about their role in keeping everyone safe.

After a full year removed from classrooms, a smooth restart is critical to the district of nearly 100,000 students.

"We’re just gonna do it. We’re tough; we’re strong; we can handle it," teacher Amy Blair said confidently when asked how she felt about managing a virus-free classroom in addition to her regular teaching duties.

"We’ll be alright," added fellow Byck teacher Pam Sheehan. "I mean, we have a really strong administrative team. Our teachers are super strong. We’re really connected."

At a press conference an hour before, Principal Carla Kolodey heaped praise on the district's custodial staff and teachers like Blair and Sheehan.

"Every single staff member here at this school has really taken the team approach to make sure that the heavy lifting is spread amongst all of us," she said.

JCPS Chief Operations Officer Chris Perkins said the district had distributed, among other supplies, 1.2 million masks and 25,000 bottles of sanitizer. He added that a warehouse full of replacement items sat on standby.

Tables at Byck have become numbered desks – for contact tracing – and JCPS Mechanical Mentenance Expert James Jones explained that UV light air filters have been installed in the HVAC systems.

"I’ve got guys that are highly experienced," he said. "And when they tell me a building is ready to go I trust them."

Positive COVID-19 cases are declining statewide, according to Gov. Andy Beshear (D). Staff have been offered the vaccine, and children have been among America's safest demographics. The odds are favorable for this spring return.

But it is still a game of chance until the virus is history.