Rozann Fowler’s son is going to school in-person, for the first time this year on Wednesday. The kindergartener at Columbus Park Prep in Worcester will be doing hybrid learning for the next few weeks.
“I have been waiting for him to get back into the classroom since September. So I'm very happy. I feel pretty comfortable, the teachers have really been prepared," said Fowler.
Fowler said she worries her son is falling behind and hasn’t learned as much on the computer, as he would have in a classroom.
“At least it’s all of Worcester, but when you compare them to other school districts and other children, it is in the back of your head, like, what if I move next year to Auburn, or even to another state. Like how will he compare at that point?" Fowler said.
Glenda Rodriguez’s daughter is in the third grade at Rice Square School. She’ll be doing hybrid learning, too. Rodriguez has mixed feelings about her daughter going back during the pandemic.
“We feel confident this is a good start. We will see how it goes and if anything changes we can easily go and switch back to remote," said Rodriguez.
Worcester Schools will also bring back students in grades K-8 for full time in person learning by May 3. Their waiver to delay in-person learning was approved by the state Wednesday.
Both moms said having the option to go back full-time is better late than never.
“At the end of the day, it has its pros and its cons. I think I'm still happy that she's going to go back to school, but there is always going to be that anxiousness as a parent every single day," said Rodriguez.
“It kind of feels a little too late to save the year, but something is better than nothing," said Fowler.