WORCESTER, Mass. - Friday was the deadline for Worcester Public Schools parents to decide if their kids will go back to school in-person full time or learn remotely for the rest of the year. 

​Cara Berg Powers says her daughter Ella, a secind grader at Chandler Magnet School, will continue to learn remotely this year.

“It’s the right decision for us. We just don't know what the long term health effects are for kids," Berg Powers said.

Students in grades K-8 will be return full time May 3.  Berg Powers says she’s concerned about the COVID-19 cases in the district, spacing, and the air system in her daughter's school.  Both she and her husband work from home and help Ella with classes.

“So, we felt like we have a responsibility with the privilege that we have to, to not make her a vector. Keeping her out of school isn’t just safer for her, it’s safer for the other kids as well," said Berg Powers. 

Heather Storme is a mom of three boys who go to Forest Grove and Nelson Place. Her sons have been doing hybrid learning for the past few weeks and she’s also working from home.

“They took the first week, as a test run. And this past week, they said that it went great. They decided that they wanted to be in school full time, because they felt safe and comfortable with the precautions that everyone's taking right now,"Storme said.

Storme says with the vaccinations rolling out she’s okay with their decision.

“I’m part of the PTO at Nelson Place, and knowing all the precautions that they're taking, and assuming that Forest Grove is doing the same, based on all the information we've been provided," Storme said. "We felt comfortable letting them decide what they wanted to do."

The Worcester School Committee says parents who signed up for in-person learning can switch their kids to remote learning at any time. Meanwhile, if a parent decides after Friday they want their child to go to school in-person, they’ll be put on a waiting list.