DALLAS, Pa. — The Dallas School District has announced that students will be returning to in-person schooling five days a week on March 22.
It's an announcement that parents like Michael Dimare have been waiting for. He hopes students continue to learn in person from here on, no matter what lies ahead for the future of the pandemic.
"We don't have an end date for this, and we can continue to jeopardize our children's education and their social skills by continuing to roll with COVID and how things are happening," Dimare said.
Dimare is the father of a second grader, and he believes it's extremely important for his child to get back in the classroom. He feels his son's language skills are not where they need to be with online learning.
"We recognize that many of the children in his group were in the same situation he was in, and it was because virtual learning for children when they're 6 and 7 years old is just challenging. It's very hard for them to do that consistently. It's hard to keep their attention, and it's very hard not having their friends around them to kind of help them through the day."
An announcement on the district's website says school officials are planning an in-person summer program to help students who have fallen behind.
Dimare says it's something he is considering for his child.
"If it's an opportunity to have them have more education or to get back to where they need to be, you know that baseline measure for whatever grade he is in. I think it's something that is a great opportunity to take."
The district is still in the planning stages of the summer program. There is no word when that would take place.