LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — For some students, the past month or so marks the first time they have been inside classrooms in a year, since the start of the pandemic.
Newswatch 16 spoke with parents who chose to send their children back into school buildings recently.
“She seems more happy since she’s been in school, she’s excited to see what the next day is going to bring," laughed Jennifer Gardner of Scranton of her daughter.
“They missed school so much, just to see their friends and everything like that!” agreed Nicole Petrowsky of Mount Cobb.
A mother in the Abington Heights school district said her one child’s grades have quickly improved since he returned to in-person learning 5 days a week.
“Now that he’s in the classroom, his grades in those two classes, reading and science have gone through the roof. He’s doing so much better, he’s doing so, so much better," said Anne Whitbeck of Waverly Township.
It is not not just their grades that are improving, parents said their kids social, emotional and mental health are better now, too.
“It seems like they just need that personal interaction so to have that and see that and being able to see old teachers and friends, its they’re just doing so much better emotionally, they really are," said Whitbeck.
Not everyone has sent their students back in person.
Some are sticking with virtual classes for now.
Some schools have also reported a rise in Covid cases recently, too.
But parents Newswatch 16 spoke with said they feel their kids are relatively safe inside their schools.