Cristina Carreon|El Paso Times
El Paso parents Jewel Contrerasand Ismael Romerowalked into the Don Haskins School smiling but withsome worry on their faces Monday morning.
Contreras expressed concern for students returning to school for fully in-person instruction during the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic.If there were another COVID-19 surge in El Paso, Contreras said she would consider homeschoolingher four-year-old daughter.
"As much as I don't like homeschooling, if it comes down to being our only option, then yeah."
Romero said he felt confident the El Paso Independent School District was taking the necessary precautions to keep students in schools safe this school year"and if it comes to where they have to go back to virtual, that's something that we have to do."
EPISD, Ysleta and Socorro Independent School districts reopenedcampuses for fully in-person instruction for the first time in a year Monday.
"During the (last) year, we had about 30% of our students on campus and of course, the other 70% off campus, so today marksthe first time our studentsare back fully on campus in about a year and a half," EPISD interim Superintendent Vince Sheffield said Monday.
Last week, several El Paso County rural school districts reopened for full in-person instruction.
Montana Vista Elementary school teachers were excited to see their students in person again but had some concernsabout students'safety and how they would addresslearning loss attributed to remote instruction.
The typical setup of a classroom in El Paso has changed because of the transition to remote instruction last year, and vestiges ofremote learning were apparent inclassrooms at Don Haskins on Monday.
In someclassrooms,students had laptops and used learning software. In others, students took notes on paper.
There were signs posted in bathrooms encouraging students to wash their hands and signs directing students to mental health resources. A few students and teachers wore face masks in classrooms or while walking inhallways. Many parents wore masks as they brought their children to school for the first time.
Delta arrives in El Paso; schools brace for impact
The city of El Paso Department of Public Health confirmed three cases of the delta variant Friday in El Paso, all in unvaccinated adults, a few days ahead of when El Paso's three largest public school districts reopened to in personeducation Monday.
More than 80% of El Paso residents were partially vaccinated and nearly 70% were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday, according to city and county COVID-19 data. Local leaders have said El Paso is on the cusp of herd immunity.
But youths younger than 12 years old cannot get a COVID-19 vaccine yet.
Health experts have saidvaccines for children younger than 12 years old likely won't be available until the end of this year or early 2022.
EPISD posted a message from Sheffield onsocial media just over an hour after the Department of Public Healthannouncement, reiterating Texas schools are prohibited from requiring masks in schools andthe state legislature did not pass legislation to fund virtual education this year.
"EPISD and most school districts in Texas, are unable to provide a remote learning option,I share and understand the concern of some parents who may feel virtual learning is the best option for their families, but unfortunately that is not an option that is available for EPISD under current circumstances,"Sheffield said in the message.
While touring Don Haskins School on Monday for the first day of school, Sheffield said the school district will work with public health entities to determine its course of action if there is a local surge of COVID-19 cases in El Paso.
"As we've talked to parents over the last couple of weeks, it's the parent's choice as to whether a student is goingto wear a mask or not but I can tell you our students are safe, we have protocols in place to deal with any issues that may arise," Sheffield said.
Parents can make a request for their child to have desk barriers, Sheffield said, but for parents who prefer their child eat separately our outside instead of in a congregate setting such as a school cafeteria, accommodations will work differently.
"We have to have controlled designations when it comes to lunch, but we're pretty sure in the high schools, sincethey eat lunch in various places, that won't be a problem, but with regard to elementary, we'll have to work with them," Sheffield said.
About 50,000 students returned to campus on Monday, Sheffield said; evidence of the8.67%drop in studentenrollment at EPISD during the pandemic,between 2019 and last year.
The district reported 50,661 students in the 2020-21 school year and 55,253 students in the 2019-20 school year, according to student enrollment data from the Texas Education Agency.
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