Students start school year amid coronavirus pandemic

Monday was the first day of school for many kids across our area, but this year was very different. Children resumed learning one of three ways— in-person, virtually, or a hybrid mix of the two. 

In a way, it felt like a normal first day of school outside Philadelphia’s Jacquelyn Kelley Discovery Charter. The excitement was in the air with face masks all around.

"As human beings we need love. We need connections. We need people. That’s what she was missing," parent Lakeisha Garson said.

So Lakeisha Gadson brought her daughter Adia to Discovery for her first day of kindergarten.

The 638 student charter on Parkside Avenue opened for classes with protective shields and cameras. The CEO says are able to detect students or staff with high temperatures.

"We are opening for a short period to make sure all of our students are acclimated for e-learning and make sure all of them have a computer," Tonia Elmore, CEO of Discovery Charter, said.

In eight weeks, Discovery will go fully online until the end of January in a bid to fight COVID-19.

At Lower Moreland High School in Huntingdon Valley, classes are half-day all week as the Montgomery County School District moves to a hybrid approach of instruction in-class and online.

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Lower Moreland students start school year with mix of in-school, virtual learning

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