Students in the Freeport Area School District returned to classes Monday, with younger and older students following different schedules.

The school board approved its return-to-school and return-to-sports plans Thursday night.

Students had been learning at home since the beginning of the Christmas break due to the surge in state and county cases of COVID-19.

Dan Lucovich, board president, said Monday that elementary school students will return together and attend classes from Monday through Thursday.

Middle and high school students were divided into two groups.

One group will attend classes Monday and Tuesday, and the other group on Wednesday and Thursday.

All students will learn remotely on Fridays, so the buildings can be sanitized, teachers can prepare for classes and students who need extra help can get it, Lucovich said.

He said the schools could be shut down according to the number of COVID-19 cases that appear moving forward, as all schools have a case threshold from the state departments of Education and Health dictating when they must move to at-home learning and for how long.

The Butler Area School District Monday exceeded the number of permitted COVID-19 cases and moved to remote learning for some schools.

Lucovich said school officials will monitor the situation as it plays out in the coming days and weeks regarding students learning at school or at home.

“I wish we had more of a straightforward answer, but I don't think there is one,” he said.

Lucovich said he wishes state officials would let individual districts make their own decisions without interference from Harrisburg.

“(Districts) know what is right for their students and communities,” Lucovich said.

However, he worries about school moving back and forth from in-person to remote as the virus plays out.

“It's very concerning,” Lucovich said. “I'd hate to see things start rolling again and all of a sudden, we're back down.”

The board, with the exception of dissenting voters Mike Huth and Melanie Bollinger, decided to return students to school because students want to return to a learning environment that includes their teachers and friends.

“You think 'go remote until (the virus) is all over,' but the kids want to go back and see their friends,” Lucovich said.

Freeport teachers have been livestreaming classes throughout the pandemic as students have learned at home.

“The one hiccup is getting Chromebooks,” Lucovich said.

He explained that Chromebook laptop computers for learning at home were distributed to students in kindergarten and first grade.

By the end of the week, 531 more Chromebooks are slated to arrive at the district, and the remainder shortly after that.

The district has provided ways to access the internet for students without access and laptops for those whose families do not have computers.

Regarding the district's return to sports, the board voted to have students wear masks while playing, but Lucovich said that could change at the district's meeting Thursday.

He said Freeport's nine school board members are doing their best to care for students, faculty and staff and their families as the pandemic continues.

“It's tough, but they all care about the kids and want to keep their communities safe,” Lucovich said.