Hugs as California public school returns to class in person

Hugs as California public school returns to class in person

SeattlePI.com

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CHULA VISTA, Calif. (AP) — There was pumping music, dancing teachers and lots of hugs as one of the first public schools in California opened fully to in-person learning Wednesday, marking a major milestone in the fight to return to normalcy in the nation's most populated state, though the masked students served as a reminder that the coronavirus pandemic is still far from over.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond welcomed students at Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School in Chula Vista, south of San Diego near the Mexican border.

“Bienvenidos! Welcome back to school! That’s it for my speech," Thurmond said to laughter and applause from students and parents gathered on the school's playground. “I'm just here to say we're so proud of you. This is one of the first schools in all of the state of California to be back, and you're showing everyone in California and in our nation that we learn well, we stay safe and we support our students and families."

Thurmond tried to calm concerns about the timing of Chula Vista Elementary School District's return to full-day, in-person instruction amid rising numbers of COVID-19 infections from the more contagious delta variant, including among younger kids, for which a vaccine has not yet been approved.

Thurmond said he was confident that masks, hand-washing and frequent testing of staff and students were enough to allow schools to reopen safely.

With COVID-19 cases soaring nationwide, school districts across the U.S. are navigating a tricky path forward amid mounting pressure to get kids back into classrooms full time this school year despite people's growing fatigue of mask-wearing, vaccine rules and social distancing requirements.

California was one of the slowest states in the country to reopen its public...

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