Moore Goes Back To School With 2 Options For Students

Students returned to Moore Public Schools on Thursday, both online and in person, depending on their parent's preference.

Choosing between the two plans was one of the most difficult decisions Tara McNeil said she has ever faced.

“The health of my family is what ultimately decides, I’m sorry but you're going to have to stay home,” McNeil said.

The mother of an Applecreek sixth grader said she made the decision to help protect her relatives.

Her son uses an iPad to connect with the online learning tools.

“He's not quite happy with the decision, but I know he understands the importance,” McNeil said of her son, who loves school.

With just as much emotion and confusion, parent Debbie Herron chose the in-person learning option for her 9-year-old.

“It was a hard decision because do you risk him being around other kids, that you aren’t sure if they’re going to be OK?” Herron said.

As a working parent who can’t complete her job at home, the in-person option made the most sense for Herron and her family.

However, she made sure to teach her young one how to keep his mask on and social distance before heading to school at Northmore.

“For a month, he's already been wearing his mask. So, he wears his mask in daycare every day,” Herron said.

According to Moore Public Schools Superintendent Robert Romines, about 6,000 students are doing online learning with 18,000 enrolled in-person.

“The decisions that are having to be made with things ever changing. That creates a lot of challenges. We started working out our plan and building our plan the first of April,” Romines said.

Overall, Romines said the first day went well, with students and staff following the rules.