9 Borderland school districts welcome students back
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Nine Borderland school districts welcomed students back to the classroom on Monday.
The districts are: El Paso ISD, Socorro, Ysleta, San Elizario, Fabens, Tornillo, Canutillo, Gadsden, and Idea Public Schools.
For some it’s the first time they’ve been in a classroom since before the pandemic began, while for many first graders it’s their first time ever stepping foot in a classroom setting.
Some schools are not only anticipating an adjustment period but preparing for it.
“It’s all about making those connections and having kids work in groups and just reconnecting with other students,” Wendy Banegas, principal of Presa Elementary School, said. “Because even though the educational and academic portion of school is important, that social and emotional bonding is even more important.”
On top of adjusting to being back in a classroom, many students are also having to decide whether they don a mask for the new school year.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order that bans districts from mandating masks. In New Mexico, masks will still be required for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, in elementary schools.
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