On Monday, April 5, many Massachusetts elementary students will return to school in-person, full-time. For many, it will be the first time in over a year
that they re stepping foot inside a classroom. There will be new teachers, new classmates, new classrooms, new protocols for them to follow and new routines to adjust to.
For some students, the return to in-person learning will be a welcome relief. For others, it could be a time of rising anxieties. I ve seen, sort of, a split, said Dr. Fatima Watt, director of Behavorial Services at Franciscan Hospital for Children. I ve seen kids that are so excited and just looking forward to those social interactions and having their friends again. And then there are certainly the kids that are more reluctant. They haven t had as much practice over the last year interacting with friends.