Laura Faith Kebede / Chalkbeat
Some middle and high school students in Memphis returned to classrooms Monday, completing Shelby County Schools’ phased plan to reopen buildings nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted remote learning.
About a fourth of middle and high school students were expected to return Monday. A third of pre-kindergarten and elementary students returned last week. Families have a choice to send children back to campus or to keep them learning from home via live videoconferencing, as they have done since August. The majority of district parents have chosen to stick with remote learning.
Charter schools, which educate about 17% of the district’s students, can make their own reopening plans. Several more opened their buildings Monday, such as Freedom Preparatory Academy and Memphis Business Academy, which means nearly all charter schools in the city are offering in-person learning.