Lower Moreland students begin the school year, some in-person, some at home

LOWER MORELAND TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- It's the first day of school in Lower Moreland Township School District.

You could see a welcome message posted on the lawn at Murray Avenue School, where buses pulled in, and students were dropped off.

"It's pretty good to be back," 8th grader Jack Frankel said through his cloth mask.

In this district, the 5-day in-person learning option was taken off the table. Families were able to choose between hybrid or fully remote schedules.

Parent Rachel Frankel explained the process.

"If you chose hybrid, half go Monday/Thursday and the other half go Tuesday/Friday, so the numbers have decreased," she said. "The amount of space that's being provided for them has increased, and hopefully everybody's masked up and ready for a good year."

Jack Frankel added, "I kind of thought that being able to go back to school even if it's just for a little bit would be better because just being able to meet your teachers and giving them a rough idea of what you're like."

The school district declined interviews, but in a letter to families last Friday the superintendent wrote: "I am once again asking everyone to join together to exhibit an exceptional level of grace, patience and optimism with ourselves and with each other in order to focus our attention towards our students and the precision needed in order to maximize safety."

The letter also states that the district will continue to follow health-based metrics and state and local guidance when it comes to decisions on instruction.