On Dec. 23, Governor Kate Brown dropped the regulations regarding the reopening of schools and allowed the districts to decide when and if they would send kids back to school, which has caused debates regarding the safety and logic of returning to arise. 

A plan has not yet been set for the return of high school students, but the district is hopeful of an eventual return and has a hybrid schedule set in place in preparation once the number of cases decreases. 

The hybrid schedule is a plan that includes a school day with some classes online and some in person. Most of the in person classes are within cohorts, which means that the teachers will move from class to class and the students will be in smaller groups to prevent crowding in the hallways. 

Meanwhile, social distancing guidelines, cleaning protocols and mask-wearing guidelines will all be set into motion with the return of in-person school. 

Aside from the dangers that in-person school brings to students and their families, it is also up for debate whether or not returning to school would actually be beneficial. 

Social distancing regulations prevent group projects and presentations during class would be difficult due to masks obstructing speech. 

People such as sophomore Kate Kohnstamm feel that there will not be enough improvement in education for the risk of returning to school to be worth it.

“I’m still learning the same information,” said Kohnstamm. “It just comes down to how much work I put in at the end of the day.”

On the other hand, some feel that in-person schooling would be a welcomed change. Nancy Anderson, a sophomore at LHS, has acknowledged the appeal of attending school in the hybrid schedule.

“It would be nice to go back to school,” said Anderson. “I feel like I would be more engaged, I wouldn’t have my phone as a distraction, and it would be nice to be able to see other people.”