PERRYSBURG, Ohio — Many parents are still processing the newly-released guidelines from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for reopening schools this fall. Some have mixed feelings about sending the kids back to the classroom.
The kids finished the last quarter of the year from home. But grandparents and parents said the thought of them going back while the virus is still out there is frightening.
"I just don't know how it's going to work and I think it's really scary," grandparent and former teacher Grace Afridi said.
Tony Torio, a parent and high school teacher in Perrysburg, believes both kids and teachers want to return this fall.
"Everyone seems to want to go back," Torio said, "and we're just trying to figure out a way to do it safely."
But some students aren't all on board to go back.
"I'm not excited to go back," student Leilano Torio said. "I preferred the online school."
The Torio family added that it took some time to adjust to home learning during the stay-at-home order.
"We were able to accomplish some things that I had my doubts going into it," Tony Torio said, "so it went better than I expected, but it's not the same as in person learning."
His youngest daughter Delilah said she actually missed the classroom and her parents were often busy when she needed help.
"It was longer but it was easier at school," Delilah said, "when the teacher was actually there to explain things."
But the family admits learning from home wasn't all bad.
"[They] learned things that they wouldn't have learned at school, like cooking and gardening," mother Kristin Torio said, "so there were good things about it."
The five guidelines for schools to reopen include temperature and symptom checks, hand sanitizer in schools and available in high-traffic areas, disinfecting the school, masks for teachers and students third grade and up, and social distancing in classrooms, hallways and on buses. Kids and adults said most of those are possible but not ideal.
"It [the mask] gets kind of hard to breath," Delilah Torio said. "I don't really like it. It gets kind of hot."
Afridi said she doesn't believe it's safe to even try to follow most of these guidelines.
"Sanitizers are fine but you know, you got little kids, they're putting their hands in their mouths, eyes and face all the time," Afridi said.
But even with all those, some parents are not convinced with the last guideline: staying six feet apart.
"That is the one that is impossible," Tony Torio said. "I just don't see how it's physically possible. My classroom is only about 30 feet by 30 feet and I have about 19 to 29 students. I mean, it's just literally impossible."
It will be up each school district to decide how they follow these rules. Delilah said she is excited to see her friends but her dad admitted, even with protections, it's all a risk.
"I think as long as they're doing a lot of the safer practices that should minimize the risk, but we're not going to eliminate it, that's impossible," Torio said.
School districts are working to finalize plans for the fall.