In our first two articles on learning from COVID-19, we showcased the concerns and considerations of students and teachers in relation to their experiences with reentry to schools in the midst of the pandemic. As school building leaders, principals also have their own set of experiences and thought processes they bring to the table.

It has been more than a month since Wake County Public Schools returned to full-time in-person learning with twice-monthly remote learning days. The turnaround for full reentry came at such a quick pace that there has been little time for teachers and other school personnel to learn and critically evaluate the most effective ways to deliver a hybrid model of learning.

As North Carolina — and the country — debated how and when to return to in-person instruction, the primary focus was often on teachers and adult staff members, as they are more vulnerable than students when it comes to contracting severe cases of COVID-19. But too often, the voices that were noticeably absent were those of students themselves.