Everything has changed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many students across the world didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to their fellow classmates last spring.

But Wednesday marked a new beginning, and a tiny bit of resumed normalcy for three Schuylkill County school districts - including Tamaqua, which returned its students, faculty and staff in full this morning.

“We are looking forward to this school year in much the same way we have in past years,” said Tamaqua Superintendent Ray Kinder. “As educators, our passion and commitment to student growth and development is at the core of our belief system.

“Our staff is excited about the opportunity to interact with students both in-person and virtually.”

The Schuylkill IU 29 and Schuylkill Haven districts joined Tamaqua in beginning the 2020 school year on Wednesday.

Schuylkill Haven has a few Act 80 days to prepare for the school year before students arrive on Monday. Their reopening plan is a staggered approach, starting with a hybrid plan (in-person and online) for a few weeks, before students of all levels return in-person by the end of October.

Tamaqua welcomed everyone back in full on Wednesday.

“The kids were victims academically,” said Larry Wittig, Tamaqua school board president. “They were shortchanged academically, athletically and they had nothing to say about it. They were told by ‘experts’ that you’re going to do this. It’s just so frustrating.

“Nobody is going to tell me that for the vast majority of students sitting in front of the computer without interaction is good or better. It’s just not. I have much more respect for the individualization of the instruction coming out of teachers, the personal relationships they develop and the needs of each student. You don’t get that in an online class.”

As Tamaqua returns in-person, there is also a separate online option for families opting to not send their students to the campus.

“If they (parents and guardians) feel that it’s necessary for them to be behind a screen for safety, that’s OK and that’s their decision,” Wittig said. “As a district, we need to take a stand and say we are doing this because it’s the best for a majority of the students in Tamaqua and we want to give them the tools for the rest of their lives without shortchanging them.”

According to a districtwide survey sent out by Tamaqua’s administration, an overwhelming response of about 73% of TASD families were in favor of the in-person return to class.

“The negative effect of not having students in the classroom in our collective opinion, is more damaging than the risk factor of the virus itself,” Wittig said. “We’re making that determination purely for the good of the students. You cannot recoup the last semester in your senior year.

“You cannot recoup the first semester in your senior year, as juniors coming forward, when you’re applying to colleges. That’s the semester colleges look at, because in January and February, the decisions have been made. This is very critical for the students going forward.”

Wittig noted that there will be challenges, along with the likelihood of students testing COVID-19 positive.

“We are not weighing deaths, because, I think, statistically, there has been no deaths in K-6 grade of any students at all. There are illnesses, and certainly you don’t want to minimize that. … But we need to prepare as a district for that positive case.

“I fully expect there will be some cases. I’m not naive. We should not throw out the baby with the bathwater if someone tests positive and shut the whole place down. … I think you have to handle it the best that you can.”

As for the other notable start dates in Schuylkill County, Saint Clair and Tri-Valley started on this past Monday, while Blue Mountain currently has the latest start date of Sept. 8.

“We will do all we can to create a safe and positive environment where students want to work hard to achieve their goals,” Kinder said. “That is our responsibility and every teacher, administrator and support staff member understands its importance.”