Friday was a bittersweet day for many Illawarra parents.
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Some breathed a sigh of relief safe in the knowledge their home schooling days were over for the time being.
But others worried about taking their kids back to school on Monday for full-time face-to-face teaching.
I have my health concerns and won't be taking my daughter to school. My son also will only go three days a week. I won't take him full-time.
Berkeley mother-of-two Tamara James was for the most part happy to send her daughter Sophie Bailey back to Berkeley West Public School on Monday.
NSW public schools will return to the classroom full-time on May 25, two months after COVID-19 restrictions forced around 800,000 children to study remotely.
Sending her two high school students back to the classroom on a full-time basis though was out of the question for another parent, who wishes to remain anonymous.
The parent from the Illawarra's northern suburbs, feels the government has rushed the process and fears for the health of her children, particularly her daughter who has cerebral palsy and development delay.
She isn't buying assurances from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and health authorities and is torn between being happy for her kids to go back to school and unsure whether it was the safest place for them.
"I'm keen for the kids to go back for socialisation and to get back into routine and a bit of normality in their life but I just think it is too rushed," she said.
"I feel the government has rushed this through. They've gone from one day a week into full-time. What happened with then going to two-days a week. The original plan was not to send them back until the end of the term.
"Regardless I have my health concerns and won't be taking my daughter to school. My son also will only go three days a week. I won't take him full-time."
The Mercury understands that teachers and parents were also "very anxious and concerned" about the much faster timeline back to normal than was first advised, and held particular concerns about the education department's ability to deliver a safe environment.
Mrs James though was excited her school was resuming and was looking forward to her daughter Sophie heading back to the classroom.
"We are definitely excited that everything is getting back to normal and she can go back to school and see her friends and her teacher and just be at school," she said.
"She absolutely loves school. The COVID-19 restrictions have been difficult and she has struggled at times and missed seeing her friends and teacher. Since restrictions have been relaxed a little she's been going back to school three days a week and I home school her the other two days."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
