APPLETON, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Appleton area schools were nearly empty for much of the year.
Then the district brought kids back in person on a limited basis.
"We were a little cautious at the beginning, but optimistic about how it would go," AASD parent Andy Fulcer said. "So far everything's been going well."
Fulcer has two children at Ferber Elementary. To date, he's seen the district manage to avoid significant Covid spread.
"When we brought the students back on Jan. 19, we had reasonable class sizes which allowed us to keep kids distanced," AASD CFO Greg Hartjes said. "That went a long way."
The district says students and staff have done well masking and sanitizing. And now, Appleton plans to increase those opportunities by bringing students into the class for additional days.
The staff believes it's ready.
"Our nurses are doing a great job in contact tracing when there is a positive case that's reported to us," Hartjes said.
Staff comes in every morning before class starts to disinfect the schools. But even greater precautions will be taken if spread becomes an issue.
"Maybe it's going to be an entire school that has to be closed," Hartjes said. "That's the direction we will move not to close the entire district again."
Some local school districts haven't been in person yet, so Appleton hopes its success can lead the way.
"The biggest piece of advice that I would have is to just go ahead and do it," Hartjes said. "Go ahead and trust your mitigation strategies."
