Some school districts in Yuma County seeing fewer kids back in class

News 11's Adonis Albright speaks with superintendents across Yuma County to learn more

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - It's been just over a week since Gadsden Elementary School District (GESD) resumed in-person learning, and there's a disproportionate amount of kids not coming back to class.

Out of the district's nearly 5,000 children currently enrolled, only about 1,200 of them have returned to the classroom.

Perhaps some parents prefer their children to get an education from home, especially given the pandemic. According to the acting superintendent, Lisette Esparza, there's concern another wave of COVID-19 cases might be right around the corner.

“Parents are very concerned because of Spring break. Parents want to wait 10 days, they’re expecting a third wave. So we are expecting after the 10 days, we might get more students back", said Esparza.

But this isn't the case with all school districts in Yuma County. Yuma Union High School District tells News 11 that since resuming in-person instruction back in March, roughly 60% of students have returned to campus across all six schools.

It's a similar story for the Crane Elementary School District. Ahead of the district's Governing Board meeting on Tuesday, the district told News 11 that among its 10 schools, more than half are back in class since shifting to in-person learning in February.

Although there are still a few hurdles before schools can effectively return to a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy, GESD is confident things are heading in the right direction.

“If our parents decide to keep their students online, and they change their mind, the student is always welcome back", said Esparza.

Gadsden Elementary School District says they plan to return to full in-person learning on August 15, but still plan to provide opportunities for children to learn online in some capacity. In the meantime, officials are closely monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases in the community.