This year as a society we have had to make many changes to how we live our everyday lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these changes includes how schools are educating students. At Frisco ISD the decision was made to have virtual and face to face learning so students could choose what option was best for them.

“The one thing you can’t replicate virtually is those interactions with teachers, [and] with students,” Principal Ziaer said. “So while I am 100 percent supportive of the experiences we are able to provide in a virtual setting, it still lacks that human connection.” 

While a number of students have chosen to go back to school, many families and students of Frisco are still concerned about how the virus could still spread. 

“I would love to go back to school and see all my friends but I don’t want to risk being exposed to the virus,” sophomore Sahasra Challa said. “I would rather just talk to them online.”

“Our students have done a great job assimilating to a completely different environment, and we very rarely have to talk to anybody about keeping their mask on,” Zaier adds. 

While some families think that going to school might be a better option to aid the students’ learning, face to face students still feel the impact and change COVID-19 has brought. 

“Even with our students that are face to face there is still an element of isolation, so students have a much harder time collaborating with each other,”  Zaier said.

Both online and face to face students are looking to have a good high school experience in the midst of this pandemic; but, nobody knows how the next few months of our lives are going to look. 

“We are hopeful that we are going to be able to provide those campus experiences but we ultimately just don’t know” Zaier said. “So depending on how things are progressing, and how students and staff are maintaining their health, that will ultimately determine if we are able to have events like homecoming or prom.”

There are many advantages and disadvantages to both online and in person school, but as for what works best, that is up to students and their families.