Michelle Saldaña

Aaron and Olivia Saldaña are students at the Apache Junction Unified School District, which announced on Nov. 23, 2020, that all classes will be held online starting Nov. 30.

The number of schools returning to distance learning because of rising COVID-19 cases in the state continues to grow.

The Apache Junction Unified School District joined this list on Monday. Students will return to online classes starting after the Thanksgiving weekend and are expected to remain in that learning mode through Jan. 18, the district announced. 

Apache Junction fifth-grader Aaron Saldaña had return to online classes sooner because he had to quarantine after a classmate tested positive for COVID-19. 

“Online school has been OK. I just wish that we could still go to school-school because it was a lot better than this," he said. "It made me really good. I felt a lot more self-motivated seeing more people.”

His mother, Michelle Saldaña, said online school is harder for Aaron's younger sister, Olivia, whose in the first grade. 

“She’s not quite reading yet ... so she needs a lot more of the instruction and helping with logging on and passwords and pretty much just keeping her in her seat," Michelle Saldaña said.

Staring at the computer screen is also tiring for the siblings, but Michelle Saldaña said they understand why the district made this decision. Their family is hoping to make the best of the situation. 

Corinne Cosic

Mila Cosic is a kindergarten student in the Washington Elementary School District.

Students in other districts like the Washington Elementary School District have already begun learning online full-time. 

Corrine Cosic's daughter, Mila, is a kindergartener with the district which serves students in the central Phoenix and Glendale areas. The kindergartner took the news pretty well, but Cosic said it's still comes with its challenges. 

"Trying to step up my daughter for a successful online learning day when you have 3-year-old and a 1-year-old running around makes for a pretty crazy situation," Cosic said, who is taking a year off from teaching high school English classes to be with her kids.

Cosic is worried about the socialization that Mila is missing out on because of the pandemic and limited in-person classes.

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