Xavier College Prep welcomes students back on campus for in-person learning on Monday

Xavier College Prep is bringing students back on campus for in-person learning on Monday, February 22.

“It’s going to be nice to go back after so long," Dylan Reid a freshman at Xavier College Prep told News Channel 3.

“I’m excited," English teacher at Xavier Kevin Byrne said. "It’s going to be good to see them. It’s going to be fun to see the dynamics and get the school year back,” he added.

The principal at Xavier College Prep Chris Alling said the school has a total of 540 students. They anticipate up to 300 of them will be back on campus on Monday.

“Students who want to be home, who don’t feel comfortable on campus or being around other students can still be at home and still be in live synchronize learning with their classmates who are in classes on campus,” Alling said.

Citlali Camacho is one of those students who said she’s not going back just yet.

“I actually don’t plan on going just cause my parents are a little overprotective over me since I am the only daughter," Camacho, a senior at Xavier said.

Parents had to sign a waiver and students had to sign a pledge before coming back to campus.

“The pledge is from the students saying I pledge, you have my word I will do my part if I have symptoms or feel sick or don’t feel up to snuff I won’t come to school,” Alling said.

Even if they do, there are safety measures in place.

“They show up, we’re going to shoot their temperature," Alling said. "If anybody registers above a certain threshold then we have another protocol we have to follow for those students,” he added.

This isn’t the first time students will be back on campus since the pandemic started.

“We didn’t have to get a waiver, what we had to do is provide the Riverside County Department of Public Health and essentially the California Department of Public Health a reopening plan,” he shared.

After their plans were approved in the fall students came back for a brief two months before Thanksgiving break. However, this is the first time students are back in person in the new year.

“The teacher will be able to see on that big screen, students who are at home and then in 3D in-person in living color the students who are in the classroom with them,” Alling said.

Camacho said she hopes to join her classmates by the end of the school year.

“I told my parents I want to go back for sure especially just to be able to be with the rest of my classmates and the rest of my class, just make this last semester memorable," she said.

Xavier joins Desert Christian Academy and Palm Valley School who are already doing in-person hybrid learning for their high school students.

Many of the teachers at Xavier College Prep have already been vaccinated and some have even received their second doses already which Alling said has contributed to the confidence in returning to the classroom.