Safety a top priority for students as they return to Hamblen County schools

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (WVLT) - Hamblen County Schools welcomed nearly 10,000 students back to the classroom on Monday, August 1.

“We are super excited,” Lincoln Heights Elementary School Principal, Shelley Green, said.

Some students were nervous to begin the new school year; others felt confident and happy to return.

Green said she wants students to feel emotionally supported.

“This is a safe place. It’s a place they can come to and be fully supported in every way,” Green explained.

While students took the summer off, employees worked to welcome them back into the classroom.

“We have worked so hard this summer in making sure that our building’s safe and ready for the students. And we’re just ready and committed to the students as well,” Lincoln Heights Elementary Second Grade Teacher Alex Lichlyter said.

This is the first school year teachers and staff said they feel they are in a post-pandemic and seeing just a few students wear masks.

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