WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — As some schools began phasing kids back into in-person learning, parents say establishing a routine was a challenge after remote learning for almost a year.

"It's really difficult to get in the habit of getting up earlier, packing lunches the night before, and making sure they have hand sanitizer, and clean masks, and all the school supplies," Britney Dent says.

Dent has kids in fifth and sixth grades in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. 

Her kids had been staying up later because of remote learning, but that has since changed due to the phasing in of in-person learning in the district.

"We were since March used to just kind of rolling out of bed at 7:45. Now since we have to get up so much earlier, I try to let them still get their nine to ten hours of sleep, so they need to go to bed earlier. It's really difficult," she says.

Ahead of returning to school, she says she made sure to help her kids understand what to do in order to stay safe. Bringing others into that occasion is what made her initially nervous to send them back.

"Other students and staff, you don't know if they're actually being safe and following the guidelines that people are saying we should do to stay safe, so I was super nervous about it. That's part of the reason why I was glad it was a cohort model because I feel like the risk is a little bit less," she says.

For Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, 10th-12th graders will begin returning to school in cohorts the week of February 22.

Guilford County Schools has delayed re-entry for middle and high school students.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will phase students in with K-8 on February 15, followed by middle and high school on February 22.

Pre-K through 12th grade students in Wake County will continue remote learning through mid-February.

Asheville City Schools will continue with remote learning through March 16.