School year off to good start for Brookville family

BROOKVILLE, Ohio — Students in Brookville have been back in class for a couple of weeks, now News Center 7 catches up with one family to see how the start of the school year is going.

One year ago, News Center 7′s Kayla Courvell visited the Woodward family home as Olive, Rilynn, Kennedy, Cooper, Mason and Kenzie got onto their buses and headed out for the first day of school.

>> Schools temporarily closing, others quarantining hundreds of students due to COVID-19 illnesses

This year, they are once again excited to be back in class after having the summer off. The kids loaded up with backpacks and lunch boxes, but masks were not part of the dress code.

Brookville Local Schools are not requiring masks, but the district is highly encouraging the use of masks. Mason is a seventh grader and said she is excited that she does not have to wear a mask.

“Mainly everyone is a lot more social and excited to back in school where I feel like last year everyone was like ‘Ok, we have to go to school, we have to wear masks,’ so it’s not as much interaction with friends and teachers,” Mason said.

>> Ohio universities requiring COVID-19 vaccines for all students, staff

The kid’s mother, Megan Woodward, said she appreciated having the option to choose whether or not her kids wore masks for herself. “The kids say it’s nice to see their friends faces.”

Superintendent Tim Hopkins said they have had kids at Brookville in quarantine already this year, but it was due to exposure outside of the school. And, right now, they don’t plan to change their mask policy.

Woodward said she will do what she needs to for her kids to stay in school safely and the kids are busy this year. Three of the kids are in cheerleading and three are playing soccer.

©2021 Cox Media Group