SUPERIOR, WI. (KBJR) - Students in the Superior School District had their first day back in class Thursday.

Parents and kids waited outside school doors to return for a “normal” school year.

After two years of precautions, the school district has no COVID restrictions this year. There are no plans to contact trace or count cases of students or staff who test positive from the virus.

Mayor Jim Paine welcomed back students at Northern Lights Elementary at around 8:15 a.m. Thursday along with teachers and staff from the school.

“The kids here are just great and I know there’s just this feeling of energy and excitement,” Mayor Paine said. “I want them to know that we at the city work for them and that we’re rooting for them.”

Landon is going into 2nd grade this year at Northern Lights Elementary. He says math is his favorite subject “because it make me think a lot.”

Landon’s mom Kailey Wick is excited for him to be back in class this year.

“He really enjoys math and science, which that wasn’t my strong suit so it-they must be doing something right,” she said.

Wick said she’s happy that her son is able to go to school without restrictions or distanced learning.

“It’s a lot nicer and just for him to have the actual experience of school rather than being scared of being sick so much, I think it’s nice,” she said.

As parents said goodbye to their kids for the day, it seemed like life is back to where it was.

“Just for him to have fun and not be so worried about everything that everybody has been anxious about these last two years,” Wick said.

In a statement to KBJR 6, the district said:

“Our school district will no longer be engaging in a formal COVID-19 response. Here is what this entails:

We will no longer be conducting contact tracing or reporting case numbers on our website as we had the past two years.

There will be no formal notification of exposure, we encourage families to reference the DHS and CDC websites for the level of community spread as a risk factor for being exposed.

If you have tested positive for COVID-19, follow the current guidelines from the CDC and/or your medical provider.

Standard district operations will continue to include: hand sanitizer dispensers throughout school buildings, use of disinfectants on high-touch areas, and good ventilation and air flow. We will continue the use of best practice procedures to ensure our facilities remain as safe as possible.

As with any illness, stay home and rest up if you’re not feeling well.

We will keep monitoring for any public health updates and will remain in contact with WI DPI and Douglas County Public Health.”

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