HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Some kindergarten through second-grade students are finally returning to the classrooms in the Harrisburg School District.

They will be joined by nearly 200 special education students K-12. The students will be taking part in hybrid learning for the remainder of the school year. Acting Superintendent Chris Celmer says grades three and up, will only return to the classroom for standardized testing.

“I have been so proud of our students, teachers, staff and parents,” Celmer said. “We made some tough decisions, and we felt they were in the best interest of everyone.”

Last fall, Celmer cited several concerns about the virus that helped him decide to start with virtual learning, including children returning home from school, and spreading it to older relatives who make up multi-generational homes.

“We had access to data that we followed closely,” Celmer said. “We were able to track the amount of disease in the wastewater, and that let us know there was a lot of the virus out there and it remains today.”