The first day at school for these students will come just short of one year since the last time Philadelphia public school students were in classrooms at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These schools being deemed safe to reopen follows weeks of mediation between the school district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Previous attempts to get children in pre-K through second graders back for hybrid learning resulted in a standoff between the district and teachers union about COVID-19 safety concerns and protocol, much of which focused on the district's plan to install window fans to improve ventilation in classrooms.