COVINGTON, Ky. — As students in Covington Independent Public Schools return to the classroom, schools in the district received grants to help those students navigate any trauma they may have from the pandemic.

Holmes Middle School, Ninth District Elementary, Sixth District Elementary, Latonia Elementary and Holmes High School received $100,000 from the CARES Act with the explicit purpose of supporting the mental health of students through social emotional learning materials. The grants will also provide mental health training for teachers and families.

"We are excited to have these additional funds to help our children and families get back on track emotionally as we recover from the impact of the pandemic," Dr. Janice Wilkerson, the assistant superintendent of Covington Independent Public Schools, said.

Officials said that when schools went to virtual learning, some students withdrew from classes and others failed multiple classes.

“We have found some problems exacerbated as students were isolated for long periods of time," Renata Watts, Youth Services Center coordinator for Holmes Middle School, said. "We know that if (students) cannot connect to their emotions, they cannot thrive academically. We know that we must address the emotional well-being of our students."

Wilkerson said the funds will help students get back on track, and Watts said the grants will make a difference.

"We know it will take some time, but we are prepared to receive our students at where they are, and most importantly, focus on their well-being, thanks to the grant," Watts said.

Lakota students return to class, some for the first time in a year

Updated: 5:40 PM EDT Aug 18, 2021

Lakota students returned to school Tuesday. Despite having to wear masks, many kids said they were happy to be back in class with friends."I'm feeling excited but a little nervous because I've been in VLO for over a year," said Bryce Jones, a Lakota East student. Jones has asthma, so last year, virtual learning was a better option for him. Now, he's vaccinated which sets his father, Careem Jones' mind at ease."It's been tough being home, so we felt its time to integrate with students," Careem Jones said. Adam Douglas isn't just new to Lakota East, he's also new to the country. He just moved here from Jordan a few weeks ago."Feeling good, something new in my life," Douglas said. What's not new is Lakota's mandatory mask policy."When they said we were going to have masks mandatory, I'm like, 'Well, we did it last year and you get used to it, so you can do it again,'" said Lakota East student Kaitlin Dwomoh. Lakota superintendent Matt Miller told WLWT on Tuesday if COVID cases stay low during the next few weeks, the mask mandate could be reversed, but students aren't banking on it just yet."I feel like we're going to have masks for a while because COVID is just going to keep ramping up. This is not going to be our last variant, and I kind of want people to get used to being close but still far away enough that we don't have to worry," Dwomoh said.

Miami University will require facial coverings in almost all cases on its campuses no matter their vaccination status beginning on Monday, the school announced today.

According to the Journal-News, Miami University President Gregory Crawford said the decision came because of concern about the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19 and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coverings will be required indoors beginning on Monday, except when exempted under the university’s COVID-19 policy. Students will not be required to wear masks inside their residence hall rooms.

“Our top priority is ensuring the health and safety of our campus community,” Crawford said. “Public health officials have advised us that the safest course of action for the successful completion of a robust, in-person semester is to take preventative actions now.”

Miami is urging anyone who is not vaccinated to get vaccinated immediately.

“Vaccines remain our best protective measure against the virus,” President Crawford said.

The first day of classes is Aug. 23.

This group of Maine students are publishing a book using their experiences from the pandemic

Updated: 1:00 PM EDT Jun 14, 2021

This group of students at Farwell Elementary School in Lewiston, Maine, have been working on publishing their own books. The books are an adaptation of their mentor, Gary Savage's novels, altered to include their experiences of life during the pandemic. The Author Studies program has been around for years. However, during the pandemic students had to get creative and find virtual ways to work together. Some students were worried the program would not be able to continue this year. Many students were relieved and excited the program was still taking place.Hear about their story in the video above.