GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — As more than 70,000 students head back to Guilford County classrooms on August 23, many parents are concerned their children may have fallen behind academically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Karen Wallace has four children within the Guilford County Schools system. She said they were all challenged by the struggles of remote learning.

"Children were less likely to ask teachers questions in the remote distance online format, and it was hard because you weren’t interacting with your peers, and a lot of my children didn’t even know who their classmates were, so there wasn’t collaborative learning," Wallace said.

Wallace said she signed two of her four Guilford County students up for summer school through the school system and hopes it helps them during the upcoming school year. Although she still has her doubts, she is excited for the kids to return back to in-person learning.

“I’m hoping that the whole year will be in-person, and I’m hoping for a lot of interaction and hands-on and hoping for a great school year for everyone," Wallace added.