DECATUR, ILL. (WAND) -- Decatur parents have wait for what school would look like for their kids in the fall, and two parents are on board with a DPS decision to begin the school year virtually.

"I'm actually really comfortable with it. I'm excited. I for sure think this was the right decision for students, for staff, just to keep everyone as safe as possible. I think that DPS made a fantastic decision overall," Katie Dickerson, whose daughter attends Decatur Public Schools, said. 
 
"Initially, it was relief because I didn't have to be the one to tell my daughter that it was going to be all online again. I don't have to be the deciding factor anymore," Christy Christian, whose daughter attends Decatur Public Schools, said. 

The challenge of teaching virtually is a small price pay according to one Decatur teacher, if it means keeping her students and fellow faculty members safe.
 
"As a teacher, I tell parents all the time that my job first and foremost is to keep my kids safe. Once they feel safe, they will be able to learn," Dennis Lab School teacher Sara Nave said. 
 
Now, parents and teachers will use this past spring of e-learning experience to make the necessary adjustments for the beginning of this virtual school year.
 
"We have things that we learned from in the spring that we'll grow from and we'll do it better in the fall for sure," Dickerson said.
 
"We need our community to rally, we need our parents to rally and we need all of us to be on the same team. So that there is that open line of communication to make sure that your (child) is getting the education that they need," Nave said.
 
Virtual learning for students will be held for the entire first quarter of the school year, which ends on Oct. 9.