SUMTER, S.C. — Sumter families are getting ready to start the fall semester virtually on Friday.
Akilah Mack and her five-year-old son Carter said they're looking forward to it.
"I'm going to go on my laptop and see my teacher and my friends," Carter said. "I'm excited."
Carter will be starting kindergarten Friday. It's not the start to grade school his mom pictured, but she's still feeling positively about it.
"I'm kind of excited," Mack said. "He's not as excited as I am because he wants to see his friends and things like that, but safety first, you know?"
Nykera and Amarie Washington had mixed feelings.
"I like virtual school," Nykera, a fourth grader, said. "It's fun to meet new people and meet my teachers and accomplish my goal to go to the next grade."
"I'm going to miss my friends," Amarie, a second grader, said.
However, she added that she's excited to see them virtually and "learn new things."
The Sumter School District plans to begin virtually and transition to a hybrid model when the coronavirus is less of a concern.