O'FALLON, Mo. — After schools closed to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, many teachers started to miss their students. Sunday afternoon, dozens of teachers from the Fort Zumwalt School District held their own special "parade."
Teachers from J.L. Mudd and Forest Park Elementary Schools started driving their personal vehicles through student's neighborhoods around noon and didn't finish until just before dinnertime. More than 50 teachers organized the parade that would be safe with social distancing in place.
The Principal at J.L. Mudd Elementary, Dr. Stephanie Mountain, acted as the grand marshal of the parade leading the long line of cars through the school's typical bus route.
The parade brought hundreds of residents out of their homes even with snow on the ground. Children waved and shouted their teacher's names as their teachers drove past. There were tears of joy from many teachers and parents along the route.
Some students made signs to hold with messages like, "We miss you. Stay safe we need you."
All the teachers were given specific instructions from the Fort Zumwalt School District that is if they chose to participate in this activity they must practice social distancing, honk and wave. They were not allowed to stop and nothing was to be thrown from the cars. Students were given similar instructions.
Many other school districts have plans to hold parades to brighten spirits in the coming days.
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