While most Canberra kids have been learning from home, Jacqui Shipton's seven-year-old son is one of just a handful still attending his school every day.
As a healthcare worker, Ms Shipton is classed as an essential worker and has not been able to work from home.
While ACT public schools have been pupil free for more than two weeks as a result of coronavirus, schools have stayed open for children of essential workers.
Ms Shipton's son has been one of just three students who have been attending Gilmore Primary School this week, as attendance numbers have plummeted across the ACT.
While there had been much uncertainty about what the situation would be once the Easter break and school holidays came to an end, Ms Shipton welcomed a plan for schools to remain open to children of essential workers in Term 2.
A small number of schools across the ACT will be open to students, but they are not yet known.
Children from multiple schools will be consolidated into several "hub schools" across Canberra.
Parents would need to register their intent to send their children to school if they were unable to learn from home.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said on Wednesday the majority of learning in Term 2 would be done remotely and there would be no caps on the number of students able to attend classrooms in person.
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Ms Shipton said the plan provided a level of certainty for parents who still had to send their children to school.
"The last few weeks have been tough but you have to do what you have to do," she said.
"You want to make things as normal as possible at a time like this"
While the exact locations of the schools were yet to be determined, Ms Shipton said she hoped they would be close by to town centres across Canberra to make it easy for parents.
Coles employee Lara McCombie anticipated her sons would be able to return to their Catholic school in Term 2, despite the school not being accounted for in the territory's plan.
She was able to take advantage of her sons' school being open to the children of essential workers until her husband, who is also deemed an essential worker, was able to start working from home last Thursday.
Ms McCombie said some schools seemed to have sent a different message to parents recently, so she welcomed the option being open to them.
"One of my co-workers was ... basically told not to bring their children to school," Ms McCombie said.
"My colleague was very distraught ... she actually brought her daughter to work.
"Then that exposes [her daughter] to being in the public and things like that."
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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