WINTER HAVEN, Fla — A community staple, Elbert Elementary School's doors finally reopened after a two-year, $62 million reconstruction.
And now, hundreds of students have access to education closer to their homes.
WATCH: Elbert Elementary reopened to students after a 2-year, multimillion-dollar reconstruction
"It is more convenient, it is closer than the last one he went to, so we are excited about it," says Mya Stewart, who has one six-year-old attending Elbert this year.
The move-in process has not been without challenges.
"It took about seven semi-trucks to get us moved in here, and so we are still unboxing," says new principal Julie Thomas, "But we are confident in the next two weeks, we will have everything smoothed out!"
The expectation is just about 700 kids will attend this year, but the building was built to hold 900.
And despite the new building and parking lot, staff are ready to tackle whatever comes their way.
"We've spent two years in Haines City. It's been a little bit of a challenge for the families and the staff to be moving twice, but we're so happy to be back here in our hometown," says Thomas.
How journalists battle the rise of AI fake news
As News Literacy Week kicks off in partnership with Scripps News, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska sat down with fact-checkers at PolitiFact to learn how they combat misinformation in the age of AI.
