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Six out of ten Florida students have returned to either part or full time in-person learning and there is a chance the State Department of Education will push to return to a normal school year after winter break.

Florida’s First Lady used this week’s Children and Youth Cabinet to lay out the case for a full return to classroom learning.

When it comes to children returning to the classroom Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis argues the science is in.

“The CDC released data showing that children ages 19 and younger have a 99.997 percent survivability rate,” said DeSantis.

When kids are out of the classroom some go hungry, experience mental health issues and lose out on critical socialization.

Others, lose a safe haven from child abuse.

When schools were closed in April, Florida’s Child Abuse Hotline saw a 38 percent decline in calls.

Since students have returned to the classroom calls are back up to normal levels, indicating abuse that was going unseen, is now being detected.

Child abuse survivor Phillip Adams is now an adult, but his experiences have led him to this conclusion on the school reopening debate.

“If I had a choice to be a kid today, I’d rather be at school with a mask than at home with my abuser,” said Adams.

Adams told us the only thing that got him through his abuse was the relationship he formed with one of his teachers.

“She took me home and met my mom and saw the situation. She then began giving me coping mechanisms, not to kind of dive into myself, but to use the situation to become stronger,” said Adams.

And the First Lady hopes to find ways to create similar relationships for children experiencing abuse today.

“And that’s been a priority of the cabinet, is mentorship. How do we get adults into the lives of children to be able to give them direction and hope for the future,” said DeSantis.

Adams’ six children are currently not attending school in-person, but he said they will be returning soon.

When it comes to at risk children he said there’s no question, being at school beats being at home.