ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Elementary school students in Anne Arundel County will return to the classroom starting next month as high school athletes call for a return to the field for fall sports.

The county’s school board met virtually Monday night to lay out their plans. Students will be taught using a hybrid model, meaning they’ll have two days of in-person learning and three days of virtual learning per week.

In school buildings, desks will be spaced apart and masks will be required.

Parents will ultimately have the choice to send their children back to school or remain with remote learning.

On Tuesday, the school board will outline plans regarding high school sports. Ahead of that meeting, student-athletes called on members to let them play.

Outside the fire station in Severna Park, high schools put aside their rivalries and teamed up to demand the ability to play sports beginning this fall.

“We worked so hard for this, and for us not to go back it’s just really sad,” Broadneck High School student Lily Trout said.

“We want to practice as much as possible and also play as much as possible,” Drew Jerdal, a junior and football player, said.

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Last month, state leaders announced fall sports practices could resume October 7 and competitions could return October 27.

Some club sports have also resumed with restrictions, and now it’s time for schools to do the same, former Gov. Bob Erlich said.

“Athletics is a hugely important part of the high school experience — the American experience really — and these kids are being left behind,” he said.

Some parents and students alike echoed Erlich’s comments.

“Even if you’re not in the classroom, sports help you focus in school and gives you something to work for,” Broadneck High School student Olivia Orso said.

“There’s risk by them just stepping out on the field for injuries and other things out there,” Mike Johnson, the parent of a student at Broadneck, said.

It’s not just recreation at stake, football player Kevin Mezzaache said: it’s also dollars.

“I really want a season,” the Arundel High School senior said. “I need it for college to help out with money.”

The school board is set to discuss two options Tuesday and also outline plans for other extracurricular activities like band and athletic clubs.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department’s website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ’s coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.