FREDERICTON -- Monday is the day high school students in New Brunswick return to daily in-class learning.

It's a cause of concern for some students and parents who wonder if it's too soon, with 162 active cases and part of the province still in the red zone.

"The next days bring a lot of anxiety for the families, for the parents, and I can tell you also, for the students," said J.C. D’Amours, the Liberal health critic and MLA for Edmundston-Madawaska Centre. "I hope that public health with the ministry of education will do what is best to make sure that we keep each and everyone in a safe position. I think it is really important for everyone right now."

D'Amour's youngest child returned to high school in Edmundston this week.

The ability to social distance worries one mom of a Grade 12 student at Fredericton High School.

"Especially high schools like FHS where you have a population of like 2,000 kids and that's our biggest concern," says Chrissie MacNeil, the parent of a Grade 12 student."How many people is in that school, it's not them going back, if our school population wasn't so huge, I know there are some small schools around the area that can go back, but I think Leo Hayes and Fredericton High has such a huge population, I think they're kind of playing with fire."

MacNeil's teen wrote a letter to Education Minister Dominic Cardy, outlining their concerns about returning to school full time, more than a week ago and has not received a response.

In a statement to CTV, the Department of Health says support from teachers and being with peers have positive effects on students and helps them cope with stress.

Some see a return to class as part of a return to regular life.

"I think we've all had a lot of practice living in a COVID regulated world and we're all getting better and better," said Jordan Cheney, the spouse of an educator."It seems with the knowledge that we have and the protocols that are in place that it can be done safely and both students and teachers and staff will feel comfortable in that environment."

There's no word yet on how graduation ceremonies and proms will be different in the coming months.