Mourners wipe tears away as they file out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after the funeral of Emilie Parker in Ogden, Utah, on Saturday, December 22.
(CNN) -- For the first time since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Christine Wilford plans do something remarkable on Thursday that once was routine: drop her child off at school.
The last time her 7-year-old son, Richie, was in class was on December 14, when a gunman smashed his way into his school in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 26 children and adults.
As shots rang out, Richie's teacher locked the door and huddled her students into the corner as the shooter roamed the hallways, wielding an AR-15 assault rifle and firing.
When it appeared safe, the children were then hurried away to a nearby fire station, where teary parents either reunited with their sons and daughters or learned that they had been killed.
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Nearly a month later, Wilford said her son still has trouble sleeping and is often scared by loud noises.
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But on Thursday, he will join hundreds of other Newtown students returning to class for the first time since the tragedy.
"We think it's good he's going back," Wilford said. "If I leave my child anywhere, I'm leaving a piece of my heart, so it's difficult to leave him."
But Richie apparently isn't afraid and says he's looking forward to seeing his friends, she said.
They won't be attending Sandy Hook Elementary, which police say remains part of an ongoing investigation into Adam Lanza, the gunman who also killed his mother before opening fire at the school.
Instead, Richie and his classmates are expected to travel to Chalk Hill Middle School in the nearby town of Monroe, where a green-and-white banner greeting the children hangs on a fence.
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Newtown Public Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson said that part of the building had been transformed to resemble an elementary school.
"(We want) to have as much (of) a normal routine as possible," she said. "Tomorrow is a regular schedule, and we will do the kinds of things that we know are good for kids."
The school has also been outfitted with rugs and furniture similar to those at Sandy Hook to help ease the transition for students. Even the school's pet turtle was relocated, Robinson said.
Security measures have also been increased, with a new system incorporating more cameras and locks, according to Jim Agostine, superintendent of Monroe Public Schools.
"I think right now it has to be the safest school in America," added Monroe Police Lieutenant Keith White.
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The casket of Rachel Marie D'Avino is carried into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Connecticut on Friday, December 21.
Parents attend the funeral of Dylan Hockley, 6, a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, on December 21 in Newtown, Connecticut.
A view from outside the funeral service for 6-year-old Dylan Hockley at Walnut Hill Community Church on December 21.
Family members depart the Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown, Connecticut, following a funeral for Benjamin Wheeler, 6, on December 20.
Mourners, including Boy Scout and Tiger Scout members, depart the funeral on December 20, 2012. Wheeler was a member of Tiger Scout Den 6.
Boy scouts salute as a funeral procession for Benjamin Wheeler enters the Trinity Episcopal Church on December 20, in Newtown, Connecticut.
Firefighters salute as the casket of Daniel Barden, 7, a victim of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, is removed from St. Rose of Lima Church on Wednesday, December 19, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut.
Police escort the hearse bearing the casket of Daniel Barden from St. Rose of Lima Church on December 19.
Mourners enter St. Rose of Lima Church for the funeral of Charlotte Bacon, 6, on December 19, in Newtown.
A police officer directs traffic as mourners enter the church for Charlotte Bacon's funeral on December 19.
A procession arrives for the funeral of Victoria Soto, 27, at Lordship Community Church in Stratford, Connecticut, on December 19. Soto was a first-grade teacher being hailed as a hero for protecting the children in her class during last week's school massacre in Newtown.
A woman carries a program with Soto's photo after attending a funeral for the slain teacher in Stratford on December 19.
Bagpipers play at funeral services for Soto on December 19 in Stratford.
Richard and Krista Rekos leave after a funeral service for their 6-year-old daughter, Jessica, at Saint Rose of Lima Church on Tuesday, December 18, in Newtown. Jessica was one of 20 children killed in last week's school shooting.
Family and friends depart Jessica's funeral on December 18 in Newtown.
A child stands next to a makeshift memorial for Jessica Rekos following her funeral on December 18.
Pallbearers carry out James Mattioli's casket at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church after a funeral Mass on December 18 in Newtown. James, 6, was one of the 26 victims in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
Mourners console each other after the funeral for James Mattioli on December 18.
People arrive for the funeral of Jessica Rekos, 6, at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 18.
Jessica Rekos' casket arrives at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church as mourners gather December 18.
Mourners console each other after attending the funeral for Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17.
Mourners grieve the death of Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17.
A mother and two children attend the funeral for Jack Pinto on December 17. Children are among those crowding the funeral for the 6-year-old boy.
A man comforts a young mourner at Honan Funeral Home while attending the funeral for Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17.
Boys enter Honan Funeral Home before Jack Pinto's funeral on December 17 in Newtown.
Veronika Pozner, mother of Noah Pozner, arrives for her son's funeral on Monday, December 17, at the Abraham L. Green and Son Funeral Home in Fairfield, Connecticut. Monday is the first day of funerals for the 20 children and seven adults who were killed by 20-year-old Adam Lanza on December 14.
Three women embrace as they arrive for the funeral services for Noah Pozner on December 17.
Mourners arrive at Noah Pozner's service in Fairfield on December 17.
Mourners leave Noah Pozner's service on December 17 in Fairfield.
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