It’s nearly time to go back to school and thankfully, area administrators and school staffs have taken time out of their summer vacation to work on plans to safely bring the students and teachers back into the school buildings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plans are not 100% foolproof, but after reading AOS 98’s and Wiscasset School Department’s rules and procedures for returning to face-to-face learning – with guidance from the Maine Department of Education and Maine’s Center for Disease Control – and Maine’s low COVID-19 incidence numbers (as opposed to other states), we are confident that children and adults will be able to work in a safe environment.

The work to keep everyone safe will be ongoing, as home testing and school staff’s being ever-conscientious of COVID-19 symptoms and procedures are paramount to keeping the schools open and helping to avoid a change in teaching/learning (all-virtual) or a major outbreak of the virus.

After the schools open, it will be important for parents and the community to offer support to the staffs of the schools. They are taking a risk by returning to the classroom. But words of thanks and encouragement will go a long way toward helping them persevere.

Good luck, teachers and students! We’ll be rooting for you to be able to return to some kind of normalcy and please be safe. Do the right things to remain safe.