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Usually, this time of the year is filled with back-to-school plans and last-minute vacations as families get prepared for the end of summer vacation.

This year many of those vacations have been canceled and back to school seems to be filled with more question marks than answers. It’s important that our students are able to get back to learning in some capacity, whether that’s in-person or through some form of virtual learning, but to be honest, we’re not sure anyone knows exactly what that’s going to look like right now.

We’re sort of all holding our breath, hoping to wake up in a COVID-free world, but that’s not going to happen any time soon.

Our students and teachers are likely going to be heading into a classroom environment unlike any we’ve ever seen. It’s possible, perhaps even likely, that students will be required to wear masks in the classroom.

Some parents might want to keep students at home, where they are safe, rather than send them to school where they might be exposed to the virus. How do they learn, and would those students fall behind those in the classroom?

A lot of people are working hard behind the scenes to figure out exactly how to make all of this work, both in Chambers County and Troup County.

Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said in late June that this will be the most difficult school year the state has faced. He’s right.

And honestly, it’s difficult for anyone to be able to sort through all of the information right now to figure out the key things they need to know.

With that in mind, we think it’s important that every local school system — both private and public — communicate clearly to parents and students what their options are. Over-communicating — especially at a time when people can’t easily congregate — is going to be extremely important as we all march forward into this unknown together.