The first day of school meets some with excitement and others with dread. As teachers, administrators, staff and students head back to school, this year is bound to be unlike any other in recent memory. Most years we wonder how many snow days will affect the school year. This year snow seems like the least of our concerns.

As schools reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, we will all need to be patient. We may have more questions than answers at this point, but one thing we know, is that children need to learn and teachers want to teach. Teachers, principals and superintendents will need extra grace as they navigate these uncharted waters.

The state government would do well to keep this in mind as they come alongside local school systems. While state support is vital to local schools, charting the right path will best be accomplished on the local level. The virus has touched every Kentucky county, but the touch has not been equal. Statewide mandates may harm more students than they help if they smother like a blanket. No two counties or regions have been alike as we have watched the coronavirus spread across the commonwealth.

Parents will need to be understanding and to receive understanding as they send their children back to school. Every family has been affected and responded differently to the pandemic. The coronavirus has taught us about our personal freedoms, and we’ve learned people respond very differently.