If I’m completely honest here, I felt as though the 2019-20 school year would never come to an end. But, it did. Eventually and finally. Though, if your student wasn’t a member of the graduating high school class this year, school ended quietly, without a lot of fanfare (or, really any).

My son, Michael, finished his eighth-grade year at Martin City Middle School last month. The ending to his junior high experience was unlike one any of us have ever witnessed before. Instead of signing yearbooks on those last days, our students were signing off of Zoom calls and returning electronics, drive-through style. There weren’t any hugs; it just sort of stopped. Weird, right? But, I’m sure it felt even weirder for our kids.

Our school districts now are tasked with preparing for the unknown. Much like last March, getting ready for the next school year to begin in August is a job that I don’t envy at all. Will our schools be back in session come fall? What will school look like? Will our children be required to wear masks? Or gloves? Or hazmat suits? Will in-person education be optional? Would it be possible for some students to stay home while others are in the classroom? What will sports and other extra-curricular activities look like? Or, as my son wants to know, will he be able to wrestle during his freshman year?

See what I mean? Our school districts simply were not prepared for this pandemic. No one really was, in all actuality. Our schools, and our kids, likely took the hardest hit. They are all working to better plan for the future, but knowing that things can change drastically day-to-day, it is a next-to-impossible challenge to face. The Grandview School District is working to tackle this head-on.

Superintendent Dr. Kenny Rodrequez is spending time hosting discussions with community members, parents, staff and students to determine Grandview’s next course of action, or plans A, B, C, D, and so on. As if preparation for the unknown is possible, Rodrequez and his team of education professionals are determined to cover all the bases, known or otherwise.

This week, the district will be distributing a survey to parents, which will ask the questions I asked above, in order to garner feedback on what those next steps might look like for our students. It is my understanding that they are looking for honesty, however brutal those responses might be. They are aware of the mistakes they made in the last quarter of the school year. They are also hoping to learn from those issues and implement plans to overcome inconsistencies, all while engaging students in a healthy, active learning environment, which will likely look very different from what we are used to seeing.

Again, not a task I envy. Personally, I hope our students, especially mine, can head back to school in August. My son learns better in a structured environment, and frankly, he needs to socialize, too. Regardless of what schooling looks like this fall, our school districts, our principals, our teachers and our students need our support. It truly takes a village, whether in person or virtually.

This year, our family closed the book on middle school. We’re looking forward to high school. I just hope it can be as normal as possible for my kid.