Back to School
By John Meng Publisher/Editor It’s back to school time. A time when children are excited about new clothes, new backpacks and old friends. A time when parents are perhaps even more excited but for completely different reasons.
Last week, the Edna schools opened its doors for the 2020-2021 school year. Opening this year was more challenging than most as Edna ISD implemented a wide array of safety procedures to help keep the students safe and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Among many of the new protocols are 36 temperatue-checking stations, daily sanitizing and bi-weekly germicidal foggy for buildings and buses, more than a hundred hand sanitizer dispensers and much more.
So how did the parents and kids react to the start of school?
“I’m glad they are going back,” said City of Edna Mayor Lance Smiga, who has a son and a daughter going back to school. “I think just the social interaction and obviously the learning that they have missed out on at the end of last year. I think they were all excited to go back as well. I’m happy that the school district has found a way to do it as safely as possible. and after talking with Mr. O’Connor and other officials, I think they have done a tremendous job and worked tirelessly to try to get this right or as right as possible. I don’t think there is any 100 percent correct answer on how to do this but I’m glad that they have tackled that challenge. We are taking the first step in getting back to hopefully whatever the new normal is.”
“I was really excited to go back to school and I was a little nervous at the same time. But when I saw all the procedures they were doing, I felt better,” said 10-year-old Maggie Sklar who attends fifth grade at Edna Elementary School. “I got to see all my friends and I have new teachers. I think my favorite class is reading. Even though everything going on around us is a little weird, my teacher makes it fun.”
Maggie’s mother, Jackson County Judge Jill Sklar, shared her thoughts about the new school year and the decisions she and her husband have made for their family.
“These last five months have been filled with difficult decisions; however there hasn’t been a decision made that I didn’t tap into my intuition as a mother. Shane and I have struggled just like all other parents on what is the best for our family,” said Sklar.
“Everyone’s situation is different and I think everyone has tried to do what is best for their situation. I worry less about the kids, because, as we have seen, they tend to handle the virus much better than adults. I worry more about the staff, teachers, parents and grandparents the kids are coming home to in the evenings. I have always had confidence in Edna ISD and I know they have been working on the safest way to get kids back into the classroom. The last thing our kids need is for the doors to the school to be closed again mid-year. I do hope all parents work together along with the school to ensure everyone sticks to the plans, follows the rules, and keeps the community healthy.”
Jackson County Clerk Kate Brooks, who has five school-aged children – eighth-grader, three fifth-graders and one first-grader – also praised the Edna school district and expressed no worry about opening day.
“I took them to school this morning, and was not nervous at all. I think the school did a good job of prepping everything. After hearing what the school had planned and their procedures, it was easy to send them back. My mom was doing most of the work watching them, so she was happy they were headed back to school.” Brooks’ son, Peyton McCarrell, is an eighth-grader at Edna Junior High School
“It was a little strange with the new things we have to do this year. We have to have our temperatures checked when we go in the building, wear masks and constantly sanitizing our hands,” said Peyton. “We can’t all sit together at lunch anymore. They spread out all the tables.”
McCarrell added that it feels like the school is doing everything to keep everyone as safe as they can.