Diligence is necessary for parents

W
e have said it once and we will say it again: communication, safety, kindness and patience is going to be even more crucial as we move into a school year that will look anything but normal. 
As parents, students and the
community, we need to remember that the safety of the children and staff is always of the upmost importance, and that even when we are not in a global pandemic our schools go above and beyond to protect
our kids. 
While we all try to balance, remember and respect the guidelines in place for COVID-19 protection, we must remind ourselves that other safety surrounding students, schools, parking lots and transportation cannot be forgotten. Realistically, some of these safety issues will become even more prevalent as parents and visitors are restricted from entering the buildings and many schools will utilize curb pickup and drop-off to limit in-person contacts. 
As we prepare to send our most precious cargo to face a totally
unfamiliar school year — many of them for the first time or to a new school — we must be diligent. As parents, we are the first line of defense for our children. If we want to continue to have in-person
instruction, we must do everything possible to keep our potentially sick children home and prevent any potential spread from breaching those doors. 
The Center of Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Wyoming Department of Health, all the way down to the local school districts, have provided enough outline and guidance for parents and caregivers to do whatever is possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Whether we like it or not, all politics aside, this is something that we all have to deal with if we want our children to remain in school and seek to prevent an outbreak. 
As we send our children back to school, let’s all take a moment to be thankful that we get to send them back to school, and to be kind to those who are doing everything in their power to make this as easy as possible. 
Let’s all do everything we can to be more understanding and respectful. There are two sides to every story. Your beliefs do not give you the right to disrespect others, no matter what examples we are being shown daily.