Back-to-school season in a pandemic means difficult changes and remote learning, but there is support.

It is back-to-school season, but this year in Monterey County that does not mean back to school in person.

In K-12 education, the decisions about when and how to open school facilities are now dependent upon orders, guidance and metrics established by state officials. The rules are ever-changing and at times, appear to have inconsistencies in various guidance documents.

New guidance documents from the state issued on July 17 created a different path forward than what had been previously recommended; earlier state bills, including the budget, encouraged schools to provide in-person learning to the greatest extent possible. It provided flexibility for parents to choose distance learning or modified in-person learning.

The rapidly evolving Covid-19 pandemic has created differing opinions about the best path forward and at this time, schools do not have a choice and must provide distance learning.

There is some confusion as to why childcare providers and day camps can continue to operate in-person, while schools cannot. These three industry sectors have been operating under different guidelines from the state. Parents who work outside of the home, especially essential workers, may be concerned about how they can continue to work and support their children in distance learning. To address this concern, childcare providers are working to coordinate with schools to help support families with this need.

In March, when shelter-in-place began and schools quickly switched to distance learning mode, the digital divide we have tried for years to address was magnified. The Monterey County Office of Education launched a Digital Divide Taskforce to address the short-term and long-term device and connectivity needs in Monterey County. To date, generous local donors have contributed $520,000 toward closing the gap, yet much more is needed.

The uncertainty of this pandemic is impacting all of us physically, mentally and emotionally, especially our children and youth. Fear and anxiety can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. It’s important to take care of ourselves and each other through this time.

In the midst of this chaos, we need to find ways to create normalcy and support students to get engaged for a new year of learning. Educators have been preparing to provide high-quality education, be it distance or in-person learning, when it is allowed.

The most important thing each one of us can do to help is follow our stay-at-home orders, wear a face covering, maintain a six-foot distance, avoid large groups, stay home when we feel sick, and wash our hands. To reopen our schools and keep us all healthy and safe, we need the help of everyone collectively working to stop the spread of Covid-19.

DENEEN GUSS is the Monterey County Superintendent of Schools. To find childcare options in your area, visit montereycountychildcare.org. For resources on how to cope with pandemic-related stress (and assist others), visit montereycoe.org/resources/alerts/coronavirus/stress.