It would be great to see these newspapers provide better coverage of how the pandemic is affecting schools and what are the plans for reopening classrooms. It’s nice that you publish stories and photos about high school graduations, such as they are.

Yes, school is out for the summer, but this is the time our communities should think “back to school.” How will we safely return our kids and teachers to the classroom? As parent to a nine-year-old who’s been out of school since mid March, I can tell you that home-schooling is difficult to pull off while working a full-time job. Most of us are poor substitute teachers, as our home-schooled students can attest.

It’s understood that public health orders and advisories from the Center for Disease Control and the state of Maine need to be followed to keep our kids and school staff safe. But we also need to get them back in class.

Maine is focused on reopening the state to tourists. Rightfully so. It’s our No. 1 industry. Meantime, there seems to be a lack of urgency in planning for the reopening of schools. The pandemic is shortchanging our kids’ education. It is eroding their mental health as they are isolated from their peers.

We as parents and communities need to work with our school administrations to find a safe way to re-open classrooms. We need to be creative and consider all options. We need to focus on how we can reopen, not why we can’t. Every town in this area has underutilized buildings, churches for example, that could be used as temporary classrooms for a few hours a day. The days of the one-room schoolhouse are history. Maybe it’s time to bring them back.

Ben Sturtevant

Hallowell