This school year will naturally look much different from the ones in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like the return of employees to the office, the handling of COVID-19 cases will take on a more measured tone with vaccines available and more knowledge of the progression of the disease. Currently, infected persons are to quarantine for five days, and, if systems abate and they have no temperature, they may return to work or other activities while remaining masked for another five days.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after more than 2½ years, an estimated 95% of Americans age 16 and older have acquired some immunity.

Vaccines are now available for children 6 months and older.

It is understandable that many school districts, such as Mars Area, are reviewing changes to the COVID-19 protocols in their health and safety plans. Contact tracing, social distancing and quarantining individuals who were exposed to COVID-19 and remain asymptomatic are among those policies suggested to be removed.

“My recommendation is going to be totally revert to pre-COVID protocols,” said Mark Gross, superintendent at Mars Area School District, at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

The district still plans to alert parents if a student's classmate tests positive in their classroom or school bus. This notice allows parents to monitor their child and limit, if necessary, their contact with immunocompromised relatives.

“Unless you are ill, you'd be expected to come in, because even the CDC is not recommending people who are close contacts quarantine, unless they are symptomatic,” Gross said.

These are all signs that our community is adapting to life with COVID-19. Just as we hope that anyone — student or teacher — who chooses to wear a mask, or needs to, will be accepted without comment; we also hope the district will allow flexibility for parents and staff who feel the need to exercise extra precautions while students meet their school work obligations.

We also strongly feel that the districts should continue to publicly report the cases of COVID-19 in their schools.

Gross told school board members that the Mars district would continue to send a weekly report of positive COVID-19 cases to the state Department of Education. He added it would be up to the safety committee — comprised of a cross-section of community members, teachers, internal staff, board members and administration — to determine if the district would continue to share this information with the public.

Transparency is the best way for the whole community to know how the district is dealing with COVID-19, and if its policies and procedures are working. Reports from all the districts lets residents see how the county is faring by continuing to monitor the health of our children during this pandemic.

— DJS