The first-day-of-school butterflies will likely arrive with a new flutter of anxiousness in 2020 as students, parents and staff wonder what this school year will hold amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Some parents are anxious to get their kids back to school after they’ve been home since mid-March. Other families are apprehensive about sending kids to school and will opt for remote learning at home. And despite different views on the new coronavirus or health restrictions, we all share a common desire: To stay healthy and move past the pandemic as soon as possible.

To do so, it’s important for everyone to work together as schools open this month.

Park County School District No. 1 administrators have an overarching goal: “We want to get our students back in school and keep them in school,” said Superintendent Jay Curtis during Tuesday evening’s school board meeting.

“That’s going to take diligence by our entire staff,” he said. “It’s also going to take diligence by our entire community to help us do this.”

It starts with parents and guardians screening kids at home for any symptoms of COVID-19 before putting them on the bus or sending them to class.

During past school years, if a child awoke with a fever and wasn’t feeling well, parents would sometimes give them ibuprofen and still send them to school, hoping for the best.

“Those days have to be gone,” Curtis said.

School leaders recognize that just because a child has a fever or other symptoms, it doesn’t mean they have COVID-19 — but this school year comes with heightened awareness and extra precautions.

Those safety measures include wearing a face covering when social distancing isn’t possible. While masks have become politicized and controversial in America, we hope parents support schools by encouraging their children to wear face coverings at school. Just like a seat belt or helmet, it may not be comfortable at first, but it’s an important safety measure to follow right now.

Starting school is a major feat this year, as school staff members have spent many hours developing a reopening plan, with the guidance of health officials. We’re thankful for their hard work and dedication to reopening schools safely. As Superintendent Curtis has said, the best place for most students is in the classroom this fall.

That’s why it’s important to follow health and safety guidelines, both in school and in the community. Let’s also show grace and patience as schools navigate these new challenges created by COVID. We’re all learning how to deal with the curveballs 2020 keeps throwing. No matter what the coming school year looks like, remember that we all want what’s best for kids.