We have said before during this pandemic that there is no playbook. There is no set of instructions that allow you to perfectly navigate your way through each decision.

The best answer, and sometimes the only answer, to any of the challenges we have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic has been “do the best you can.”

Thursday, at a time when they are faced with protecting not just the safety and security of thousands of children, but also their education, the Vicksburg Warren School District Board of Trustees appear to be doing just that.

In recent weeks, the district has invited the thoughts and opinions of parents, teachers and students, trying to understand the best way to reopen schools, to restart in-person teaching, in early August. 

They took in thousands of comments, reviewed guidelines from state and federal officials and health organizations and Thursday began unveiling how they plan to return to the classroom — both in-person and online. It is a high-wire act of epic proportions.

Using the backbone of a well-built virtual classroom network, the district appears poised to provide quality education to those who seek to return to the classroom and those whose parents are not comfortable with the idea of returning just yet.

The plans continue to be built at each school and those will be reviewed and approved in the coming weeks, but it is time to get our heads around the fact that the school buses will soon be running and as of early August, they will not be delivering lunches to our children, but rather our children to our schools.

In the end, all we can ask is for our leaders to “do the best you can,” and right now, it appears our school leaders have done just that.