In the next few weeks, every school district will be welcoming students to begin the school year. While some have started already, we have seen some campuses reverse course and some school districts see an uptick in COVID cases, having some students and staff quarantine.

I share some thoughts and reflections on what returning to campus and reopening schools looks like for the fall, as well as summarizing my conversations with four fantastic guests - J. Renee Gordon, Ismael “Ish” Zamora, Dr. Aviva Legett, and Ryan Miller.

Know that there were several people whom I invited to be on the podcast that gracefully and respectfully declined for various reasons. Whether they were not allowed by their districts to speak about this issue or they didn’t want to for fear of their jobs, their input and perspectives have added greatly to this conversation.

How do we find the balance between remote learning and working parents? How can businesses #SHOWUP and provide greater support to their employees who need greater flexibility during this time? How will school districts reopen as this year comes to a close and 2021 begins? Do we see another year of virtual graduations and more remote learning? What about school programs that address food insecurities and after care programs? There are too many questions left unanswered.

The goal must be to get everyone back to school safely. We don’t have that plan without a vaccine.

You can contact John with your career story & more at www.johnneral.com/contact or email him at [email protected]. You can also follow him on LinkedIn @JohnNeral, Twitter @john_neral & Instagram @JohnNeralCoaching, or join his Facebook page @JohnNeralCoaching.