The answer to this question is not an easy one. According to local school officials, most Lake County School Districts will be offering families a choice about returning to school in the next few weeks. Families will be asked to send their children back to school part-time, commit to exclusively online/remote learning offered by the school, or take over all educational responsibilities and homeschool their children.

Recognizing the difficulty in making this decision, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has put together a tool to help you evaluate your own risks and your school’s current back-to-school plan. To access the CDC’s School Decision Making Tool, click HERE.

If you ultimately decide to send your kids back to school to take advantage of in-person learning, here is a checklist that can help keep your family and the school community safe once the school year starts.