What’s next?

Back to school worries, attack-filled congressional debates and the disappearing mask ordinance.

The first day of school is approaching and many parents (and kids) are stressing even more than usual about that already stressful day.

There’s been so much in limbo after the last school year was abruptly canceled as health experts warned about the spread of the new coronavirus.

Will we have sports? Will in-person classes begin again? Will the school systems see large budget cuts? What will this all mean for teachers and their jobs? And (slightly tongue in cheek) will I be able to get these kids out of my house and back to the teachers?

Some of those questions have been answered and we still remain in limbo on others. That’s the situation we’re in — it’s just one of uncertainty layered upon new uncertainty.

Here’s one thing that’s for sure — we’re still going to get through this and be OK.

School may not start back in person, but school systems are working to make sure our children get an education.

Everything may not look the way it once was, but we’ll adjust and things will improve. We may not be able to do everything we’d wanted, but we’re adults and we can adapt.

And on behalf of school staff and administrators we ask you to have a little patience and to show a little grace. This is uncharted territory for ALL OF US. There’s no playbook to go by.

It’s so tough for school officials to make decisions when the landscape is shifting constantly. But they’re doing their best.

Acting like adults

A recent debate between our two congressional candidates devolved into a barely contained finger-pointing match that doesn’t bode well for the 14th District.

Dr. John Cowan seemed to come out ahead in the recent Walker County Republican Party debate with Marjorie Taylor Greene, but there was a barely-contained enmity between the two candidates that looks to continue a spiral into worthless, and often false, accusations.

That said, will the debates sway a large swath of voters from Greene who was the clear front runner in the primary? We’ll see on Aug. 11. Campaigns often throw out barely concealed attack ads under the guise of story suggestions and some of those have been blatantly false. The stakes of this congressional campaign have brought out the worst in some candidates and supporters alike, and the ability to attack should not be taken as the ability to create governmental policy.

We need a candidate who can not only voice their desires for policy decisions, but also be able to work with other members of Congress to enact those policies.

We need a congressional leader, not a congressional attacker.

We hope candidates can put aside pettiness and low blows to focus on the issues that are important to the people of this district.

The Atlanta Press Club will host another debate between the candidates on Sunday. It will stream live on GPB.org and on the Atlanta Press Club Facebook page. It also will air on Georgia Public Broadcasting television Monday, July 20, at 7 p.m.

The disappearing mask ordinance

Well, the City Commission approved an ordinance to mandate people wear masks in public in Rome ... and then Gov. Brian Kemp nixed it a couple days later.

To be fair, the governor wiped them out statewide, not just Rome’s.

No citations were issued during the brief life of that ordinance and we’re not sure how many, if any, warnings were issued.

Regardless of the outcome, our City Commission had their hearts in the right place, even if the outcome was — as Mayor Bill Collins put it — rendered null and void.

None of us want to see another statewide shut down. Many small businesses won’t survive it.

Personal responsibility is key. We need to listen to our health experts instead of social media falsehoods and conspiracy theories. COVID-19 is real and it’s spreading.

We’ve said this before but here it is again. Not everyone will be harmed by this virus; most people won’t — but so many will, and we need to protect our vulnerable populations by taking personal responsibility wearing masks, washing our hands and keeping socially distant.

These are very easy recommendations to follow, they could save a few lives and they’re also supported by our governor.

Thanks for reading.