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to classroom teachers pressing for steps be taken to define safety protocols in the event school doors open again in September. It may seem like a long way off given that the current school year isn’t over yet, but it’s better to plan with high caution than to wait until August to identify needs and risk supplies and space not being available. Many schools, which already have high student populations, will face challenges to limit class sizes. No matter how the summer plays out regarding the pandemic, education will likely be dramatically different in the near future.

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to Republican resistance to expanding use of absentee ballots in the wake of the pandemic. Following orders of Gov. Ned Lamont, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is preparing to mail absentee ballot applications to all voters on the active voter list in advance of the August primary. Typically, residents can only vote as absentees citing illness or absence from the town or state. But Connecticut GOP Chairman J.R. Romano is repeatedly resisting on claims it will invite voter fraud. Romano isn’t wrong that officials need to ensure the process is secure, but voting is an issue that demands collaboration from both parties.

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to disturbing details of operations in state nursing homes that were revealed through a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation of how they have handled the pandemic. Some of the details are chilling, including ones about residents who were COVID-positive living in the same room as patients who were not. As operational flaws were exposed during this unprecedented demand on nursing homes, there has been a welcome call for reforms that must not be forgotten in the months to come. No one envies the challenges staff members face, but excuses are never the road to healing.

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to continuing confusion over who can be tested for coronavirus, which has become an even more pressing issue in the wake of days of outdoor protests at which infection could be spread. A series of seemingly contradictory statements from state government have led to questions about whether a doctor’s authorization is required, with most of the hardest-hit cities now saying that people can be tested regardless. Still, many people remain unsure, and the expanded availability of testing has not been accompanies by clarity over who is eligible to receive one. As the state continues its reopening, leadership must do a better job clarifying who is able to be tested.