McHenry drivers need to be aware all the same

About this time of year, the space on this blog is usually dedicated to reminding McHenry drivers that schools are opening – to watch out for children running to and from busses in the roads, or walking to and from school. But, with COVID-19, 2020 isn’t a customary year. Yes, children are headed back to school but much of their class time will involve ‘virtual’ attendance.

In the two McHenry School Districts (McHenry Elementary School District 15 and McHenry Community High School District 156) there are two approaches currently planned for in terms of opening the schools.*

For the younger students enrolled in District 15 schools, the 2020-21 school year kicks off on a virtual basis: beginning “remotely on Monday, August 24th and continu(ing) remotely through the first trimester of school, Friday, November 6th.”**

The McHenry high schools will open with what is called a “Remote and Blended Remote Learning Day Plan.” A “Blended Remote Learning Day” involves providing high schoolers with staggered in-person instruction in the school. Strict requirements to ensure safety in regard to the coronavirus include use of proper PPE, social distancing and requiring parents to sign off that their children will not go to school with a fever over 100.4 or while displaying symptoms associated with COVID-19.

You still want to watch out for children on and near McHenry roads

Apparently, for the time being, we’ll only see high-school-aged children running for the bus in the morning, or running from the bus in the afternoon. But that is sufficient cause for applying additional caution while driving. 

Imagine that 15-year-old young man has overslept and is rushing to make the bus. There’s no time to eat and he dashes out the door trying to catch the bus before it passes his stop without him. Will he watch out for traffic in the vicinity sufficiently? His safety may depend on you, as a driver, to obey the flashing lights and the signs indicating the bus is stopped. But what if the bus has started to move without him?

The lights on the bus may have stopped flashing. The signs indicating you should stop have been withdrawn. There is no legal reason you shouldn’t start to move again. But just then, a flash of McHenry Warrior Orange-and-Black school colors flash by in front of you. Are you paying attention? Can you stop in time.

Outside of the older students rushing to-and-from the bus, you have younger students who may have time, when their studies are completed for the day, outside playing. They may run for an errant ball. For any number of other reasons, they may run into the street in front of you. It’s your job to watch out for them. The repercussions for them, and for you, are too terrible to dwell on. But dwell on them you should if it helps you to apply sufficient caution to avoid a tragedy.

The information about plans for McHenry School Districts 15 and 156 were taken from their Websites on the internet. You should, however, check to make sure that the information is still current. You can learn more by visiting their Websites yourself at:

* McHenry Elementary School District 15: https://www.d15.org/district

** McHenry Community High School District 156: https://www.dist156.org/o/mchs/news