Ahh, here it is, Labor Day, a three-day weekend.
Well, enjoy it while you can because we all know what happens next: school.
Public and private K-12 school systems are all opening up classrooms next week for the coming school year.
For families that have school-age children, this shouldn’t be news and has the inevitability and impact of a wave crashing on the beach. Stores are and have been swamped with children and adults scurrying about for back-to-school shopping, buying everything from clothing to pencils to backpacks.
No matter where you or your student is going, there’s lots new this year. In Shoreline, budget cuts mean fewer schools. The Edmonds school district has the same number of buildings, but is expecting fewer students and less money from the state. In the Mill Creek area, Everett district attendance boundaries have been changed to accommodate a new elementary.
Those who aren’t in sync with the school-year rhythm should pay attention, too.
The return of thousands of school-age children means a corresponding crush of traffic and pedestrians, all headed toward bus stops and school sites. The safety concerns are as obvious as they are tragic when not heeded. Every September there are incidents pitting young bodies against moving vehicles. Most times, the results are bumps, scrapes and bruises. Sometimes, the results are deadly.
So it’s back to school, a time of lament for kids and perhaps a bit of joy for parents, but regardless, it is a time to take care.
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