Let's start out with empty classrooms so we don't end up with them

Here's a thought. Anybody with half a brain can tell it's too soon to send kids back to school. Instead of wrestling with the "back-to-school" problem, let's put the collective intellect in motion to plan the best possible system to educate kids without sending them into crowded classrooms where there's no doubt Covid 19 will follow. THAT's thinking outside the box (almost literally).

NOW THAT'S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT:
The following was posted on facebook today (8/29/2020) by a
 woman who crewed on the tour boat I ran years ago and now has been a teacher in Washington for several years. It is the first of any such advice I've seen posted by a professional on the front lines.
From Nikki Klinger: Parents... We see you, we hear you. We understand and share your anxiety. Remote school seems daunting and overwhelming but we are all in this together. If you would like to prevent some stress and frustration when school starts, take some time to prepare this weekend. It will help you and your children immensely if you familiarize yourselves with the technology tools. I highly recommend watching several YouTube tutorials and practicing some things.
🔹Get the zoom app, make sure you have an account, set up a family zoom, and use some of the features. Make sure your student knows/remembers how to turn camera on and off, turn microphone on and off, etc. Talk about online safety and etiquette. Teachers will do that too but information overload will be a challenge. 
🔹Watch tutorials on Google Classroom and Google Docs. Practice skills like drawing text boxes, using drawing tools, uploading and sharing documents, etc. 
🔹Get the app for Seesaw for elementary or Remind for secondary. These are the apps that will facilitate communication. Yep- watch more tutorials. 
🔹If you’ve already done all that, learn about Pear Deck and Flip Grid. 
🔹Most importantly, be positive. Find something good to focus on, model confidence and calmness. Use kind words when talking about others and to others. Reach out for help if you need it. Be assured that teachers are worrying about your kids as much as you are and want only the best for them. Believe and share this message-YOU CAN DO THIS! Have a plan for managing emotions when frustrated. Celebrate successes! 
It is absolutely amazing what we can do with technology and teachers have been working incredibly hard on learning, designing instruction, and making things the best they can possibly be. Let’s have a great start to the school year! 💻📗✏️📖💚

As if that weren't enough here is a program she and her fellow teacher developed to continue physical education in distance learning. All you need is a Google sign-on.

This is another  approach to what I was talking about:  An Indiana city outfitted dozens of school busses with Wi-Fi and positioned them around the city so as many students as possible could have Internet connection.