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Much has been made of the challenges that have faced students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift to remote learning and shortened school days was difficult for many families, forcing students to adapt to virtual school on the fly as their parents adjusted to working from home full-time while doing their best to keep children engaged in their studies and occupied when school let out each day.
Given those challenges, it’s no wonder so many families are looking forward to what figures to be a more normal school year in 2021-22. But that return will pose its own unique challenges as well.
Some students may be a little anxious as they prepare to return to a college campus this fall. That transition could be especially difficult for incoming college freshmen, who must overcome any pandemic-related concerns about returning to campus while also making the transition to life on a college campus.
The following are some ways to make that transition go smoothly.
—Engage in the community. The Health, Counseling and Disability Access Services at the University of Missouri-St. Louis urges students to take advantage of opportunities to engage in their new communities as early as possible. HCDAS notes that first-year experiences are designed to help students connect with their new life on campus and make new friends.
All incoming freshmen are facing the same set of unique circumstances as the 2021-22 school year begins. That includes the adjustment from remote learning with limited social contact with peers to a return to more traditional academic and social settings. Navigating that transition alongside other incoming freshmen can make it a little easier to handle.
—Plan ahead. Parents and their college-bound children can prepare for the coming school year by learning about on-campus policies over the summer. Will masks be mandated? Will classrooms remain socially distanced? Are vaccinations required to attend class in person? The sooner families learn these policies, the sooner they can begin planning for life on campus.
Parents also can look into on-campus resources designed to help students readjust to being back among their peers. Knowing where to go for help should students need it can ensure any issues that arise are addressed promptly.
—Encourage students to share their concerns. Opening up about any concerns they may have can help students as they emerge from the pandemic. Many parents were concerned about returning to the office in person, and they can share those concerns and the ultimate outcomes of their returns with students concerned about moving onto a college campus.
Parents are urged to periodically check in with college students about any anxieties they may have about being on campus.
Returning to full-time, in-person learning after the pandemic may be especially challenging for incoming college freshmen. Such students can work with their parents over the summer to conquer their fears and prepare for the coming school year.

FRANKLIN — The St. Mary Parish Council on Wednesday heard a tale of two shelters — or two versions of what’s going on at one animal shelter.
One version is about a July 12 inspection of the St. Mary Parish Animal Shelter by the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The shelter passed without a single black mark on a detailed inspection list.
The other version is about pets coming out of the shelter with fleas, filthy fur, untreated injuries and paws damaged by cleaning chemicals. That version includes the death of Bubbles the cat and a mislabeled boxer named Max.
Both versions emerged at Wednesday’s Parish Council meeting. Both sides agreed to talk about the problems and search for solutions.
The shelter houses pets that have been abandoned, have been picked up as strays, have been abused or neglected, or have bitten someone, Chief Administrative Officer Henry C. “Bo” Lagrange said.
Janelle Yates of Rescue Revolutions, a nonprofit organization that “rescues, rehabs and rehomes abandoned dogs throughout South Louisiana and Texas,” according to its Facebook page, spoke for a group of people at Wednesday’s meeting.
“The questions, concerns and testimonies being presented to you show that the animals have been and are, in fact, being neglected, mistreated and abused,” said a letter from Yates to the council.
Animals are being harmed while people turn a blind eye, she wrote, but “we are offering to leave the past behind in exchange for changes being made.”
Among the concerns Yates cited:
—Cats are still being housed in the old shelter, sometimes without water.
—The shelter lacks cameras that would allow staff members to be monitored.
—Some staff members lack knowledge or experience with animals.
—Animals are sprayed with chemicals and are left wet and flea-infested while the spray causes blistered paws.
—Animals are sometimes euthanized before the seven-day stray period is over.
—Staff members don’t always scan animals with implanted chips that would identify their owners.
Yates said the shelter could make use of volunteers at the shelter and use social media to raise money for cameras.
“We’re not asking for people to get fired,” Yates told the council Wednesday. “We’re not asking for anything insane, just changes.”
Her presentation included 10 written stories, mostly from local people, many about animals that came out of the shelter covered with fleas and with blistered paws. In some cases, animals died soon after leaving the shelter.
Lacy Louviere wrote about Bubbles the cat. In June 2020 at an Animal Advocates of St. Mary event, Louviere was asked but declined to provide a foster home for Bubbles. But she changed her mind and went to the shelter to pick up the cat two days later, she wrote.
But something wasn’t right, Louviere said. A veterinary clinic said Bubbles had sustained head trauma. The cat died the next day, and Louviere said no one at the shelter will tell her what happened.
Paula Duval told the council that her registered boxer, Max, got out of her Patterson yard through a temporary gate July 14. She looked for the dog that day, and on July 15 called the shelter. She said she was told there was no boxer there.
But a friend’s Facebook post showed Max at the shelter. Duval later learned that her dog had been mislabeled as a pit bull even though he has a chip that identifies him as a boxer. His collar has her phone numbers, she said.
Duval brought Max home from the shelter and, four days later, an animal warden brought her Max’s collar. She was cited for a violation.
Max came home “covered in filth and fleas,” Duval wrote, and had dried blood on his back.
In response to earlier allegations of neglect at the shelter, some council members have said they have visited the shelter, sometimes without prior notice, and found no sign of the conditions that have appeared in recent complaints.
Parish President David Hanagriff acknowledged that Duval’s boxer should have been scanned and said no shelter provides perfect care.
But “we do not neglect the animals at our shelter,” he said. “We don’t abuse animals at our shelter.”
He pointed to the report from the July 12 state inspection. The report said the shelter complies with the law in all these categories:
—General standards, including the posting of fees, hours of operation and sanitation.
—Shelter construction.
—Utilities, washrooms and pest control.
—Adequate heat, light, ventilation and drainage.
—Cleanliness, drainage and adequate shelter for animals housed outdoors.
—Enclosure requirements.
—A euthanasia room adequate for operations, and proper euthanasia procedures.
—Separation of animals by species and age, and separation for nursing females.
—Adequate food, water and medical care.
—Adequate records.
Also Wednesday:
—The council proclaimed Aug. 12 to be United Way Day in St. Mary Parish.
Lonnie Easley of Patterson, who works with the United Way of South Louisiana, asked for the resolution. The United Way kicks off its fundraising campaign Aug. 12.
Easley said the United Way supports organizations including Chez Hope and Claire House for Women and Children.
The United Way of South Louisiana covers St. Mary, Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes.
—The council passed a resolution adopting its draft hazard mitigation plan update.
Federal law requires local jurisdictions to have hazard mitigation plans in order to be eligible for aid before and after natural disasters.
Click here to find St. Mary's draft hazard mitigation plan.

Luther Ray Joseph, 64, a resident and native of Franklin, La., passed away peacefully on Tuesday July 20, 2021 at 3:40 p.m.. at PAM Specialty Hospital in Hammond, La.
A drive-thru viewing (NO STOPPING) will be held on Friday July 30, 2021 at Jones Funeral Home ,1101 Main Street, Franklin, from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be accessible by viewing the Jones Funeral Home Facebook page on Saturday July 31, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. Luther Ray will be entombed in the Franklin Cemetery, Main Street Mausoleum Section.
Memories of Luther Ray will forever remain in the hearts of his two sons, Luther (Dora) Depass of Franklin, LA and Bobby (Shari) Madison of Houston, TX; parents, Edward Joseph, Sr. and Cleotha Tillman Joseph; sisters, Mrs. Joseph (Sheila M.) Joseph Freeman, Mrs. Ronnie (Paula) Cage, Mrs. Lucien (Karen) Perro, Mrs. Kennedy (Bridgette) Gunner, Ginger Jones, and Shante’ Robertson; brothers, Edward Joseph, Jr., Ronald (Belinda) Joseph. Donald (Dorothy) Joseph, Carl W. Joseph, Clyde Joseph, Mark (Swanzetta) Joseph, Corey Jones all of Franklin, LA and Kevin (Gilbra) Joseph of Kileen, TX; bonus sons, Herbert Bell, Jr., Avery Bell, and Mark Bell; a dear friend, and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Luther Ray was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, paternal grandparents, dear friend, and a bonus daughter.
Arrangements entrusted to Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City/Franklin/Jeanerette and Houma. Please visit; www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.

FRANKLIN — As COVID-19 numbers continue to rise, St. Mary Parish President David Hanagriff said Wednesday that he has no plans to impose new mask restrictions.
Also Wednesday, Ochsner Health System said COVID hospitalizations are up by 75% since last week at its hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi.
And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published new guidance recommending that even vaccinated people wear face coverings “in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.”
At Wednesday’s St. Mary Parish Council meeting, Hanagriff said that while he won’t impose new mask rules, he urges people to get vaccinated.
“My belief is each individual is responsible for himself,” he said.
But he said his choice has been to be vaccinated.
More than 90%of new COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths last week were among people who hadn’t been fully vaccinated, he said.
“Please go get vaccinated if you can,” Haangriff said.
Officials with Ochsner, which operates Ochsner St. Mary in Morgan City, said said in a Zoom call Wednesday that the number of COVID patients in the health system’s hospitals has increased 700% in a month.
Public health officials blame the latest surge in COVID cases on the easily spread Delta COVID variant and low vaccination rates.
As of the latest Office of Public Health posting, St. Mary’s vaccination rate is just above 30%.
Ochsner reported that 548 COVID positive people were being treated in its hospitals as of Wednesday.
In the Bayou Region, which includes St. Mary, the number of hospitalizations rose from 39 to 69 in the last week.
Also at Ochsner facilities:
—The positivity rate for those tested for COVID is at 20.6%, the highest since late March 2020. One week ago, this rate was 19.2%, and one month ago it was 6.4%.
—Hospitals continue to see high positivity rates in children but haven’t seen COVID hospitalizations. Among young people under 19, hospitals are seeing a 21.4% COVID-19 positivity rate, up from 16% last week and 7% the first week in July.
—Daily vaccine volumes in Ochsner clinics and community settings have gone from 500 a day to nearly 800 a day.
—In the last two weeks, Ochsner has vaccinated 10,089 people and has seen community locations double in volume over the past week.