It was at this time last year that high school seniors across the nation were faced with a very different end of their school year than previous classes had.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in Ohio were closed and students sent home for remote learning, first for an extended spring break, and then through the end of the year.

As a result, graduation ceremonies were forced to go virtual or take place in drive-through form, while events such as proms were canceled outright.

The closures came without warning and many seniors did not get to take part in the traditional farewells to those whom they attended school with for 13 years.

One year later, the pandemic is still with us.

While schools are again open to students, it has been a very different environment than what everyone is used to, with masks being worn, social distancing in place and major changes to the learning process.

And, with health precautions in place, the question of how proms and graduations will take place is something districts are seeking answers to.

The Lawrence County Health Department has been in touch with superintendents across the county and hopes to make these events more of a possibility for seniors.

Plans are being made to bus students to a clinic, where those between ages 16 and 18 can receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

And this will be timed so that students should have a second dose by the time these school events would be scheduled.

Not only will this allow for a more normal end of the school year, but it is also important for the young to receive the vaccine.

As county health director Georgia Dillon has said, it is likely variants of the virus are in the region now and these have been known to affect younger people more.

We applaud the health department for taking these steps and we would encourage parents and families to see to it that students get the vaccine when it is offered.