Numbers being reported on the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 these days are frightening, but last week Gov. Mike DeWine issued an important reminder to parents and schools.

“If we want our kids to be in school, the most important thing we can do is have them vaccinated — but also for the schools to mandate masking,” DeWine said.

DeWine is right not to issue a blanket mandate himself but rather to let school districts make their own decisions when it comes to masks. But that means it is up to the school districts to do the right thing.

Parents, too, should consider getting their children vaccinated and offer support to those who are wearing masks even in districts where it is not required and perhaps not all their friends are receiving the same support.

Some Ohio school districts, including some in the Mahoning Valley, have found it necessary to return to remote learning again as surges and variants make the pandemic as dangerous as it has been at any point since the spring of 2020.

While schools have done their best to serve students well even amid the disruption remote learning causes for them and their families, it is not ideal.

Parents and districts who wish to avoid such a disruption (again) should take DeWine’s words to heart