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The 74
Analysis: Week-by-Week Survey Finds Parents Worried About Sending Kids Back to School
Three-Quarters Think September Is Too Soon
On June 30, Sen. Lamar Alexander convened the Senate Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee to hear four health experts — including
Dr. Anthony Fauci — provide an update on COVID-19, including how K-12
leaders and other stakeholders can open schools safely this fall.
Alexander was direct in offering his thoughts: “The question before the
country today is not about whether to go back to school, but how to do
it safely.”
Public school parents have their own thoughts on this issue. They are
worried about the educational effect of COVID-19 on their children and
divided on when children should return to school. But they agree that
certain procedures should be in place when schools reopen and that
schools must rethink how students are educated. Their voices should be
heard as Congress solicits viewpoints on reopening schools, including
agreeing on a new financial package that contains support for K-12
schools.
The thoughts and concerns of these parents are chronicled by Echelon
Insights in a nationally representative survey of 500 public school
parents and guardians asked weekly for eight weeks — from late April
through mid-June — about the effects COVID-19 is having on issues they
face.
In the latest (and final) survey, administered June 15-18, three of the
top four COVID-19-related concerns out of 10 options involved schools
(the top worry was a family member getting the virus): 62 percent said
they worry “a lot” or “some” about “school closures … negative impact
on your child’s education”; 61 percent about “kids missing … social
interactions with friends”; and 56 percent about kids being “on track …
ready for the next grade.” These responses have been mostly constant
since April.
When asked when they would “personally feel safe sending … children
back to school for in-person classes,” only 27 percent said August or
September, with an additional 17 percent saying “later in the fall.”
Thirty-nine percent opted for sometime in winter (14 percent) or spring
(15 percent), with 10 percent saying “not at any time in the next
school year” (18 percent were “unsure”).
So, there’s no consensus on when reopening school should occur. And
there are significant variations across different categories.
White parents are nearly twice as likely as parents of color to say
they would send their children back in August or September — 34 percent
versus 19 percent.
Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to say this — 34
percent versus 16 percent — with independents at 30 percent.
Parents earning more than $75,000 a year are more than twice as likely
than those earning less than $50,000 to say this — 39 percent versus 19
percent — with those between those income levels at 21 percent.
On another issue, while 59 percent don’t plan to homeschool or send
their child to a different school, 21 percent plan to do that, with 19
percent unsure. The two primary reasons for changing schooling
arrangements are concerns about health and safety (38 percent) and the
quality of education (23 percent). Urban parents are more likely (27
percent) than suburban (19 percent) or rural (17 percent) parents to
say they plan to do this.
What procedures should be in place when schools reopen?
A majority or more of parents offer “strong” or “some” support for four
measures: notifying parents when someone in school becomes ill (63
percent); allowing vulnerable students and teachers to learn and teach
from home (56 percent); providing mental health support for students
and staff (52 percent); and requiring temperature checks when entering
school (50 percent).
Parents also have clear views on whose opinion they most trust to
determine when and how school reopens. The federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (24 percent) is first, followed by state and
local health officials (13 percent and 12 percent). Only then do they
trust governors (9 percent) and school district leaders (8 percent).
Finally, 63 percent of parents across income, racial and political
groups say that in light of COVID-19, schools must rethink how students
are educated, a finding fairly consistent since April.
Here are two recommendations — two lessons learned from parent voices —
that should guide Congress, K-12 policymakers and stakeholders as they
ponder when and how to reopen schools and support parents sending their
children back to class.
First, parents want reopening decisions to be a collaborative effort
between health and school officials. And they want specific procedures
in place in schools to protect their children (and educators) when
schools reopen.
Second, when schools reopen, parents want participation options for
children. Some will return in person, full time, come August. Others
need online learning until they return in the fall or well beyond that.
Others may want a combined approach. This requires school districts to
be flexible; students to have hardware and online and digital
resources; educators to be nimble enough to support these options; and
federal aid not to tie the hands of state and local officials in how to
use those dollars.
COVID-19 confronts parents with unprecedented challenges. Policymakers
should listen closely to their voices, exercising restraint and
humility in their well-intentioned efforts to provide support for when
and how schools reopen.
Bruno V. Manno is senior adviser for the Walton Family Foundation’s
K-12 education program. Walton Family Foundation provides financial
support to Echelon for this poll and to The 74.
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