By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
More than 1,300 parents and 300 staff members in the Bowling Green City School District have weighed in on how school should function starting in August.
The anonymous surveys are intended to help district leaders decide how school should operate next year – in school with safety measures in place, remotely at home, or a blended model of both in-school and remote learning.
“We got some really good data about where parents are and where staff members are,” Bowling Green Superintendent Francis Scruci said. “Certainly we know at the end of the day, when we make a decision, we’re not going to make everyone happy.”
Gov. Mike DeWine shut down all K-12 schools in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, he has not given schools directives on how to handle the new school year when it begins in August. It’s possible he will leave the decision up to local districts.
“We don’t know what the next year holds,” Scruci said.
“I think we need to have our staff prepared if we have to shut down,” he said, suggesting that staff could benefit from professional development training for online teaching.
The results of the surveys have not yet been compiled.
With some variations in the surveys for parents and those for staff, the following questions were asked:
What is your preferred work environment for the 2020-2021 school year based on the current medical information available?
- Face to face in buildings (normal school year) with proper CDC guidelines in place
- Full-time remote learning
- A blended model (a combination of in-school and remote learning)
For staff: What are your biggest concerns for staff and for students about the 2020-2021 school year if we are doing remote learning?
- Mental and emotional health
- Lack of child-care
- Consistent connectivity for technology
- Being able to support student remote instruction
- Disengaged learners
For staff: What are your biggest concerns for staff and for children about the 2020-2021 school year if teaching in school buildings?
- No vaccine available
- Mental and emotional health
- Wearing a mask all day and teaching
- Keeping students wearing a mask all day
- Lack of child-care
- Loss of academic progress
For parents: What are your biggest concerns for your children about the 2020-2021 school year if we continue with remote learning?
- Mental and emotional well being
- Lack of child-care
- Access to Internet and/or Wifi connection
- Being able to support your children with remote instruction
- Keeping your children interested and engaged in remote learning
- My inability to help my children
For parents: What are your biggest concerns for students during the 2020-2021 school year if students return to the buildings?
- No vaccine available
- Mental and emotional health
- Keeping students wearing a mask all day
- My child getting sick
- My child could infect high risk family members
- The ability of the district to provide a safe and healthy environment
One question asked if classes are held in school, following CDC guidelines, whether or not parents would send their children to school.
The survey also asked if families have a school-aged child or someone else in the home with a condition that puts them at a higher risk for severe illness? The survey also asked about staff and their family members who are at higher risks for severe illnesses.
