NC Parents Want In-Person Classes: NC Patch Survey

NORTH CAROLINA — With the pandemic continuing to spread in many parts of North Carolina, one thing is for sure: In the time of coronavirus, there are no easy answers.

One of the toughest decisions was faced by school districts, who were tasked with the question: Should students go back to school as coronavirus continues to spread across North Carolina?

Public schools have been in session for nearly three weeks in North Carolina. Some are offering in-person instruction with fewer students in the classroom while others opted to begin the year fully remote.

But despite the prevalence of remote learning throughout the state, the majority of the 61 parents who responded to Patch's survey were clear: We want our kids in school.

Note: The survey was not meant to be a scientific poll, with random sampling and margins of error, but was meant only to gauge the sentiments of our readers in an informal way.

Despite the fact that about 68 percent of parents who responded said that their district is offering remote learning only, more than 58 percent of parents who were offered a choice by their district said they chose in-person learning.

Another 64.8 percent said they weren't given a choice but would have opted for in-person learning if they could have.

Opinion was mixed on whether parents approved of the decision — remote or in person — made by their district, with 28.6 percent saying they were "very unhappy" with how their children's school is handling learning in the time of coronavirus. On the flip side, about 30 percent said they were "somewhat happy" and fewer than 16 percent said they were "very happy" with the direction their district is taking.

About 6 percent weren't sure how they felt.

Nearly half — 48 percent — of the parents who responded said their district's decision had affected their childcare needs.

'Horrible'

"My child started Kindergarten this year with remote learning," wrote one parent. "Not a very good way to start school learning. I fear he's going to get left behind as he doesn't appear to be learning anything three weeks in. I think something could have been done for younger students to go to school a couple time a week at least. Helping him with remote learning I notice that many students are in day cares with plenty of other children and faculty around. If daycares can figure it out, why can't our school system?"

"The district is doing the best they can," said another parent. "No one wants anyone to be sick so the board makes the tough decisions."

"We attend [Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools] and I would have preferred a choice in the type of learning my child participated in," one parent said. "Aside from technology glitches, the remote learning was better than it was in the spring and the teachers are doing the best they can given the situation. While I think the kids will be fine academically, the greater impact has been on them socially. They are greatly missing the social interaction, and I am very concerned about the effect of that."

"You can't shut everyone down, life has to go on," said another. "We have to go back to some sort of normalcy and kids being in 7 hours of virtual classrooms all day is not ok!"

Another effect of the coronavirus pandemic is the toll it's taking on sports. Some fall sports, including football, boys soccer and girls volleyball, have been moved to the spring.

Some parents who responded expressed frustration and worry about the physical and mental toll the lack of athletics is having on their kids.

"Sports help my kids well-being," one wrote. "It helps gives him confidence, a sense of pride and teamwork, and build social networks. To have that taken away has been difficult."

Parents said their children were "devastated," "very disappointed," and "struggling."

"No athletes here," said one parent, "but I have very active boys and not being able to use sports as an incentive for good grades or even just to play at recess with friends, is heartbreaking."

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