By Carol Mowdy Bond
Contributing Writer
The number one concern of patrons in the Piedmont School district regarding COVID-19, according to the district’s recent Back-to-School-Survey, is the mental health of students if they don’t return to a traditional classroom this fall.
The Piedmont Public School district is assessing what changes the district needs to implement, due to COVID-19, in order to start the 2020-2021 school year on August 13.
The district put out the Back-to-School-Survey through email, Facebook, and Twitter, in order to learn what families and teachers want and need in place for the upcoming school year, and to determine what will work best for all concerned. The district received 1,849 responses. The results were posted on June 24. If students are required to return to distance learning, the number one concern was mental health. That concern was followed by childcare and then by physical health.
Of those who took the survey, 27.1% are interested in a home-based semester online with learning modules with the virtual support of a certified teacher.
The survey shows that 24.9% of respondents need bus transportation.
The upcoming school year’s plan is not nailed down. But Lisa Campbell, assistant superintendent, said, “We have a team made up of administrators, teachers, and parents.
We are working, putting out subsequent surveys, and following the COVID-19 numbers and state health department guidelines, so we will create the best plan for our students under these circumstances. From the first survey results, to those who showed an interested in fully online learning, we are sending them a follow-up survey. We are also sending surveys to staff. For every survey, depending on the answers we get, we send more surveys. We are trying to get feedback. Our team meets regularly to discuss everything.”
Of note is that 22.1% of those responding said their families have health concerns or other factors that make increased precautions necessary due to COVID-19.
Families also responded about the most influential factors pertaining to whether or not their students return to a traditional school year in August, with 77.9% saying their students’ academic progress was most important; 60.2% saying their students’ health and risk of exposure to COVID-19 were most important; 53.5% saying wellness requirements for students to attend school were most critical; and 42.4% saying their ability to support their students’ learning at home is most important.
Respondents said the social element of school is important to them.
For those interested in a 100% online learning platform for their students through the district, they must complete the interest inventory at https://bit.ly/PPS-Online-InfoSession.
Campbell said the district will be posting new information as it is available.
