ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — More than 65 percent of St. Tammany Parish parents or caregivers say they would feel comfortable sending students back to schools, according to survey results released by the parish school system.
The St. Tammany Parish Public Schools shared the results Wednesday of its 2020-21 school year planning survey, intended to gauge concerns from parents and employees about resuming classes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly 30,000 parents and 5,600 employees representing all 55 St. Tammany Parish public schools responded to the survey which was distributed between July 6-10.
Some key findings include:
More than 65 percent of parents and caregivers said they would feel comfortable sending their child to school in person with recommended safety protocols in place like health screening, social distancing, cleaning, and disinfecting.
Nearly 79 percent of employees also said they would be comfortable reporting to work in person if health officials believe it is safe to allow students to return to school with recommended safety protocols in place.
“I have four school age children and can in no way provide them with everything they need to have a successful school year if they can’t return to their classes,” one parent wrote.
Nearly 4,000 employees said they were considered high risk for illnesses from COVID-19, with nearly 90 percent of those saying that they have an underlying health condition.
“I will not be able to attend school if the rules are not strictly adhered to by the students,” one employee wrote.
“I would need to take precautions and would expect others coming in contact to take precautions as well,” another employee wrote.
More than 75 percent of respondents said their child would still ride a bus if children were required to wear a mask on school buses. More than half said they’d be willing to transport their child if there were restrictions on buses due to group sizes or social distancing.
The survey said 1,775 parents answered that they would withdraw their child from the school system if students were required to wear masks during the school day.
More than 8,000 parents said that their students would need go meals for their students if regulations required distance learning.
Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved new coronavirus regulations Tuesday for the minimum safety standards for schools reopening this fall. Teachers and students will have to wear face coverings as much as possible. Schools will be limited to visitors and classrooms for young students could become the equivalent of a one-room schoolhouse.
BESE’s rules include a face mask mandate for students in grades 3 through 12, but that regulation has language applying to face coverings “to the greatest extent possible and practical.”
Vice President Mike Pence insisted schools should reopen to in-person instruction for students in his visit to Louisiana on Tuesday. Pence described the nation as “in a much better position today to deal with the pandemic” even as virus cases surge across much of the country.
Louisiana has re-emerged as one of the nation’s hot spots for the coronavirus even after signs pointed to successful outbreak response. The state is not taking the wide-open approach sought by Pence as schools plan a mix of online and in-person learning this fall.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
