Most Illinois families won’t have a choice other than to send their children back to school full time in the fall. But Chicago Public Schools is still trying to determine what officials can do to make parents most comfortable about the return of in-person classes five days a week.
To that end, CPS is conducting a survey of parents on whether such measures as mask-wearing, social distancing and in-person school tours would provide more peace of mind.
“We need feedback from our families to help shape what next school year will look like,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson and Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade — who will both be leaving CPS before then — said in joint statement last week.
“CPS has created the Fall 2021 Survey as a way to connect with families around planning for the new school year,” officials said, adding that the anonymous survey is also available in Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, and Polish, and responses need to be received by June 18.
While officials said the survey will help them better understand how families are feeling about the upcoming school year, they stated, “it is not an opt-in form for in-person learning.”
“Consistent with state guidance, nearly all students will be learning in person next year,” officials said, adding that they are “working on a virtual option for the relatively small number of students who cannot return due to medical reasons, and more information on this plan will be shared with families in the near future.”
The survey also asks how likely parents are to pursue a remote option for a medically fragile child through a “special review process.”
This spring, the vast majority of CPS students were still learning remotely at least part time, and most were still e-learning full time, with fewer than 22% of all students reporting to classes in person during a single week in April after all schools reopened.
Another question on the survey is “What safety measures would make you comfortable returning to school?” with options for responses including from “wearing masks” and “social distancing in the classroom,” to “ventilation and air purifiers” and “increasing vaccinations for students and staff.” Another question gauges concern about students interacting with multiple teachers a day.
It’s not clear whether CPS schools could maintain social distancing when all students are back in buildings.
The survey also includes open-ended questions, such as, “What does a safe school in fall look like to you?”
CPS also indicated on the survey that it’s “exploring opportunities to pilot innovative course offerings that potentially utilize remote education to offer expanded access to supplemental course offerings.” The survey asks if students want to take classes not available at their school.
“Our teachers and school leaders cannot wait to have students back in classrooms every day next fall, and it’s our mission to ensure the new school year provides you and your children with the best possible experience,” officials said.
In May, the Illinois State Board of Education adopted a resolution requiring daily in-person learning for students for the next school year, with limited exceptions for remote learning.
Twitter @kcullotta