Questions Parents Should Ask Before Sending Children Back to School

Educators, parents, students, legislatures, anybody concerned about the health of children desire to know if it is safe for schools to reopen. The answers vary according to location, size of school, grade level, and who is asked. There exist no absolute answers.

Should schools reopen? The many variables make answering such a broad, overwhelming question difficult. A survey of educators responding to two questions provides insights that empower all stakeholders in education.

First question: How long have you taught?

The responses ranged from 2 to 35 years.

When totaled, more than 500 years of teaching experience were represented by the responses.

A diverse group of respondents representing multiple areas of education participated: core and elective teachers, instructors in grades K — 12, school nurses, counselors and administrators.

Second question: What concerns you about returning to school during the pandemic?

Feedback is divided into categories. Repeated concerns are combined to synthesis the main ideas.

If you are a concerned citizen, directly or indirectly involved in education, ask these questions. The answers or lack of answers provide information to what degree a school is prepared to open. Then, if you are a parent, couple the information with your child’s specific needs to make decisions that are safe and appropriate for your family.

Sanitizing

Who is responsible for sanitizing spaces, supplies, and furniture?

How often does sanitizing occur?

Is there protocol for sanitizing specific areas or items in the school? (Desk, chairs, books, manipulatives, supplies, pencil sharpeners, door handles, art supplies, tools etc.)

Protocol

Is there a consistent protocol? If yes, is it consistent within a building, across grade levels, within a district or statewide?

Who are the experts who established the protocol?

How is the protocol being communicated to teachers, parents, and students?

Is there a plan to address people who are resistant to following protocol?

For instance, if a student refuses to wear a mask (if masks are required), what happens? Some districts have stated the student will be sent home. What action takes place if the parents is unavailable or unwilling to pick up the student from school?

Or what if a parent doesn’t not support the requirement to wear masks? The law is that all children must be provided a free and appropriate education. How will this be addressed?

Transitions

How are safe transitions being implemented?

Do all students move through the halls at the same time?

Are lunches staggered? Currently, in many schools lunches are already staggered and lunch room are filled to capacity. In some of these buildings students eat lunch as early as 10:30 so as to have time to feed all students. How with this crowding situation be addressed?

Transportation

Will additional busses be added to the routes?

What is the maximum number of students on a bus? How many will be assigned to one seat?

How often will buses be sanitized?

Elective Classes

How will resources be shared and cleaned? (i.e. paint brushes in art class, cooking ingredients in home economics, tools in automotive, instrument in music, equipment in PE, computers etc.)

What is the plan to transport students to magnet schools and feeder school for special programs such as vocational classes?

What systems are in place for higher risk classes that have a greater potential to spread the virus such as choir and athletics?

Resources

How will teaching resources be shared among students? Many curricula have class copies of workbooks, novels, or manipulatives.

Can a classroom set of books be used repeatedly from period to period?

Does an adequate budget exist to create multiple copies of materials that once were shared?

Masks (if required)

Is any form of mask acceptable? Is there anything (writing, pictures, symbols) that is unacceptable on masks?

How long can a mask be used?

How often should a mask be washed? Who washes the mask?

If a mask is not returned to the school, is a student provided a new one each day?

How will the school address religions that do not support face masks?

Are additional masks available if one gets lost, stolen, torn, or soiled?

Do young children understand the seriousness of the situation to keep their masks on throughout the school day?

Is there adequate supervision during non-instructional times such as recess and lunch to monitor students?

Social Distancing

What is the total number of students allowed in a classroom? Will this number be adjusted for the age and size of the students?

Many classrooms have tables with 4–6 students. Will these be exchanged for desks for social distancing?

How are lockdowns and fire drills being modified to adjust for social distancing?

The questions above were submitted by concerned teachers. Notice the questions focus on the safety of the students in most cases. They are not self-serving and teacher centered which I found quite impressive. They reflect teachers desires to protect the children.

There are more questions that could be asked, but if the school you are investigating can answer all or most of these concerns, there is most likely a safe environment awaiting your child. If few of the questions have complete and direct answers, then you don’t need additional questions. You already have all the answers you need.