What staff and parents are saying

Even if there is no widely available vaccine for COVID-19 by next month, 41.3% of Oconee families surveyed say without doubt they’ll return their children to the county’s public schools.  But an equal number marked “maybe” and say it depends on case numbers close to the scheduled start of classes August 10.  Rounding out the response to that question, 17.7% want their children to stay home.  Oconee public schools today released the results of their survey of both staff and parents.  Here are the responses to the question of “Would you allow your child to return to school if students are required to wear masks, practice social distancing, and observe other precautions?”  23% said yes.  41.6% said maybe; 35.3% said no.  Other responses were made to questions about distance learning and whether parents will allow students to ride the buses.  A total of 96% said cleaning and sanitizing were most important to them if the district returns to full-time in-person instruction.  Here are the responses by school district staff to the question:  “If the SDOC re-opens for face-to-face instruction for the 2020-21 school year, how comfortable are you in returning to your position?:  60% very comfortable; 31% unsure; and 8.6% not comfortable.