COLUMBUS, Ohio — While President Trump continues to push for schools to reopen this Fall, many teachers in Ohio are not thrilled with the idea of in-person learning starting next month.
On Monday, the Ohio Federation of Teachers released the results of a survey conducted by educators who work in K through 12 education.
The survey asked their concerns about physical learning as well as remote learning for the beginning of the 2020 school season. They were also asked how the school year should start.
"The top-line question of the survey asked what kind of reopening plan members would be most comfortable with for their school district. Only 8.3% of respondents indicated they would be most comfortable with a full return to school, five days per week for all students. Two-thirds of all respondents (66.2%) indicated that they would be most comfortable with full-time distance learning for all students, either until cases decline significantly or for the full fall semester. The remaining 25.5% opted for a partial return to school with a blended learning environment of in-person and remote instruction."
The main concern that teachers have with sending students back to school is that they may be playing a major role of increasing the community spread of COVID-19.
“Our members across the state want nothing more than to get back into the classrooms and school buildings with our students, but the overwhelming majority are not confident that their school districts can reopen safely,” said OFT President Melissa Cropper. “We know that what happens in our schools does not stay in our schools, and that a premature and unsafe reopening can have drastic effects on the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.”
According to the report, the survey was mailed to 12,000 K-12 members of the Ohio Federation of Teachers and they received more than 1,700 responses from 40 different local unions.
