Majority of Sandwich School District parents back hybrid learning option, survey finds

SANDWICH – More than two-thirds of surveyed Sandwich School District 430 parents who filled out a return-to-school questionnaire were in favor of the hybrid learning option for the 2020-2021 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a district return-to-school questionnaire sent to parents and guardians, district officials said they are unable to house all students in school buildings at the same time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and per state health and education guidelines. School officials said in the survey that would mean a portion of a student's week will be spent in school and a portion of the week will be spent in remote learning, commonly referred to as blended or hybrid learning. Face-to-face attendance also would have required safety measures like wearing face coverings and temperature screenings.

When asked how families would proceed knowing that information, nearly 68% of 597 survey takers said their student or students still would be attending school in the fall, even if the district opened with a hybrid schedule and will follow safety guidelines in place. About 4% said their students would not be attending school in the fall if the district opens with the modified schedule.

Twenty-eight percent of families said they were undecided and were not sure what they would decide one way or another, according to the survey results.

One survey taker wrote there being no air conditioning or ceiling fans in elementary and middle school buildings is a huge problem that still needs to be addressed when considering making students and staff wearing face coverings in summer heat and humidity. Others shared the same concern about students having to wear masks for in-person instruction in hot and humid weather.

"It's not practical or healthy," another survey taker wrote. "Elementary kids are not going to be capable of not touching their masks all day [and] the cross-contamination will be high. I also think they will have a difficult time focusing either with the teacher wearing a mask or themselves, especially at an age that is already easily distracted."

Some survey takers expressed concerns about scheduling in a hybrid model, especially in a household with two full-time working parents. Some also wrote they believed children belong back in school face-to-face for their social and mental development.

"Call it a protest – that way, the hundreds of children can gather in the school and it would be permitted," one survey taker wrote.

Others also expressed concerns about a lack of consistency from teacher to teacher in the spring with e-learning, including which platforms were used.

"Some held Zoom meetings, a few never had Zoom meetings," another parent or guardian wrote. "Some had additional office hours to support my child, some didn't. Some were concerned about the well being of my child first and foremost, while others were putting demands on them that were unrealistic given the landscape of what was happening."

The update comes as the Sandwich School District 430 Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the district's reopening plan as presented during the board's July 21 meeting. The approved hybrid learning plan includes students being divided alphabetically into groups, with one group attending school in-person on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the second group attending school Tuesdays and Thursdays – with Fridays being reserved for remote learning across the district.

The results and comments from the survey sent to Sandwich school district families were obtained by Record Newspapers via Illinois Freedom of Information Act.