How has the school year gone? Wake wants to hear from its parents and teachers
The Wake County school system is surveying parents and teachers about how the school year has gone as it weighs when to resume in-person instruction.
Parents and school-based employees have until 5 p.m. Sunday to take an anonymous online survey that covers topics such as how safe do they feel on campus and what it’s been like during both remote and in-person learning. The responses will be shared with the school board, which could get a recommendation Tuesday on when to resume face-to-face classes.
“Your input is critical as our Board continues to consider options and make decisions regarding returning students to in-person learning,” the district said in a memo sent Wednesday to school employees.
The survey link was sent directly to employees. The staff survey is for people who work in school buildings as opposed to central office.
Parents can find a link to their online survey, which can be taken in English or Spanish, at www.wcpss.net/Page/47465.
Wake, which is North Carolina’s largest school district, had suspended in-person instruction in mid-March following Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order. Wake resumed limited in-person in late October for elementary school students and in November for middle school students.
High school students have only had remote instruction since March.
On Thursday, state Senate Republicans announced they plan to file legislation soon that would require school districts to offer in-person instruction.
Many families want in-person classes
Students returned from winter break in January only receiving online classes. The board has continued the suspension of in-person classes through at least mid-February due to concerns about COVID-19.
The majority of Wake students had signed up for the Virtual Academy in the fall semester. But it’s flipped in the spring semester, with 52% of Wake’s 161,650 students who’ve opted for in-person classes.
Superintendent Cathy Moore had cited a Wake NCAE survey, in which 87% of respondents said they didn’t feel comfortable returning to campus, as part of the reason for not resuming face-to-face classes.
But some board members questioned the validity of the Wake NCAE survey. They asked for the district to do its own survey of staff and families.
The parent survey asks questions such as how satisfied are they with their child’s academic progress during remote learning.
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 5:07 PM.
