A new poll reveals that the majority of teachers are concerned about going back to school as states debate whether to reopen this fall. An overwhelming 82% of K-12 educators surveyed said they are worried about returning to classrooms, and 66% said they’d prefer to work remotely, according to poll from NPR/Ipsos.
According to The Hill, 82% of the teachers who identified as Democrats thought that teaching should be done remotely this fall, while 18% said teaching in classrooms was okay. This compared to 49% of Republicans who said kids should be taught remotely and 51% who said they should be taught in person.
According to Mic, the teacher poll was conducted between July 21-24 and included 505 participants, half of whom taught in low-income schools. Many teachers expressed concerns for their health with one stating that her school didn’t even have custodial staff.
Texas-based teacher Robin Stauffer said: “They don’t supply hand sanitizer. They don’t supply wipes. None of these supplies were ever given to us. You just use what you have or what teachers themselves purchased.”
In Georgia’s largest school district, Gwinnet County Public Schools, 260 employees already tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19 last week one day after reopening. Philadelphia officials have decided to go fully remote, according to Mic, and Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third-largest school system, will do the same after teachers threatened to strike.
Lynn C. Allison ✉
Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.
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