Survey Suggests Majority of Minnesota Parents Comfortable with Kids Going Back To School

Send the kids back to school! That’s the viewpoint of most Minnesota parents who responded to an online survey from the state’s Dept. of Education.

 64 percent said they were comfortable with children and teens returning to school in the fall, according to the survey. 11 percent said they were uncomfortable with the idea and 24 percent said they just don’t know. 

The survey was conducted between June 15th and July 6th and about 130-thousand people answered the online questionnaire. Education department officials say they will consider these results as they grapple with decisions about how to best handle getting kids back to school this fall.

The Governor has asked school districts to plan for three possible scenarios: 

One scenario is all in-person learning with social distancing where possible.

Another scenario is a full distance-learning model where kids stay home and attend school online.

Third is a hybrid model that would combine some in-person schooling along with some distance-learning.

Another finding in the survey, the majority – 53-percent — of parents said last spring’s distance learning experience was “bad” or “very bad.”  45 percent said they had a “good” experience. 

The state will announce its Back to School recommendations by the week of July 27.