Krebs and Lander Campaigns Survey Remote Families Citywide to Find Out What They Need to Come Back to the Classroom
New study interviewed more than 100 families with all-remote students in public schools across the City to find out what it will take to get them back in-person.
A majority (64%) of those surveyed say they are very or somewhat likely to come back in person in the fall with 21% still uncertain — and more than half saying nobody had reached out to discuss the fall yet.
Vaccinations for families and students, keeping up safety measures, and lower COVID levels in the summer, at top of mind.
Results highlight the need for the City to engage families in a dialogue to shape a plan for the fall. The candidates plan to continue surveying over email and other outreach methods to gain additional insight.
BROOKLYN, NY -- City Council Candidate Justin Krebs and current Council Member & candidate for Comptroller Brad Lander announced today the results of a new survey that polled over 100 families with students in all-remote school across the five boroughs to find out why they chose remote learning for their children and what it would take for them to feel confident coming back to the classroom this fall.
The recent survey, conducted by the Krebs and Lander campaigns via phone over a four-day period this week, showed that families chose remote school last fall and many continued to remain remote through the year primarily because of concerns for the health of their child and family members. Measures that gave these parents the most confidence to return were if children and family members are vaccinated, if social distancing and mask wearing precautions are still in place in September, and if class sizes are smaller.
“We decided to launch this survey because the City and DOE need to recognize and address why so many of our students have still not come back to the classroom,” said City Council Candidate Justin Krebs. “We have talked to more than 100 families across the five boroughs and we call on the Mayor and DOE to prioritize this conversation for all remote families. We need to do more to get all our kids back in person safely and to address the trauma that many families have from the pandemic. We want to make sure the city is getting concerned families the answers they need to ensure an in-person, full-time return this fall is a reality for all students.”
“There’s no time to waste. We need to start listening to families whose students have been learning remotely, about what will make them feel confident in their kids returning to the classroom in the fall,” said Council Member and Comptroller Candidate Brad Lander. “This survey shows us that many parents are ready for their kids to go back in-person, but they have important questions. Unfortunately, a majority report that no one from DOE or their school has reached out to ask what they need to feel safe returning to school in the fall. We need to engage them now, as part of an inclusive process that includes families from all cohorts, so principals and school leaders can make plans that will make next year work for all our kids.”
Topline Findings
Topline findings of the study included:
A large majority (64%) of current remote-only families contacted say they are very or somewhat likely to return in-person in the fall, with many unsure (21%) and only (15%) very or somewhat unlikely.
Concerns about the current school year and next school year are largely around children’s and family’s health.
Measures that gave the most confidence were if children and family members are vaccinated, if distancing and mask wearing precautions are still in place, and if there are smaller class sizes.
If new coronavirus cases still remain high in the summer, 70% of families would lean more towards staying all-remote.
Over half (52%) of respondents had not been contacted by anyone about returning in-person in the fall.
The most influential person parents could hear from to make a decision is their child’s principal (45%) followed by their teacher (29%), rather than the Chancellor (13%) or Mayor (13%).
Open-ended responses broadly indicate that families interviewed want their kids to go back in-person. They don't love remote learning, they just want to know it'll be safe. If they stay remote, the quality of the experience needs to improve.
Highlighted Survey Questions
Selected Parent Comments
Highlighted parent comments gathered in the interviews called out concerns about the ability of schools to address lost academic progress and social-emotional needs, frustration with continued remote learning, and among some, a deep sense of trauma from the pandemic.
Some selected comments include:
“The public school system did the best with what they had, but the Department of Education just wanted to save face by opening schools without really having a plan for students. Graduating seniors have been left behind and missed out on important stepping stones towards building their futures. These questions should have been asked a year or a year and a half ago.”
“Having kids be physically in a classroom but still taught by teachers who are online/on zoom is basically the same thing as doing fully remote. The schools should be doing completely remote or completely in person, not in between.”
“I am concerned that people will not follow guidelines. Children will have to take the train which causes more exposure. What will happen with cleaning bathrooms? Will they still be testing?”
“Classes are large, teachers are overwhelmed, and I am worried that teachers will not be able to recognize a student who has extra needs than other classmates. Smaller classes would be a good thing.”
“I am concerned about COVID as I was actually hospitalized for it earlier in the pandemic.”
“I want to make sure everyone is vaccinated, including children, by the fall. Make the class sizes smaller, everyone should keep wearing masks and social distancing.”
“If high rates of positive tests occur, schools would switch back and forth from remote and in-person, making things chaotic again”
“[With remote learning] you don't have in-person interaction and it's tough for kids who suffer with paying attention and self-discipline. Remotely, they lose those students. Students need to be self-motivated, it's more difficult to ask questions and get support.”
“My special needs son could focus more on what he was learning without peers. My daughter was hurt by not having the social aspect of school.”
Survey Sample
Respondents represent a cross-section of the city and broadly correspond to the demographics of the school system, hailing from neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. 33% spoke a language other than English at home, including Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Bangla, Russian, Hatian Creole, Arabic, Urdu, German, Greek, Tibetan, and Albanian. 29% are single parents or guardians and 28% live with grandparents or other older relatives.
Detailed survey methodology can be found in the Appendix (pdf).
Home zipcode of the residence of respondents shown in the map below
Background
During the most recent opt-in period, approximately 51,000 more students returned to schools for in-person learning. But about 582,000 students, or 61% of total reported enrollment, remain enrolled in all-remote learning, according to estimates from the city’s Department of Education.
Justin Krebs is a parent of three public school students at PS39 in Brooklyn where his children have attended hybrid through the year, and now attend full-time as of this month. He serves on the Executive Board of the School District 15 Presidents Council as well as on the Parents Association Executive Board of PS 39.*
Krebs is running for City Council in District 39 in Brooklyn which includes the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, part of Borough Park, the southern part of Gowanus, the western parts of Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill, and the Columbia Waterfront District. He’s now endorsed by The New York League of Conservation Voters, League of Independent Theaters, The American Institute of Architects, 30 Local Parent Leaders, and 100 Artists. For more information about his campaign visit www.justin2021.org
*These perspectives do not represent the Presidents Council or Parents Association.