BOISE, Idaho — The Boise School District reached out to parents and staff to find out what they expect when students return to the classroom this fall.
Two surveys were conducted - one for parents, the other for staff - and the results were released on Wednesday.
The purpose was to help Boise schools prepare for school in the fall during the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of the findings.
Parents were surveyed on a number of topics, including whether they would send their student back to school for in-person learning, what they thought of the district's emergency remote learning initiative, and their thoughts about the importance of health guidelines.
Keep children safe ranked high - 85.10% of parents surveyed say if school buildings reopen in the fall, they would be comfortable sending their child back to school under certain conditions.
And 93.70% of parents surveyed say it's important that all or some of the health guidelines are followed such as minimum social distancing of six feet, large gatherings are limited, hand sanitizer or hand-washing are available in each room, temperature screenings, and face masks.
Parents were also asked to rate their experience with Boise Schools during the spring school closure.
83.4% of parents surveyed rate their experience during the COVID-19 school closure between a 3 and 5 rating, with 5 being excellent.
46.9% of parents surveyed say teacher engagement was the highlight of their experience during the closure, while 39.2% of parents surveyed say the district's overall approach was the highlight of their experience during the closure.
Parents were also surveyed about online learning expectations during the COVID-19 school closure.
38.1% of parents surveyed say an environment as close to traditional school as possible was the most important aspect of online learning, while 32% of parents say an environment that keeps students engaged, but provides flexibility for families and students was the most important aspects of online learning.
"We thank our parents and staff members who took the time to complete these surveys," said Superintendent Coby Dennis, Boise School District.
"It's obvious our parents and staff have high expectations for education and we are committed to meeting and exceeding these expectations as we move forward. Our Board of Trustees and our administration will now dig deeper into these survey results as we plan for the fall. We want to reassure our parents, students and staff that we will do what we do best - educate our students today for a better tomorrow."
School district staff were surveyed on a variety of topics, including their feedback about the emergency remote learning initiative, their experience during the COVID-19 school closure, and the health guidelines most important to them.
96.30% of staff rate their experience with Boise Schools during the closure between a 3 and 5 rating, with 5 being excellent.
89.50% of staff surveyed say it's important that all or some of the health guidelines are followed.
Links to Parent Survey Questions & Results
Links to Staff Survey Questions & Results
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