Lenoir County Public Schools has received nearly 2,000 responses to its Roadmap for Relaunch survey regarding its plan for the next school year and has extended the survey’s deadline for Monday.
LCPS set up the survey online the day before Gov. Roy Cooper announced that public schools can open in August and that students may split time during the next school year between physical classrooms and remote learning, but some schools can operate completely remotely if school officials feel it is necessary to protect students and teachers from the coronavirus.
Among the nearly 2,000 responses, two parents of public school students shared their thoughts after completing the survey, which asks parents to describe their student’s internet access during the school day, select how comfortable is their student in returning to school in the fall, choose their primary concern about their student returning to school, and more.
“Some of the questions on the survey didn’t have answers that voiced my opinion, and it wouldn’t allow you to leave it blank, so you had to put something,” public school parent Tabitha Rouse said. “It’s like they were forcing you to have some sort of concern with something.”
LCPS began working on a plan to blend in-person and online learning together for the next school year and will sort through data from the survey of parents, teachers, and staff that could produce a completed plan by next week.
“I’m glad school is opening back up, but it should have opened back up at the end of the school year,” Rouse said. “I’m not a big fan of remote learning. Kids need someone there explaining how to do something and actually teach them and not just giving them busy work to try to figure out on their own.”
Shamika Hall-Williams completed the survey on Thursday for her rising South Lenoir High School junior, Izayah Williams, and feels LCPS gave parents the opportunity to share their concerns for both classrooms and remote learning.
“I was glad that the county and superintendent considered enough of the parents and students to consider their thoughts and feelings about COVID-19,” Hall-Williams said. “They also explained the different plans available, giving both parents and students the option to decide which would be the better option for the particular student.
“I think this is great because some students work better from home in their own environment, and some students need the school setting and structure.”
LCPS public information officer Patrick Holmes said the survey deadline was extended from Wednesday to Monday, July 20, at 5 p.m. to gather enough information from the survey to present to the Lenoir County School Board the middle of next week.
Holmes said the board will look at limited classroom capacity and online learning for options during the fall semester.
“I feel like when you are giving a deadline on anything, that it should be it no matter what it is,” Rouse said. “Stop giving people extra time to do stuff.”
Rouse has a third grader at La Grange Elementary and a freshman and senior at North Lenoir High School. She said in-person learning is important for them during this time.
“They are all important years,” Rouse said. “My third grader will start taking end-of-grade testing, and she is still learning lots of things. These are her childhood years that she should be making memories and learning different things, going on education field trips and exploring new things. For my two high schoolers, it’s almost over. These are very critical years to determine what the future holds for them. They should be making lasting memories for their final high school days.”
Hall-Williams agrees with Rouse on the importance of students learning social skills at school.
“The social atmosphere will be a lot different than accustomed by the students and staff,” she said. “I think social skills are all a part of growing and learning in our ever changing society. Children need to be social and socially accepted. I really hate that the elementary students will have to accept this as a new normal for them.”
Surveys can be completed on the LCPS Facebook page in English at https://forms.gle/LGgUUPZx5f4F3t1T6 and in Spanish at https://forms.gle/gh5jS53N9Aj1AuHp6.
“I’m glad people are responding to it,” Rouse said. “All kids are different and only parents know what is best for their child.”
