Education

Nearly Half Of The Country’s Biggest School Districts Are Open For In-Person Learning: Survey

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Almost half of the biggest school districts are open for in-person learning for many students and more are planning to reopen, according to a Washington Post survey.

Out of the 50 biggest school districts, 24 have reopened in-person for many students and 11 plan to go back in-person, according to the WaPo survey. Four more are planning to reopen for small groups of students requiring more attention.

“I think everybody’s quite worried about what the price is that we’ve paid for having the buildings closed,” Council of the Great City Schools Executive Director Michael Casserly said, according to the WaPo.

Casserly added that remote learning can feel inadequate and said educators are worried “we are going to dig ourselves a hole that is so deep that it takes us years and years to get out of,” the WaPo reported.

Out of the 50 districts, 11 are remote and don’t have plans on hand for altering, according to the survey.

Back to school: Many large districts are opening their doors again – The Washington Post via ⁦@laurameckler⁩ and ⁦@valeriestrauss⁩ https://t.co/eUAJHjr8AD

— Nick Anderson (@wpnick) October 20, 2020

Schools have reopened in New York City, Greenville, South Carolina and Alpine, Utah’s largest school district, the WaPo reported. Charlotte, Baltimore and Denver schools are planning to reopen and Texas and Florida’s governors have mandated in-person school.

Los Angeles Unified School District, although it has had in-person tutoring for some, is among the schools that aren’t planning to reopen, the WaPo reported. Superintendent Austin Beutner said the district will keep people updated on their plans about students coming back safely, according to a district update provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Some New York City schools had to close after cases increased in communities where people reportedly didn’t follow COVID-19 restrictions, the WaPo reported.

In one South Carolina district, school started on Aug.24 with an option either for a hybrid plan or for complete online learning, Greenville County Schools Director of Media Relations Tim Waller told the DCNF. Around 23,000 of about 74,000 of students opted to go online for the school year and the rest opted for a hybrid plan, Waller told the DCNF when explaining the district’s reopening plans and progress.

The Alpine School District and New York Board of Education did not immediately respond to the DCNF for comment.