NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) -- A new survey suggests COVID-19 has a significant number of Nashville parents worried about sending their children back to school this fall.
Metro Schools Director Dr. Adrienne Battle says survey responses from more than 16,000 parents indicate 26 percent of families prefer online classes only, while 40 percent prefer in-person classes. The remaining 34 percent prefer that a combination of online and in-person classes be offered.
Interestingly, the parents of elementary school-aged children most strongly favored sending their children back to school. Dr. Battle explained that’s likely due to the fact remote learning is especially challenging for younger children.
Dr. Battle told school board members Tuesday night that some combination of online and in-person classes might actually work to Metro’s advantage. Having at least some students learning remotely from home will make it easier for the remaining students to practice social distancing on school campuses
However, Dr. Battle warned Metro schools might not be able to provide every child in the system with a computer and internet access by the start of classes as promised. Battle says an order for 90,000 laptops has been place with Dell, but she doesn’t expect all of the computers to arrive by August 5.
