(TNS) – St. Paul Public Schools has decided not to schedule more “digital learning days” at this time, in which students attend school from home on district-issued iPads. .
The district held a survey on its website last month seeking feedback on a plan to add up to five digital days to the second semester schedule in place of in-person instruction.
The proposal followed the cancellation of two school days before Christmas, which was intended to give staff and pupils more time off during a difficult school year as the coronavirus pandemic dragged on.
Among survey respondents who identified themselves as teachers or other teaching staff, 82% liked the idea of spending more time in online learning. Sixty percent of parents said the same.
The top concern, expressed by 78% of opponents surveyed, was that students would lose instructional time, according to detailed data provided by the district to Pioneer Press.
Besides:
- 62% feared having their schedules disrupted.
- 38% said they should find daycare.
- 24% worried about having to leave their children alone at home.
Most naysayers shared additional concerns in response to an open-ended survey question.
Families and school staff “have expressed that digital learning days are challenging and disruptive,” the district said in a recent message to the community.
“Other challenges include communication between schools, students, and families; access to technology at home; family and work schedules; and specific learning needs that can only be met by person. the schedule.”
The District of St. Paul hosted a Digital Learning Day on Election Day and scheduled another for April 15.
The April date was originally intended to be a staff-only working day; changing it to a teaching day compensates for one of the school days canceled before winter vacation and allows the district to count that time toward its legal minimum teaching hours.
©2022 The Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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