Hillsborough County parents weigh in on going back to school this fall

TAMPA, Fla. — The results are in, and a slight majority of Hillsborough County parents say they are comfortable returning their children back to school in the fall amid fears of coronavirus.

However, not everyone is on board with the idea, and district Superintendent Addison Davis during a board meeting Tuesday admitted there remains work to do.

A total of 28,100 parents said they would be "comfortable" to "very comfortable" with their kids' return versus 24,783 who said they are "not comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable." 

During the meeting, Davis read the results of the school reopening survey that was distributed to parents.

A total of 4,807 staff chose "comfortable" to "very comfortable" returning to campus, while 4,501 staff said "not comfortable" or "somewhat" comfortable.

There are no decisions at this time about students returning in the fall, and Davis revealed a few suggestions from parents that would help make that transition a little better:

• "Knowing there is a system in place to protect our children and the people providing their care."
• "Knowing that every measure is being taken to maintain clean and sanitized environments."
• "Knowing that the school is disinfected several times a day. Class sizes are manageable for social distance. Halls are not packed between classes. Lunch line is not a long and slow process."

Davis said leaders also found a slim majority of parents also were at least OK with Hillborough Virtual School, or the e-learning system. The question asked, "If school campuses reopen in the fall and the district resumes a normal campus-based schedule, would you prefer continuing with virtual instruction?"

Some 12,052 parents said "yes," 15,451 parents said "maybe" and 24,294 parents said "no" -- a split of 51.7 percent "yes/maybe" and 46.9 percent "no."

RELATED: Poll: Many parents and teachers fear return to classroom this fall

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