Midcoast families support in-person learning despite doubt students will follow COVID-19 guidelines
MIDCOAST — Families of students attending schools in Knox, Waldo and Lincoln counties are likely to send their students back to campus this fall if their child’s school district allows for in-person instruction, according to a family survey conducted by the Maine Department of Education in July.
Despite their willingness to send students back to campus in the fall, the majority of Midcoast families feel students will not adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines recommended by the Maine CDC including wearing face masks, complying with social distancing, avoiding physical contact with peers, and avoiding congregating in groups of multiple students.
The concern of whether students will adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines is weighing heavily on the minds of area families as families across the three counties noted concern about the health and safety of their children if in-person instruction resumes in the fall.
Parents in each of three Midcoast counties overwhelmingly reported their students are eager to return to campus for in-person instruction this fall.
The decision by parents to send their students to campus this fall is spurred, evidently, by the fact parents do not feel their children made academic progress during the remote instruction period that lasted from the middle of March until the end of the school year.
Parents doubled down on their belief that students did not academically progress during remote instruction by responding to a separate question that their children were, for the most part, not academically motivated to complete their assignments during remote instruction.
Likewise, most parents across the Midcoast reported their child’s overall experience with remote instruction this spring was not positive.
There were 1,094 families in Knox County that responded to the survey, 783 in Waldo County and 786 in Lincoln County. Across the state, more than 32,000 families responded to the DOE’s survey.
Below are the full results, as reported by the Maine Department of Education, for the family survey for Knox, Waldo and Lincoln Counties.
If my child’s school district is open for in-person instruction in the fall, I am likely to send him/her to school.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 46% | 38% | 41% |
| Agree | 28% | 28% | 28% |
| Disagree | 5% | 9% | 7% |
| Strongly Disagree | 7% | 11% | 9% |
| I Don’t Know | 13% | 14% | 14% |
I understand (know where to go to obtain more information on) the recommended health and safety guidance.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 42% | 39% | 37% |
| Agree | 49% | 50% | 51% |
| Disagree | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Strongly Disagree | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| I Don’t Know | 3% | 3% | 3% |
I feel that my child’s well-being has been prioritized by district and school leaders during remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 29% | 25% | 23% |
| Agree | 44% | 47% | 46% |
| Disagree | 14% | 14% | 17% |
| Strongly Disagree | 7% | 8% | 7% |
| I Don’t Know | 6% | 7% | 7% |
I am concerned about my child’s health and safety if in-person instruction resumes in the fall.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 28% | 32% | 30% |
| Agree | 31% | 34% | 33% |
| Disagree | 21% | 17% | 22% |
| Strongly Disagree | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| I Don’t Know | 2% | 3% | 2% |
I am concerned about childcare access if schools do not resume in-person instruction in the fall.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 27% | 25% | 26% |
| Agree | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Disagree | 18% | 21% | 19% |
| Strongly Disagree | 22% | 23% | 22% |
| I Don’t Know | 14% | 13% | 15% |
I believe my school/district will be able to adequately implement the health and safety guidance provided by health officials if in-person instruction resumes in the fall.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 30% | 21% | 25% |
| Agree | 34% | 34% | 33% |
| Disagree | 13% | 17% | 19% |
| Strongly Disagree | 7% | 15% | 11% |
| I Don’t Know | 16% | 14% | 13% |
Children will be able to maintain new restrictions such as wearing face masks if in-person instruction resumes in the fall.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 10% | 5% | 8% |
| Agree | 34% | 25% | 28% |
| Disagree | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| Strongly Disagree | 26% | 37% | 32% |
| I Don’t Know | 6% | 7% | 7% |
Children will be able to maintain new restrictions such as social distancing if in-person instruction resumes in the fall.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 10% | 6% | 9% |
| Agree | 27% | 21% | 24% |
| Disagree | 29% | 31% | 30% |
| Strongly Disagree | 24% | 34% | 28% |
| I Don’t Know | 10% | 8% | 9% |
Children will be able to maintain new restrictions such as avoiding physical contact with peers if in-person instructions resumes in the fall.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 7% | 4% | 7% |
| Agree | 28% | 24% | 24% |
| Disagree | 32% | 29% | 31% |
| Strongly Disagree | 25% | 36% | 30% |
| I Don’t Know | 9% | 8% | 8% |
Children will be able to maintain new restrictions such as avoiding congregating in groups if in-person instructions resumes in the fall.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 8% | 5% | 9% |
| Agree | 27% | 22% | 22% |
| Disagree | 31% | 30% | 33% |
| Strongly Disagree | 24% | 34% | 28% |
| I Don’t Know | 9% | 9% | 8% |
My child will require additional social-emotional or mental health supports this fall.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 9% | 9% | 9% |
| Agree | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Disagree | 43% | 40% | 40% |
| Strongly Disagree | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| I Don’t Know | 10% | 13% | 11% |
My child will be able to maintain strong relationships with his/her/their teacher(s) regardless of in-person, partial in-person or remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Agree | 47% | 40% | 42% |
| Disagree | 17% | 27% | 21% |
| Strongly Disagree | 7% | 10% | 12% |
| I Don’t Know | 13% | 10% | 12% |
My child is eager to return to school.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 53% | 49% | 53% |
| Agree | 32% | 29% | 29% |
| Disagree | 8% | 13% | 12% |
| Strongly Disagree | 4% | 5% | 4% |
| I Don’t Know | 3% | 4% | 3% |
I know who to connect with at my child’s school to request additional supports.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 29% | 25% | 28% |
| Agree | 53% | 57% | 51% |
| Disagree | 8% | 9% | 12% |
| Strongly Disagree | 2% | 4% | 3% |
| I Don’t Know | 7% | 6% | 6% |
My child’s school provided me with adequate support during the transition to remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 13% | 14% | 12% |
| Agree | 53% | 47% | 48% |
| Disagree | 19% | 24% | 24% |
| Strongly Disagree | 8% | 10% | 10% |
| I Don’t Know | 7% | 5% | 5% |
My child’s school made changes to its classroom approach to fit remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Agree | 56% | 53% | 53% |
| Disagree | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Strongly Disagree | 6% | 7% | 7% |
| I Don’t Know | 5% | 7% | 7% |
My child’s overall experience with remote instruction has been positive.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 10% | 8% | 8% |
| Agree | 35% | 34% | 30% |
| Disagree | 35% | 33% | 31% |
| Strongly Disagree | 19% | 22% | 27% |
| I Don’t Know | 2% | 3% | 4% |
My child was academically motivated during the remote instruction period.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 8% | 7% | 7% |
| Agree | 25% | 24% | 22% |
| Disagree | 32% | 32% | 31% |
| Strongly Disagree | 33% | 34% | 36% |
| I Don’t Know | 2% | 3% | 3% |
My child was able to complete his or her weekly assignments during remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| Agree | 51% | 47% | 44% |
| Disagree | 18% | 21% | 22% |
| Strongly Disagree | 10% | 11% | 13% |
| I Don’t Know | 3% | 3% | 5% |
My child made academic progress during the remote instruction period.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 8% | 9% | 6% |
| Agree | 28% | 31% | 27% |
| Disagree | 31% | 29% | 30% |
| Strongly Disagree | 24% | 24% | 28% |
| I Don’t Know | 9% | 8% | 8% |
My child had the flexibility to access learning and complete schoolwork when it best fit our schedule.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 18% | 23% | 17% |
| Agree | 57% | 53% | 57% |
| Disagree | 17% | 13% | 16% |
| Strongly Disagree | 6% | 8% | 6% |
| I Don’t Know | 2% | 3% | 4% |
My child’s school’s remote instruction expectations were manageable and realistic.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| Agree | 57% | 48% | 45% |
| Disagree | 18% | 21% | 25% |
| Strongly Disagree | 7% | 12% | 11% |
| I Don’t Know | 5% | 5% | 5% |
It was possible for me to balance my child’s school obligations with my personal responsibilities during remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 11% | 11% | 11% |
| Agree | 38% | 37% | 33% |
| Disagree | 27% | 28% | 29% |
| Strongly Disagree | 21% | 22% | 24% |
| I Don’t Know | 3% | 2% | 3% |
It was possible for me to support my child’s learning at home during remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 15% | 17% | 14% |
| Agree | 45% | 44% | 44% |
| Disagree | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| Strongly Disagree | 12% | 12% | 17% |
| I Don’t Know | 3% | 3% | 3% |
It was easy to contact my child’s school leadership during remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 26% | 21% | 22% |
| Agree | 52% | 55% | 53% |
| Disagree | 9% | 12% | 13% |
| Strongly Disagree | 3% | 5% | 5% |
| I Don’t Know | 10% | 8% | 7% |
I was satisfied with the level of communication with my child’s teacher(s).
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 18% | 22% | 23% |
| Agree | 49% | 42% | 43% |
| Disagree | 21% | 21% | 24% |
| Strongly Disagree | 7% | 11% | 8% |
| I Don’t Know | 4% | 4% | 3% |
I was concerned about privacy issues related to learning management systems (e.g. Canvas, Google Classroom, Zoom).
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 6% | 5% | 5% |
| Agree | 14% | 15% | 14% |
| Disagree | 51% | 46% | 50% |
| Strongly Disagree | 24% | 28% | 24% |
| I Don’t Know | 5% | 6% | 5% |
I was comfortable supporting my child with different technology and tools required for remote instruction.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 21% | 24% | 18% |
| Agree | 45% | 42% | 43% |
| Disagree | 21% | 21% | 24% |
| Strongly Disagree | 10% | 11% | 11% |
| I Don’t Know | 3% | 3% | 3% |
I understand what my district’s policies regarding promotion and retention mean for my child.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 14% | 14% | 11% |
| Agree | 58% | 55% | 54% |
| Disagree | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| Strongly Disagree | 3% | 4% | 5% |
| I Don’t Know | 10% | 11% | 11% |
I understand what my district’s policies regarding grading and report cards mean for my child.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 15% | 15% | 12% |
| Agree | 59% | 57% | 56% |
| Disagree | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Strongly Disagree | 4% | 4% | 5% |
| I Don’t Know | 7% | 8% | 8% |
I understand what my district’s policies regarding attendance mean for my child.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 18% | 18% | 15% |
| Agree | 61% | 61% | 58% |
| Disagree | 11% | 10% | 15% |
| Strongly Disagree | 4% | 3% | 4% |
| I Don’t Know | 7% | 8% | 8% |
I understand what my district’s policies regarding assessments mean for my child.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 12% | 13% | 11% |
| Agree | 52% | 51% | 48% |
| Disagree | 20% | 19% | 22% |
| Strongly Disagree | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| I Don’t Know | 11% | 12% | 12% |
Communication from my child’s school leadership has been clear during the remote instruction period.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 27% | 19% | 18% |
| Agree | 51% | 52% | 49% |
| Disagree | 14% | 18% | 21% |
| Strongly Disagree | 6% | 8% | 8% |
| I Don’t Know | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Communication from my child’s district leadership has been clear during the remote instruction period.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 25% | 19% | 13% |
| Agree | 51% | 50% | 47% |
| Disagree | 15% | 18% | 24% |
| Strongly Disagree | 6% | 8% | 9% |
| I Don’t Know | 3% | 5% | 6% |
Adequate translation and/or interpretation was provided for important district-, school-, and classroom- level communications.
| Knox County | Waldo County | Lincoln County | |
| Strongly Agree | 8% | 6% | 6% |
| Agree | 30% | 34% | 31% |
| Disagree | 8% | 9% | 11% |
| Strongly Disagree | 3% | 4% | 4% |
| I Don’t Know | 52% | 47% | 47% |
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