Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - As Buffalo and Western New York continue to emerge from a coronavirus lockdown, perhaps one of the most stressful thoughts for students and parents is what returning to school will look like. How will it be safe and what contingencies will be in place?
Parents in Buffalo schools will now have the opportunity to participate in a pair of surveys regarding the COVID19 response and the reopening of school buildings.
The surveys come from Buffalo Public Schools and the Governor's Reimagine Education Council.
Sam Radford of the Buffalo Parents Resource Council says he's pleased to see a call for parental input. "Parent voices are utlimately going to be very imporant in terms of whether parents feel comfortable sending their children back to school, what conditions under which they'd feel comfortable sending children back to school. Historically, we've seen a lot of decisions made without parent input. Now, the question is the method they're using going to get to the vast majority of parents," says Radford. He notes there should be more than a digital survey, with some surveys being conducted by phone as a result of the digitial divide.
Radford hopes the input will be used. "Based on the activism we see right now, I think if they do something other than what parents think are best for their children, parents are going to challenge that," says Radford. Radford is urging parents to take part in the surveys.
Radford wants safety to take top priority. "If you cannot ensure the safety of children and staff in that building, it's a non-starter. But if you can ensure everybody's safety, it's important to get back to school," notes Radford.
Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore has a low opinion of the governor's survey. "I think it's one sided, designed to get a specific answer and it's superficial," says Rumore. "One question they should be asking is do they not want any kind of distance learning. They don't have that as a possibility, they have classroom blended with distance learning, but they don't have just in the classroom as a possibilty."
One question does have a choice calling for a return to schools with safety and health protocols in place. "I think it could be clearer. I think if the question is do you want to return without distance learning with safety and health conditions," responds Rumore. "It doesn't give the option I don't want distance learning, I want real face to face learning." Rumore says how do you know unless you know what the reopening plan is.
Regarding the Buffalo Public Schools survey, Rumore wants all responses public. "Especially the ones where to what extent have you felt supported by Buffalo Public Schools, I'd like the answers made public. They could have started sooner with surveys, not wait until it's just about over. I think the most important thing to look for is safety, and the most critical thing for me is to develop a plan with all participants actively involved, and before it's enacted, you have to get it out to everyone for their input and make their input is taken into consideration," says Rumore.