worried about back to school? so are canada's doctors

worried about the safety of sending the kids back to school? so are canada’s doctors.according to a survey done by healthing in collaboration with figure 1, a toronto-based medical education app, heading back to school has medical professionals feeling “worried” and “waiting for more data,” and others straight up opting for the safety of virtual learning. eighty-one canadian doctors, residents, and physician assistants shared whether or not they would be sending their children back to school this september, and how they made their decision. here’s what they told us.

are you sending your children back to school?

twenty-five per cent (21 respondents) said yes, they would be sending their kids back to school, while 18 per cent said no, they were opting for online learning. in the middle were those who said that although they would likely send their children back — 39 per cent (32 respondents) — they are worried about safety, and sixteen per cent (15 respondents) said they were waiting for more data.

what’s influencing your decision?

“no cases in my community.”“there are no reported cases within 700 km of our community. no new cases in our province in a week.”“i need them to, so i can work”“going to grandparents after school during weekdays.”“my immediate family members are not high-risk. my child is younger (6 years old). we will be stopping visits with grandparents.”“i think it is safe and beneficial for my children to return to school. school attendance is also mandatory in my province.”“no choice in quebec if kids or parent do not fit vulnerability criteria”“i think with social distancing, wearing masks, using hand sanitizer, circulating fresh air better than to stay home for another one year or more and the negative consequences that they obtain such as isolation, addiction on screen, no activities or interaction with other children.”“low number of cases in the community, very effective testing and tracing and community compliance with hand washing, physical distance and mask wearing.”“low incidence of virus in our community and safety protocols in place”“the catastrophic economic and psychosocial/developmental consequences of social isolation on school-going children is a burden we cannot afford.”“children need to be in the classroom as online tends to be more difficult for them to learn”“need for socialization, live education”“my kids need for social interaction, and work obligations”“risk-benefit ratio in favour of returning to school”“both parents work and low prevalence in our community”“their social development and marks took a beating at home.”“i am choosing distance learning for the first few weeks until i see what will happen to the number of cases”“i perceive that current transmission and prevalence rates in my community are low. however, i’m not convinced the government, school boards and schools are doing enough yet to reduce the risk of frequent and severe outbreaks. should improved protocols be put in place, i really do want children to be in school.”“i’m waiting for the vaccine to come asap.”“there is no way of guaranteeing my kids won’t contract it from school and bring it home.”“the fear of catching covid-19 infection in the school.”“potential spread to adults/elderly and or immunocompromised.”“data from us showed an increase in new cases after opening the school.”“safety of the teachers, kids, and people in out bubble.”“safety of my children.”“already exposed to kids at camp and parks.”“following alberta rules and i trust my kids to follow the safety protocols the only things i worried about day temperatures check in the front area.”“masks, cohorting. i worry about distancing, e.g., at lunchtimes, in hallways.”“covid is worsening.”

what grade level are your children in?

across nearly all grade levels, the majority of parents said they would “probably” send their children to school but would worry about their safety. the only exception were parents of primary school-aged children, of which 15 out of 43 parents of elementary school-aged children said, “yes, i think it’s safe.”early education (nursery, preschool, etc.) (11 responses)
primary (grades 1 – 5) (43 responses)
middle (grades 6 – 9) (31 responses)
secondary (grades 9 – 12) (23 responses)
post-secondary (8 responses)*survey participants chose all grade levels that apply to all their children so responses are greater than the number of participants.

how will your children receive education?

of the 19 parents who had children in private schools, eight said they felt safe sending their kids to school. four other private school parents said they would send their kids to school but still worried for their safety, while another four said they would wait to see. only one parent of a private school student reported, “no, i do not think it’s safe yet.” in comparison, out of 55 parents with children in public schools, only 12 said they felt safe sending their children to school.the majority, 27 respondents, said they would “probably” send their kids back, but they were still worried about their health. six said they would continue to wait and watch the data, while 10 parents straight up said, “no.” one physician parent who plans to have their child tutored cited the “lack of open-mindedness in the public school system,” as well as a belief that safety protocols are inadequate as the deciding factors. public school (in-person) (38 responses)
public school (virtual learning) (17 responses)
private school (in-person) (17 responses)
private school (virtual learning) (2 responses)
homeschooled (6 responses)
tutored (1 response)

what province/territory are you located in?

british columbia (8 responses)
alberta (12 responses)
manitoba (2 responses)
saskatchewan (1 response)
ontario (50 responses)
quebec (7 responses)
newfoundland & labrador (1 response)don’t miss the latest on covid-19, reopening and life. subscribe to healthing’s daily newsletter coming out of covid.