SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- After teaching their children at home for most 2020-21 school years, Rob Seger and Melissa Seger sent their oldest daughter back to school last spring.
Rob Seger, a cancer survivor who also has epilepsy and was already fully immunized. School employees, students, and educators were all wearing masks. The Deseret News reported that students, educators, and other school employees were wearing masks at school.
They decided to keep their twin girls, who were in kindergarten at the time, home for the rest of the school year. Melissa Seger stated that the girls had been receiving their instruction via Skype and that it was going well. Melissa Seger said that there wasn't any reason to change their routine given only a few months to go in the school year.
It didn't feel like it at first, and most Utah students attended school in person most of the year, with remote learning one to two days per week depending on which school district or charter school, the Segers' decision not to have their kindergartners learn from home, despite the fact that they had the option to attend in person, was closer to what parents do nationally.
According to Tuesday's American Family Survey, more than half of those whose children didn't attend school in person opted not to return to school if they had the choice. The survey revealed that more than six in ten Democrats and just under half the Republicans were affected.
The American Family Survey is now in its seventh consecutive year. It was conducted jointly by the Deseret News and BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy. This is an annual, nationally representative survey that examines how families cope with current events. YouGov, a global data and public opinion company, conducted the survey of 3,000 adults from June 25 to July 8. This was just before the COVID-19 Delta variant became widely known and before the start of the current schoolyear. The margin of error in the survey is +/- 2 percentage points.
It was about "sticking with the things that work" rather than changing them up, as what we learn might differ from what they are learning at school. And it might just be overwhelming, said Melissa Seger.
Nearly 20% of parents who were surveyed reported that their children's learning and grades suffered in the aftermath of the pandemic. Nearly one-third also reported learning declines.
Charlie and Kimi Bradley have had their children move from in-person learning towards remote learning since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the numbers of cases rose and fell, public health guidance was developed.
