building a better bay area

Here's why some families are hesitant to send kids back for in-person learning

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Here's why some families are hesitant about in-person learning

Lydia Krooss, a third grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School in Redwood City, explains how families are hesitant to return to in-person learning.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- Education is a key pillar in our efforts to Build a Better Bay Area. For months we've been hearing from parents who are eager to get their kids back to in-person learning.

However, ABC7 News Anchor Ama Daetz recently had a conversation with a local teacher who says in her experience, that just isn't the case.

Lydia Krooss teaches third grade at Roosevelt Elementary School in Redwood City. She returned to class for in-person learning back in January and says it's not as simple as all the families wanting kids back in class, and all the teachers and districts resisting in-person learning. She's noticed much of the hesitation to return kids to class has been from parents.

"I have a lot of families who are still, the majority of families honestly, who are still choosing to keep their kids in distance learning even when in-person learning has been an option now for two months at my school," said Krooss.

She explains why it is that families continue to hesitate.

"I think safety is still the biggest concern," said Krooss. "A lot of families talk about wanting their children vaccinated before they return to the classroom. Also, the school district did a really good job with our distance learning in the fall and really put a lot of time and training and money into creating a pretty robust program there, and so some families say their children are doing fine."

Krooss says she's also seeing a pattern in which kids are returning and which are choosing to stay in distance learning.

"In my specific situation, a lot of the families who have returned have been the ones with more means," said Krooss.

Krooss has kids in the classroom for three hours in the afternoon. While she's been back with students since January, some of her colleagues at Roosevelt have been back with students since November. So she points out, it's not just private schools that have been open for some time.

See more stories and videos about Building a Better Bay Area here.

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