LOS ANGELES, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The majority of teachers in the U.S. state of Arizona said schools should reopen only after public health experts have determined it is safe, according to a survey by the Arizona Education Association (AEA).
The teachers said they doubted their school districts were ready to welcome students and staff back in a safe manner and disagreed with reopening schools despite the surge of COVID-19 cases, reported Azfamily.com on Thursday.
The survey, conducted on 7,651 teachers, reflected the fears of educators about teaching in person during a pandemic as 65 percent said their school district is not prepared and ready to reopen, according to the report.
Arizona is one of the four states that coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force Deborah Birx said on Wednesday should reimpose strict restrictions on the public because of the surging coronavirus infections.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said this week that rather than open public schools in early August as usual, the first day of the academic year will be, at the earliest, Aug. 17. He said officials would continue to evaluate the date as conditions unfold.
According to the survey, 73 percent of teachers said there are not enough staff members and resources for school cleaning, food service, and bus schedules, while 72 percent said there are not enough teachers to reopen schools under CDC guidelines and protocols.
"We have a majority of educators that feel online learning is what we need to do right now and distance learning is what we need to do right now because it is the safest," Joe Thomas, a social studies teacher from Arizona was quoted as saying.
"I just don't see schools being open to any in-person learning in the first nine weeks," he said.
Moreover, the survey found nine in 10 respondents expressed concerns that students and their families could be infected by the disease, while 93 percent were concerned about their colleagues and 88 percent were worried about their own health.
Educators in the state also voiced concerns about online instruction, including the need for training, software and computers. Meanwhile, they questioned who will foot the bill for these additional resources.
The online survey was conducted on June 30. Enditem
