Classroom Confessionals: ‘While teaching remotely is NO easy feat; I think that is presently the best option.'

SAN ANTONIO – The upcoming school year is around the corner and parents, educators and students are still voicing concerns about the potential effects of the coronavirus pandemic on an in-classroom setting.

KSAT viewers have been sharing their thoughts virtually for several weeks in regard to the 2020-2021 school year and the messages are more divisive than ever. Teachers have weighed in with conflicting views about whether in-classroom learning is the best option.

Some of the viewer responses sent to KSAT have been listed below. Do you have an opinion you’d like to share? If so, fill out the prompt under the responses and you could see your opinion published in our next Classroom Confessional article. Find other confessionals here.

Find more background information about where things currently stand with the Texas education system and the latest education news in our back to school section here.

RELATED: Metro Health issues updated guidance for public, private schools on how, when to reopen classrooms in San Antonio

We may publish your thoughts on our website or feature them on our newscasts, but you can remain anonymous if you wish.

Background: Face-to-face instruction will not be allowed in Bexar County Schools until after Sept. 7 due to a directive issued by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District in July.

Most local schools are set to start the academic year in the next several weeks, however, teachers and parents are still concerned about the safety of students and faculty and how best to provide a productive learning environment.

CDC recommendations for in-classroom learning, in addition to wearing masks, include, spreading out desks, staggering schedules, eating meals in classrooms instead of cafeterias and adding physical barriers in certain areas.

Several San Antonio-area school districts recently shared their plans for cafeteria safety during the upcoming school year and it’s not just the classrooms that will look different when students go back to school in person.

While the Texas Education Agency has given school boards the final say regarding the reopening of campuses for in-person learning through the first eight weeks of school, some parents are researching Texas homeschooling laws.

The Texas Homeschool Coalition recently compiled a list of commonly asked questions to help parents who have chosen this route instead of opting to allow their children to return to classrooms.

One of the worries expressed to KSAT from a parent was what happens if a teacher or student dies from COVID-19?

KSAT reached out to several school districts who shared their plans for just such an event after three San Antonio-area faculty members passed away in recent weeks due to COVID-19 complications.

The replies were similar, with every district spokesperson who responded stating that districts would follow the same procedures already in place for any student or teacher death. All district spokespersons said counselors would be provided and available for staff and students if the death of a student or staff member occurs.
• None San Antonio teacher writes will ahead of school year ‘in the event I pass away’ of COVID-19
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• None Classroom Confessionals: How San Antonio-area parents, educators feel about sending kids to classrooms