Satisfaction is high among students attending Keewatin-Patricia District School Board high schools.
The results of a recent survey evaluating in-person instruction has been released and 60.6% of students said they feel safe with all of the COVID-19 regulations.
When asked if any procedures needed to be altered, 77.5 % of respondents said no.
Those who wanted to see changes called for more strict rules on masks, enhanced physical distancing and a staggered release of classes.
An encouraging finding was 70.6% of students stated they knew how to access mental health resources in their school.
A total of 386 students from across the board participated in the survey.
A second poll shows that most high school kids aren’t too keen on learning from home.
Only 21.8% of respondents said they like online instruction, while 24.8% don’t like it.
53.6% don’t mind it.
When asked if they felt disconnected from their peers who are learning in person, 53.4% said yes or sometimes.
Only 28% of students said they would continue virtual learning if COVID-19 wasn’t a concern right now.
A total of 101 students participated in this survey.
The initiative was led by student trustees Emma Gardner and Ethan Belrose.
Survey results:
In-Person Learning Responses
School (388 responses)
Beaver Brae Secondary: 33.2%
Dryden High School: 26.7%
Sioux North High School: 18.1%
Red Lake District High School: 15%
Ignace Secondary School: 7%
Grade (388 responses)
Grade 12: 27.3%
Grade 9: 26.5%
Grade 11: 24%
Grade 10: 21.6^
Questions
Do you feel safe with all of the COVID regulations? (masks, distancing, cohorts by grade)
Yes: 60.6%
Kind Of: 34.2%
No: NA
Is there anything you’d like changed about procedures?
No: 77.5%
Yes: 24.6%
Suggestions/comments from students include:
-Ensure desks are 2 meters apart
-While COVID spikes are occurring we should not be in school.
-More strict rules on masks
-Social distancing (even when students are outside)
-Be even more strict with who uses the cohort doors
-Staggered release of classes rather than let students all out at the same time (for lunches and end of school)
How do you feel about quadmesters; which results in condensed learning?
No preference: 45.5%
I like them, keep them please: 40.3%
I hate them, get rid of them please
Would you like to have rotating classes? (Class A in the morning and class B in the afternoon, and the next day class B in the morning and class A in the afternoon.)
No: 58.8%
Yes: 41.2%
Do you think break times are long enough?
No: 59.5%
Yes: 40.5%
What are your thoughts towards lunch time break in class, if any?
Common responses/comments from students include:
-Open cafeterias
-Let students back inside during the lunch hour when they leave the school to get lunch
-Liked having the option to stay or leave for lunch
Do you currently have access to your lockers?
No: 78.3%
Yes: 21.7%
If you do not have access, would you like to have the use of lockers?
Yes: 51.6%
No preference: 35.4%
No: 13.1%
If you answered yes to the question above, how would you set up the use of lockers while remaining socially distant?
Suggestions from students for safe locker use include:
-Using every second or third locker only
-Staggered schedule by cohort
-Assign certain areas to certain grades/cohorts
-Only assign lockers to students who want them to allow for them to be more spaced out
Do you know where and how to access mental health resources in your school?
Yes: 78.6%
No: 29.4%
Other comments and suggestions from students:
-During colder winter months, allow students to come in from breaks/lunch early.
-Open the doors of schools earlier in the morning
-Open school gyms during the lunch hour to allow for more physical activity
-Use of gyms after school for sports
-Alternating breaks by grade
-Mask breaks during the day
Online Learning Survey Responses
Grade (101 responses)
Grade 12: 30.7%
Grade 11: 30.7%
Grade 9: 22.8%
Grade 10: 15.8%
Questions
How do you feel about online learning?
I don’t mind it: 53.5%
I don’t like it: 24.8%
I like it!: 21.8%
Is there anything we can improve with online learning?
No: 76.5%
Yes: 23.5%
If yes, what would you improve, or like to see changed?
Suggestions/comments from students include:
-Clearer explanations from teachers, this is a new environment, and some students may need more time and attention
-Provide more extra help
-Give a wider selection of classes
-More training for teachers on using technology (examples given were audio issues etc.)
Do you feel disconnected from your peers who are learning in person?
No: 46.5%
Sometimes: 27.7%
Yes: 25.7%
What would make you feel less disconnected?
Suggestions/comments from students include:
-Being back in the physical school
-More opportunities to get to know classmates both formally (group projects etc.) and informally
Would you stay in online learning if COVID wasn’t an as present concern? (If there was a guaranteed safe return to school would you want to go back or would you want to stay in online learning?)
Maybe: 37%
No: 35%
Yes: 28%
Are you getting the help you need with online schooling? (ie, tutors, extra help)
Of 102 responses to this question, 50 students indicated they are getting the help that they need with another 11 students indicating that they get the help they need sometimes. 25 students indicated they do not feel they are getting the help they need. Some students also indicated that they have not needed any help and others responded that they were unsure.
What do you have the most trouble with online learning?
Comments from students include:
-Trying to focus/stay motivated/concentrating
-Not having as much one on one time
-Not being able to ask classmates for help
-Heavy workload
-Technical difficulties
-Internet/connectivity issues
What do you like about online learning?
Comments from students include:
-Being at home in their own spaces
-Less stressful (don’t have to talk or be seen, lessens some social issues for students)
-Some flexibility in the day, working at your own pace
-More time for work, less distractions
-Can pause and replay/revisit recorded lessons
-Some students felt online learning had improved their mental health
Do you know where and how to access mental health resources through the virtual school?
No: 59.8%
Yes: 40.2%
Other comments and suggestions from students:
-Some students indicated that they would like to move to in-person learning but their parents still want them in remote learning
