Poll: Most Americans don't want schools to reopen

US President Donald Trump said he is "comfortable" with sending his son Barron and his grandchildren to school in the fall, and Vice-President Mike Pence said he "wouldn't hesitate" to send his own children back to the classroom if they were still school-aged, despite the rise in novel coronavirus infections in many parts of the country.

But the vast majority of Americans say they wouldn't send their children back to the classroom, according to a poll released Thursday by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs at the University of Chicago.

Roughly 3 in 10 say that teaching children in classrooms shouldn't happen at all. A majority of respondents, 56 percent, say they are very or extremely concerned that reopening schools will lead to additional infections in their communities; 24 percent are somewhat concerned.

Only about 1 in 10 believe daycare centers, preschools or K-12 schools should open this fall without restrictions, according to the poll, but most respondents believe mask requirements and other safety measures are necessary to restart in-person instruction.

The poll of 1,057 adults was conducted July 18-20. The sampling margin of error for all respondents was plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

Trump said Wednesday that "I would like to see the schools open" and that he would be "comfortable" with his son and grandchildren in school this fall. But on Thursday it was announced that the private school in Potomac, Maryland, attended by his 14-year-old son won't fully reopen in September out of virus concerns.

"We know to open up America again we need to open up America's schools, but it's also right on the facts," said Pence during a discussion Tuesday in South Carolina with state leaders about reopening.

Pence said the risk to children of getting COVID-19 is low while there are "real costs" to students not being in the classroom. The Pences have three adult children.

Many of the nation's largest school districts — including New York and Los Angeles — have announced that they will be entirely virtual in the fall or use a hybrid model that has children in classrooms only a couple of days a week.

On Wednesday, the public school system in Washington state's King County, which includes Seattle, said it is scrapping plans to bring students back into school buildings in the fall and that classes will be held remotely.

The decision cited current countywide virus transmission rates as a factor in the decision. The plans affect more than 150,000 children.

Trump sees the reopening of schools this fall as central to America's economic recovery and getting parents back to work. The Trump administration has also argued that it isn't just about academics. Students need access to meal programs and mental health services, it said.

The nation's 13,000 school districts are all under local control. To entice them to open, the White House is pushing Congress to tie tens of billions of dollars in the next relief act to new federal aid to schools that restart in-person education, despite an increase in coronavirus cases in many states.

Senate Republicans are proposing $70 billion for K-12 schools as part of the pandemic relief package, and Senator Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, said half of that would be reserved for schools that are "going back to a traditional school setting" as opposed to distance-learning only. He said that is because operating in person creates new expenses.

The AP-NORC poll finds 8 percent of Americans say K-12 schools should open for normal in-person instruction. Fourteen percent think they can reopen with minor adjustments, while 46 percent says major adjustments are needed. Another 31 percent think instruction should not be in person this fall. It's little different among the parents of school-age children.

The poll also shows Americans feel the same about colleges and universities reopening this fall.

The poll finds about half of parents saying they are at least somewhat concerned about their child losing services like school lunches or counseling because of the pandemic.

More say they are worried about their child falling behind academically: 55 percent are very concerned, with another 21 percent somewhat concerned.

A majority of parents, 65 percent, are at least somewhat concerned about their own ability to juggle responsibilities.

The poll's respondents showed little confidence in Trump's handling of education issues. Only 36 percent say they approve of Trump's performance, while 63 percent disapprove.