While Hancock College Prep administration and staff cannot make a decision about how our school should handle this situation independently from our school district, the Signature wanted to give students the opportunity to express their views at a school level.
Over 160 students from all grade levels responded to the survey during homeroom check-in on Tuesday, January 4.
This is how students responded to the question, “If it were up to you, should Hancock switch to remote learning now?”
The 50% of Hancock students who responded “yes” referred to the high number of COVID-19 cases as well as current student and staff absences. On Monday, Hancock’s student attendance was 68.8%. Attendance data was not available yet for Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
As of the end of the school day on Tuesday, 60 Hancock students were learning remotely due to COVID-19.
This is how long the 50% of students who said "yes" suggested for staying remote:
The 28% of students who responded “no” to going remote many students mentioned the negative experiences with remote learning last year: the struggle to stay engaged, the social isolation, the stress.
The 22% of students who said Hancock should go remote “only if” explained their decision this way:
Other students used the opportunity to express how Hancock should deal with the COVID-19 situation:
“Hancock–and CPS in general–should prioritize the health of their workers and students. The numbers are quickly rising and having large classes isn’t helping these numbers decrease.” –Lizbeth
“I’ve heard many classmates talking about ‘slowing down’ the return to school after winter break by first going remote to give time to those recovering from COVID-19 or potential exposure. I couldn’t agree more, especially after seeing all the empty seats in school.”–Dana
“I feel like the school is doing a really good job keeping everyone safe and distanced. Although it’s frustrating to comply with these rules, it’s truly just to keep all students safe.” –Shai
“Hancock should work better to enforce current social distancing and mask policies–especially mask policies. I have seen students and teachers alike wearing their masks incorrectly outside of lunch periods.” –Connor
“We need improved contract tracing procedures to track those with a case of COVID-19 symptoms.”–Marvin
“Hancock can deal with the current situation by enforcing more distancing rules during Academic Lab. COVID-19 wouldn’t affect us as much if everyone were vaccinated.” –Sofia
“Those who are scared of or susceptible to COVID-19 should be allowed to switch to a remote environment, but this should not be forced on those who don’t want it.” –Billy