Educators say health and safety issues are their biggest concerns heading into the next school year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results of a statewide poll of more than 4,200 educators recently conducted by ATPE.

Just over 72% of the respondents identified themselves as current classroom teachers. The rest included administrators, counselors, librarians, diagnosticians, support staff, and other school employees.

More than 63% of those surveyed said they were concerned over the health and safety of students heading into the 2020-21 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Just over 60% said they were concerned about their own health and safety. Roughly 45% voiced concern over student learning gaps and learning loss, and 35% listed increased workloads and demands on their time.

"Ever since campuses closed, Texas educators have expressed to ATPE and each other their concern for students’ welfare, both in terms of their health and safety and educational opportunity,” ATPE Executive Director Shannon Holmes said in a press release accompanying the poll results. "Public education is headed into uncharted waters as schools deal with the complexities related to student and educator safety as well as the rising challenges that come with educating a diverse student population with varying needs."

Policymakers are wrestling with how to address the unique challenges placed on the public education system by the deadly coronavirus pandemic at a time when the economic recession has severely curtailed the amount of revenue that will be available to schools. It's more important than ever for educators' voices to be a part of that conversation.

As state legislators and the staff at the Texas Education Agency are weighing questions about how to allocate state and federal funding, local school districts are facing tough decisions about how best to deliver education services in the upcoming school year in a way that minimizes the spread of COVID-19. The results of the ATPE poll indicate educators' top concern by far revolves around an educational environment that protects the health of students, faculty, and staff.

"There are no easy solutions here, but ATPE stands behind our state’s educators as they tackle these challenges head-on," Holmes said. "It is imperative that we listen closely to their needs, concerns, an experiences as we head into the new school year, however it may look."

Read more about the poll in this blog post on atpe.org.