By Canadian Press

Many parents nervous about return of school, plan to send kids anyway: poll

Aug 18, 2020 | 2:05 AM

OTTAWA — A new poll suggests the majority of Canadian parents plan to send their kids back to school in the fall, but would want classes cancelled if there is a new COVID-19 outbreak in their community.

The online poll by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies is the latest to take parents’ temperature about the pending return of classes during the pandemic.

Two-thirds of parents surveyed said they were worried about children returning to school at the end of the summer, with only 31 per cent saying they were not.

And while 63 per cent of parents said they planned to send their kids to school this fall, 69 per cent felt all classes should be suspended if there is a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in their community.

The poll also found strong support among parents for requiring certain measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 at schools, including making students, teachers and staff wear masks.

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The Leger online poll of 1,510 Canadians over age 18 — including 385 parents with school-aged children — took place Aug. 14 to 16. The poll cannot be given a margin of error because it is not a random sample.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2020.

The Canadian Press