MIDCOAST — Teachers in the Midcoast counties of Knox, Waldo and Lincoln are likely to return to campus this fall, if their school district allows for in-person learning, despite area teachers being concerned for their health, and the health of their students, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey of educators conducted by the Maine Department of Education in July.

With health professionals stressing daily the importance of social distancing, the majority of Midcoast teachers either doubt or are uncertain if their school has the capacity to reduce classroom size and/or increase use of space to allow for adequate social distancing in the classroom this fall. 

While at least 40 percent of teachers in each of the three counties agreed their school had established, at the time of the survey, healthy hygiene practices for in-person instruction such as hand washing and disinfecting classroom surfaces, nearly 40 percent of teachers were uncertain if those protocols were established.

At least half of the teachers surveyed in each of the three Midcoast counties were unsure if their school had safety precautions for instruction, such as occupational therapy and physical management, involving physical contact.

Teachers in the area overwhelmingly doubt students will adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines such as wearing face masks, social distancing, avoiding physical contact with peers, and avoiding congregating in groups.

More than half of the area’s teachers noted in the survey they were unable to maintain strong relationships with their students during the spring’s remote instruction period that began in March and lasted until the end of the school year.

There were 344 educators in Knox County that responded to the survey, 286 in Waldo County and 269 in Lincoln County. Across the state, more than 9,700 educators responded to the DOE’s survey. 

 

Below are the full results, as reported by the Maine Department of Education, for the educator survey for Knox, Waldo and Lincoln Counties. 

If my district is open for in-person instruction in the fall, I am likely to return to school. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	44%	46%	45%
Agree	37%	36%	35%
Disagree	2%	6%	3%
Strongly Disagree	5%	3%	6%
I Don’t Know	12%	9%	11%

 

I understand (know where to go to obtain more information on) the recommended health and safety guidance. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	41%	44%	42%
Agree	48%	45%	48%
Disagree	5%	5%	5%
Strongly Disagree	2%	2%	2%
I Don’t Know	4%	5%	3%

 

I am concerned about my own health and safety if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	37%	43%	35%
Agree	39%	33%	36%
Disagree	16%	13%	16%
Strongly Disagree	7%	10%	10%
I Don’t Know	1%	1%	2%

 

I am concerned about my students’ health and safety if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	39%	49%	41%
Agree	42%	31%	40%
Disagree	13%	12%	13%
Strongly Disagree	5%	6%	5%
I Don’t Know	1%	2%	1%

 

My school has the capacity to reduce classroom size and/or increase use of space to allow for adequate social distancing if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	6%	6%	9%
Agree	18%	24%	20%
Disagree	25%	27%	21%
Strongly Disagree	22%	20%	22%
I Don’t Know	30%	23%	28%

 

My school has set healthy hygiene practices for typical classroom instruction, such as hand washing if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	15%	17%	15%
Agree	32%	30%	26%
Disagree	12%	13%	13%
Strongly Disagree	5%	3%	9%
I Don’t Know	36%	36%	36%

 

My school has set healthy hygiene practices for typical classroom instruction, such as cleaning and disinfecting classroom surfaces if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	15%	15%	14%
Agree	31%	29%	29%
Disagree	13%	13%	14%
Strongly Disagree	6%	4%	9%
I Don’t Know	39%	39%	34%

 

My school has safety precautions for instruction that involve physical contact (i.e., occupational therapy, physical management) if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	6%	9%	8%
Agree	20%	15%	17%
Disagree	13%	16%	14%
Strongly Disagree	5%	4%	10%
I Don’t Know	55%	56%	50%

 

My school has a plan for informing staff about healthy and safety protocols and expectations if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	17%	19%	14%
Agree	33%	38%	33%
Disagree	10%	7%	12%
Strongly Disagree	5%	4%	7%
I Don’t Know	35%	33%	33%

 

My school has a plan for informing families about health and safety protocols and expectations if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	16%	20%	13%
Agree	33%	38%	30%
Disagree	11%	7%	11%
Strongly Disagree	5%	3%	9%
I Don’t Know	35%	31%	36%

 

Students will be able to maintain new restrictions such as wearing face masks if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	3%	2%	6%
Agree	19%	20%	16%
Disagree	28%	28%	33%
Strongly Disagree	29%	26%	22%
I Don’t Know	20%	24%	23%

 

Students will be able to maintain new restrictions such as social distancing if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	3%	2%	6%
Agree	15%	15%	12%
Disagree	35%	31%	28%
Strongly Disagree	28%	29%	30%
I Don’t Know	20%	23%	24%

 

Students will be able to maintain new restrictions such as avoiding physical contact with peers if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	2%	1%	5%
Agree	12%	15%	11%
Disagree	38%	34%	30%
Strongly Disagree	29%	29%	31%
I Don’t Know	19%	20%	23%

 

Students will be able to maintain new restrictions such as avoiding congregating in groups if in-person instruction resumes in the fall. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	3%	2%	6%
Agree	15%	18%	14%
Disagree	35%	33%	30%
Strongly Disagree	28%	26%	26%
I Don’t Know	19%	21%	23%

 

My district has policies for communicating with students, including frequency and methods (ie phone call, video, email, or chat) during remote instruction. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	16%	15%	11%
Agree	45%	52%	49%
Disagree	21%	16%	18%
Strongly Disagree	6%	7%	7%
I Don’t Know	12%	11%	16%

 

I am satisfied with the level of communication between most of my students and me. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	14%	13%	14%
Agree	50%	47%	41%
Disagree	24%	31%	32%
Strongly Disagree	6%	6%	8%
I Don’t Know	7%	3%	5%

 

I am able to maintain strong relationships with most students during remote instruction. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	8%	9%	10%
Agree	34%	36%	35%
Disagree	40%	41%	38%
Strongly Disagree	12%	12%	13%
I Don’t Know	6%	2%	5%

 

I am able to maintain strong relationships with most parents in my school during remote instruction. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	7%	9%	13%
Agree	35%	35%	36%
Disagree	36%	41%	35%
Strongly Disagree	9%	9%	9%
I Don’t Know	12%	5%	8%

 

I am able to effectively engage most parents/guardians during remote instruction. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	9%	8%	9%
Agree	32%	37%	34%
Disagree	36%	37%	32%
Strongly Disagree	13%	13%	15%
I Don’t Know	10%	5%	9%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: Staff trained in trauma-informed care.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	14%	17%	22%
Agree	25%	20%	24%
Disagree	29%	30%	24$
Strongly Disagree	11%	11%	10%
I Don’t Know	21%	22%	20%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: Staff trained in supporting students with disabilities.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	32%	31%	38%
Agree	36%	33%	31%
Disagree	23%	26%	21%
Strongly Disagree	4%	2%	3%
I Don’t Know	5%	7%	6%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: Staff trained in supporting English learners.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	17%	17%	21%
Agree	14%	16%	12%
Disagree	23%	19%	20%
Strongly Disagree	16%	13%	12%
I Don’t Know	29%	34%	35%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: Staff trained in social-emotional supports.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	20%	17%	24%
Agree	33%	28%	28%
Disagree	32%	31%	34%
Strongly Disagree	8%	13%	7%
I Don’t Know	7%	12%	7%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: Staff trained in safety and well-being to monitor the status of students and families.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	17%	16%	20%
Agree	25%	23%	23%
Disagree	31%	31%	27%
Strongly Disagree	11%	15%	10%
I Don’t Know	16%	15%	21%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: School staff who work directly with community-based healthcare providers to support students.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	14%	11%	21%
Agree	16%	19%	20%
Disagree	22%	26%	17%
Strongly Disagree	9%	11%	7%
I Don’t Know	39%	34%	35%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: School staff who refer students to healthcare programs in the community.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	20%	16%	25%
Agree	20%	22%	18%
Disagree	21%	26%	21%
Strongly Disagree	8%	7%	8%
I Don’t Know	30%	29%	28%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: School staff who help families navigate their health insurance options.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	6%	4%	6%
Agree	5%	7%	7%
Disagree	13%	14%	10%
Strongly Disagree	17%	19%	18%
I Don’t Know	59%	56%	58%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: School counselors or similar school staff who provide mental health counseling sessions with students.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	27%	23%	29%
Agree	30%	32%	28%
Disagree	32%	31%	32%
Strongly Disagree	5%	5%	3%
I Don’t Know	7%	9%	8%

 

School district resource availability for students and families: A school nurse who provides healthcare appointments or virtual nursing hours for students.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	24%	23%	23%
Agree	13%	22%	15%
Disagree	12%	16%	11%
Strongly Disagree	14%	10%	15%
I Don’t Know	37%	29%	36%

 

Primary challenges related to COVID-19 school closures: Being aware of students’ needs. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	4%	4%	5%
Agree	39%	41%	43%
Disagree	43%	39%	30%
Strongly Disagree	14%	16%	13%

 

Primary challenges related to COVID-19 school closures: Being able to support students and families who have immigrant/refugee status or language needs. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	40%	33%	35%
Agree	36%	48%	46%
Disagree	13%	14%	12%
Strongly Disagree	12%	6%	8%

 

Primary challenges related to COVID-19 school closures: Being able to provide student mental health supports. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	11%	9%	11%
Agree	42%	46%	45%
Disagree	33%	32%	33%
Strongly Disagree	14%	12%	11%

 

Primary challenges related to COVID-19 school closures: Being able to differentiate mental health supports based on student needs and grade levels. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	14%	10%	13%
Agree	43%	43%	46%
Disagree	31%	36%	29%
Strongly Disagree	13%	11%	12%

 

Primary challenges related to COVID-19 school closures: Being able to connect with students and families.

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	4%	5%	3%
Agree	51%	48%	52%
Disagree	34%	39%	35%
Strongly Disagree	11%	8%	10%

 

Primary challenges related to COVID-19 school closures: Being able to connect students with support staff at the school level. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	17%	16%	16%
Agree	49%	52%	51%
Disagree	25%	23%	27%
Strongly Disagree	10%	8%	6%

 

Primary challenges related to COVID-19 school closures: Being able to connect students with support staff at the district level. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	14%	12%	11%
Agree	43%	51%	49%
Disagree	31%	28%	31%
Strongly Disagree	12%	9%	9%

 

Primary challenges related to COVID-19 school closures: Being able to access needed supports for higher need students/families. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	8%	7%	10%
Agree	51%	55%	49%
Disagree	29%	30%	31%
Strongly Disagree	12%	8%	11%

 

My district has policies regarding student-level accountability (e.g., testing, grading, report cards, and grade promotion) during remote instruction. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	5%	6%	5%
Agree	25%	34%	26%
Disagree	34%	32%	29%
Strongly Disagree	14%	13%	16%
I Don’t Know	22%	15%	23%

 

My district has policies or plans to address students not attending or not participating in class during remote instruction. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	6%	4%	2%
Agree	17%	19%	19%
Disagree	29%	35%	26%
Strongly Disagree	18%	16%	18%
I Don’t Know	31%	26%	35%

 

My school’s remote instruction expectations were manageable and realistic. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	11%	12%	11%
Agree	44%	49%	44%
Disagree	20%	22%	16%
Strongly Disagree	6%	5%	7%
I Don’t Know	19%	12%	21%

 

It was possible for families to support their child’s learning at home during remote instruction. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	3%	2%	3%
Agree	22%	19%	16%
Disagree	46%	49%	57%
Strongly Disagree	15%	20%	17%
I Don’t Know	15%	9%	7%

 

I was satisfied with the level of communication between teacher and parents. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	15%	13%	12%
Agree	49%	45%	47%
Disagree	26%	34%	27%
Strongly Disagree	4%	5%	6%
I Don’t Know	7%	3%	7%

 

I understand what my district’s policies regarding promotion and retention mean for my child. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	6%	7%	5%
Agree	32%	43$	40%
Disagree	24%	20%	20%
Strongly Disagree	9%	10%	8%
I Don’t Know	29%	19%	27%

 

I understand what my district’s policies regarding grading and report cards mean for my child. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	7%	8%	6%
Agree	31%	38%	36%
Disagree	26%	23%	22%
Strongly Disagree	11%	11%	9%
I Don’t Know	26%	20%	26%

 

I understand what my district’s policies regarding attendance mean for my child. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	5%	5%	4%
Agree	25%	27%	29%
Disagree	29%	31%	24%
Strongly Disagree	13%	14%	14%
I Don’t Know	28%	24%	28%

 

I understand what my district’s policies regarding assessments mean for my child. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	6%	8%	5%
Agree	26%	28%	27%
Disagree	28%	26%	26%
Strongly Disagree	13%	14%	13%
I Don’t Know	28%	24%	29%

 

Communication from my school leadership has been clear during the remote instruction period. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	17%	17%	19%
Agree	52%	48%	47%
Disagree	22%	35%	22%
Strongly Disagree	7%	7%	9%
I Don’t Know	1%	2%	3%

 

Communication from my district leadership has been clear during the remote instruction period. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	16%	16%	10%
Agree	48%	53%	40%
Disagree	22%	23%	34%
Strongly Disagree	10%	7%	11%
I Don’t Know	4%	2%	6%

 

Adequate translation and/or interpretation was provided for important district-, school, and classroom- level communications. 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Strongly Agree	2%	2%	3%
Agree	9%	14%	12%
Disagree	15%	16%	12%
Strongly Disagree	16%	14%	12%
I Don’t Know	58%	54%	60%

 

Who helps students access assistance with housing while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19? 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Classroom teachers	1%	3%	3%
District staff	8%	8%	10%
I don’t know	62%	61%	51%
Individuals outside school/district	10%	12%	12%
Other school staff	11%	8%	16%
Service unavailable	8%	10%	9%

 

Who helps students access assistance with legal matters (i.e, court issues) while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19? 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Classroom teachers	1%	2%	2%
District staff	4%	5%	6%
I don’t know	70%	69%	64%
Individuals outside school/district	9%	9%	11%
Other school staff	8%	6%	8%
Service unavailable	7%	9%	9%

 

Who helps students access assistance with obtaining food (e.g., food pantry) while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19? 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Classroom teachers	10%	15%	16%
District staff	28%	34%	23%
I don’t know	16%	8%	10%
Individuals outside school/district	12%	12%	16%
Other school staff	31%	30%	35%
Service unavailable	2%	1%	1%

 

Who helps students access English Learner supports while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19? 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Classroom teachers	17%	15%	19%
District staff	11%	15%	12%
I don’t know	43%	41%	41%
Individuals outside school/district	4%	6%	3%
Other school staff	20%	20%	21%
Service unavailable	6%	3%	4%

 

Who helps students access healthcare appointments, telehealth or virtual nursing while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19? 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Classroom teachers	1%	2%	5%
District staff	4%	6%	7%
I don’t know	66%	62%	53%
Individuals outside school/district	10%	13%	14%
Other school staff	11%	10%	12%
Service unavailable	7%	8%	10%

 

Who helps students access mental health counseling while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19? 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Classroom teachers	11%	12%	16%
District staff	15%	16%	15%
I don’t know	23%	18%	16%
Individuals outside school/district	13%	18%	15%
Other school staff	34%	32%	37%
Service unavailable	4%	3%	2%

 

Who helps students access social-emotional supports outside of counseling while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19? 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Classroom teachers	24%	22%	26%
District staff	13%	14%	13%
I don’t know	20%	19%	17%
Individuals outside school/district	9%	14%	9%
Other school staff	30%	28%	33%
Service unavailable	3%	3%	2%

 

Who helps students access special education supports while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19? 

	Knox County	Waldo County	Lincoln County
Classroom teachers	34%	33%	37%
District staff	14%	17%	12%
I don’t know	9%	8%	7%
Individuals outside school/district	4%	5%	4%
Other school staff	36%	36%	38%
Service unavailable	3%	1%	2%