The debate over how to move forward with K-12 schooling is growing more heated as back-to-school season nears, with teachers resisting the push to reenter the classroom so long as COVID-19 remains a risk and others, such as President Trump, calling for reopening this fall. While the spring semester required a fast reaction to an unexpected crisis, education leaders have had months this summer to prepare for the upcoming school year. Yet despite this head start, uncertainty and confusion seem to still abound.

Meanwhile, parents are stuck very much between a rock and a hard place on the question of school reopening. Over the course of eight weeks, on behalf of the National Parents Union and the American Enterprise Institute, I conducted a survey of 4,000 parents of K-12 students across the United States to find out just how they felt about the effect of COVID-19 on their children’s educations and what it would take for them to feel safe sending their children back to school.