Over recent months, students across the United States have had their education disrupted in an unprecedented move to close all learning facilities. This came after the coronavirus outbreak, which resulted in businesses and facilities around the country having to be closed down in order to protect public health and cut the rate of infection.

For many kids, this has meant studying from home and relying on internet technology in order to keep on track with their studies. However, because of the facilities students have access to at home coupled with varying commitment levels from students, this could mean that some students will fall further behind others.

A recent study was carried out by OneClass, and this showed that the vast majority of parents are eager to see their kids return to the classroom this fall. However, most only want this to happen as long as social distancing measures are put into place. Many parents are concerned about their kids falling behind with their education, as this could impact their futures in many ways.

What Parents Think - The Results of the Study

As part of the study, 6050 parents of university and college students were polled about their thoughts and opinions on their kids returning to the classroom. Surprisingly, more than 80 percent wanted their kids back in the classroom by the fall, but this was only under the condition that social distancing measures were in place. For some schools and universities, this could prove very challenging due to lack of classroom space and facilities.

A further 6.7 percent said that kids should be allowed to go back to the classroom for the start of the academic year in the fall, but that they should have a choice as to whether to return rather than being made to return. Again, while this is something that parents have suggested, it could result in the gap between students' educational achievements widening, as some students would return to education earlier than others.

There were also parents who were not keen to see their kids return to the classroom just yet. The study showed that just over 5 percent of parents wanted their kids to wait until 2021 before going back to university or college, preferring them to continue using online learning tools from home for the remainder of this year.

Finally, close to 8 percent of parents logged NA as their response and said that social distancing would no longer be necessary by the fall. Of course, this remains to be seen and will depend heavily on infection rates across the country.

Huge Disruption for Students

Even if students do return to the classroom in the fall, one thing is clear - the disruption has already taken its toll in terms of their education. Many students will have to be far more committed to their studies in order to catch up, and for many it will be difficult to get used to new socially distanced classrooms.