Tuesday, the Vicksburg Daily News invited readers to weigh in on the question of whether schools should reopen in the coming weeks.
National and state leaders have advocated heavily to reopen schools on schedule with regular, face-to-face classes.
Many parents and others have been vocal on social media, saying that schools should not reopen in the face of a big surge in COVID-19 cases in many U.S. states, including Mississippi.
As of about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, 1,284 readers voted. Here are the results:
| Option | Votes | Percentage |
| Yes, schools should fully reopen | 171 | 13.32% |
| Yes, but only for virtual classes | 304 | 23.68% |
| Yes, schools should open with option to attend face-to-face or virtual classes | 354 | 27.57% |
| No, schools should not reopen right now | 455 | 35.44% |
| TOTAL | 1,284 | 100.00% |
As you can see, the one option that got the most votes, was “No, schools should not reopen right now.”
Taken together, however, about 65% of voters want schools reopened, but most of those want to see virtual classes, either completely or as an option.
About half the respondents voted for reopening, but with virtual classes.
A comment from reader Tecia Paeth-Alberts brought up an issue for many parents: “Yes it should be an option as they have it now,” she wrote.” For those who don’t want to send their kids, fine. But the special needs students depend on the face to face interaction and help to learn. Virtual school doesn’t work for them. They aren’t getting the help they need.”
A few people weighed in saying that they didn’t have the resources to keep their children at home indefinitely, even with the option of online classes.
The one option that garnered the fewest votes was “Yes, schools should fully reopen.”
Please note that this is a simple reader poll and only represents those people who responded. The Vicksburg Daily News does not represent it as a professional or scientific survey, and the results should not be misconstrued as such.