Students and educators: Tell us about your year learning or teaching behind a mask

Candace Washington poses in front of children playing at the playground at Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Chicago in May. (Youngrae Kim for Chalkbeat)

During the coronavirus pandemic, masks became as familiar a sight in schools as lunchboxes and backpacks. And while the CDC recently advised vaccinated Americans that they can stop wearing masks indoors, the agency has recommended that masks be worn in school until at least the end of this school year — and possibly beyond.

As the 2020-2021 school year draws to a close, Chalkbeat wants to look back on how face coverings changed the nature of schooling. And we need your help. Please fill out the survey below to tell us whether your experience as a teacher or students was markedly changed by wearing a mask as a teacher or student, how you adapted, and how you will potentially face entering another school year in a mask. 

We would love to hear from students and teachers whose experiences were strongly affected by wearing a mask, such as English language learners, students with disabilities and their teachers, young readers, or early literacy coaches.

We’ll use these responses to inform our reporting and tell stories that reflect on this challenging year.

If you are having trouble viewing this form on mobile, go here.

The Latest

MSCS leaders recommended combining Lucy Elementary School with Woodstock Middle to fill more seats. But parents worry about safety issues caused by big student age gaps.

The ILEA will select its final recommendations for changing how local public schools are run to state lawmakers in a Dec. 17 vote.

The Board of Education will vote later this month on whether to sell the former Bontemps, Henson, and Shedd elementary schools.

Board members said the company recommended by MSCS leaders has a history of poor service. It’s not the first time custodian contracts have caused issues.

Zohran Mamdani received the highest number of donations from DOE employees in 23 years, despite his thin education agenda.

State Superintendent Tony Sanders says the state board will provide more time for feedback on changes to the accountability system that labels schools based on student metrics. The new timeline includes more public feedback opportunities and delays a final vote by the state board to April.