Most Americans expect schools to reopen in the fall, but a stunning number of teachers and students may not be there.

In an exclusive USA TODAY/Ipsos poll, 1 in 5 teachers say they are unlikely to go back to school if their classrooms reopen in the fall, a potential massive wave of resignations. Though most teachers report working more than usual, nearly two-thirds say they haven’t been able to properly do their jobs in an educational system upended by the coronavirus.

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A separate poll of parents with at least one child in grades K-12 finds that 6 in 10 say they would be likely to pursue at-home learning options instead of sending back their children this fall. Nearly a third of parents, 30%, say they are “very likely” to do that. . . .

The surveys underscore how concerns about the coronavirus will complicate efforts to resume daily routines in American life, from work to leisure to commerce, at least until a vaccine is widely available. . . .

The challenges in the past few months have sometimes been overwhelming, the language arts teacher said in a follow-up interview. “I feel very disconnected from my students,” she said, “and I feel like they’re falling behind.”

To explore the views of teachers and parents, USA TODAY and Ipsos conducted parallel online polls May 18-21. In one, 505 teachers of kindergarten through high school were surveyed. The other national survey polled 403 parents of a K-12 child. . . .

Teachers are struggling

Almost all of them, 83%, say they are having a harder time doing their job, and two-thirds say they have had to work more than usual. Two-thirds say they haven’t been able to do their job properly since starting to teach remotely, a task that most say they hadn’t been prepared well by the district to do. . .

Children’s progress is in peril

Three-fourths of teachers say having to rely on distance learning is making their students fall behind in their classwork, although most predict that they will be able to make up lost ground. By 6-1, teachers say they are worried about their students; half of teachers are “very” worried. . .

Both parents and teachers acknowledge how difficult it has been for the other group to support distance learning. A 52% majority of parents say teachers have struggled; 85% of teachers say parents have struggled.

Technology is working for most

Almost all parents say their children have access to reliable internet service at home that allows them to study; just 3% say they don’t. Eighty-six percent of parents say their children have the software and equipment they need; 10% say they don’t. Generally, parents report that the technology has been easy to use. . . .

Getting a vaccine is seen as critical

A significant share of parents and teachers, about 4 in 10, oppose returning to the classroom before there is a coronavirus vaccine. (Slightly more support returning to school without a vaccine, but in each case less than a majority.)

That day isn’t close. The most optimistic predictions say a vaccine might be developed by the end of the year; the less optimistic ones say it may take well into next year or even longer.

There’s a search for solutions  

Roughly two-thirds of teachers and parents support the idea of returning to the classroom for two or three days a week and using distance learning the other days. About two-thirds of both groups endorse having teachers considered at high risk for the illness continue to teach online, while teachers at low risk teach in person. . . .

Social distancing at school? Good luck with that

Teachers are ready for changes in the school routine next fall. Nearly 8 in 10 teachers say they would be likely to wear a mask while teaching, and nearly 6 in 10 say they are likely to work longer hours. Nearly 9 in 10 warn that they foresee difficulties in enforcing social distancing among their students.

Parents agree. Seven in 10 would ask their child to wear a mask at school, but more than two-thirds say their child would find it hard to comply with social distancing. . . .

Sara Waugh, 37, who teaches computer skills at a high school in Omaha, spent the last week of the school year in the district’s mandatory training on how to teach online, so she can be better prepared for that possibility in the fall. The number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the community, in part because of outbreaks at meatpacking plants. “We have no idea what’s going to go on in the fall,” she said. “I can’t even speculate. I’ve heard a hundred different rumors.”

She’ll be there no matter what, she said. “I love what I do, and I feel like what I do can be adapted to a remote learning environment,” perhaps more easily than subjects such as English or science, she said. “I feel like it can be done.”

(Excerpt from USA Today. Written by Susan Page. Photo from tvo50.)

What are your thoughts about reopening schools?