Month: January 2021

Baltimore County Public Schools sent out a statement on COVID-19 vaccines and it’s availability for BCPS staff.

“We learned this afternoon that the earliest opportunity for some BCPS employees to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be Friday, Jan. 22. Due to our size and the unknown availability of the vaccine, we are organizing BCPS employees into priority groups. Over time, all BCPS employees will have the opportunity to register for the vaccine.

“The first priority group includes the highest contact employees: Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers, Infants and Toddlers teachers, staff at the Public Separate Day Schools, as well as bus drivers and attendants; nursing assistants; substitute nurses; pupil personnel workers; and related services, food services, and technology field staff.

“As soon as registration information is available, a registration link will be shared with staff in the first priority group. After registering, interested staff will either receive an appointment or be placed on a wait list in an email from the Baltimore County Department of Health.

“We continue to collaborate with the Baltimore County Department of Health, and we will provide updates as they are available.”

Baltimore County Public Schools has updated its Reopening Plan to include details about in-person instruction options for all students. Families will choose to continue virtual learning or to begin hybrid learning, with timing driven by local and state health metrics.

The newly added information pertains to three groups of students. In the plan’s new Appendix N, guidance is provided for students in Grades 3 – 12 whose Individualized Education Programs include a least restrictive environment that is primarily outside of the general education classroom setting. This plan also includes students in select Career and Technical Education programs that require hands-on learning to earn professional licenses or certifications.

The new Appendix O is focused on the remaining students in Grades 3 – 12. Together with already released sections focused on students at public separate day schools (Appendix L) and students in Grades Preschool through 2 (Appendix M), the BCPS Reopening Plan now includes all students.

“I commend the educators and leaders who developed these crucial portions of our Reopening Plan, as we look ahead to the time when it will be safe to phase in in-person instruction for small groups of students,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “Despite the ransomware attack, we will be ready to welcome students back into school buildings when local COVID-19 transmission is low.”

The newest portions of the plan were presented to the Board of Education of Baltimore County during its December 22, 2020, meeting, and are organized into three parts: Health and Safety, System and School Operations, and Instructional Model.

• The Health and Safety section refers to Safety Is Our True North (Appendix A of the Reopening Plan), and addresses health metrics, a variety of mitigation strategies, compliance monitoring, screening, personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilation, health services, safety, and social and emotional learning.

• The System and School Operations section includes information about how students will be placed in small groups, drop-off and pick-up, transportation, meals, attendance, visitors, and a questionnaire families will use to indicate whether or not students will return to school buildings for hybrid learning.

• The Instructional Model section includes class assignments, how families can change student placements, schedules, the elementary model, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), special education, staffing, class layouts, and assessment.

The Reopening Plan will continue to be updated as the pandemic continues to evolve. The COVID-19 Info section of the BCPS website includes additional resources for families and staff.