As a result of improved COVID-19 health metrics across the state, Gov. Larry Hogan announced that every county school system in Maryland is now fully authorized to begin safely reopening.
The authority and decision making on safe openings continues to rest with county boards of education. Decisions should be based on a set of statewide metrics, guidelines, and benchmarks issued today by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) in collaboration with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).The governor was joined by Dr. Jinlene Chan, Acting Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services at MDH, and MSDE State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Karen Salmon. Currently, 16 of the state’s 24 local school systems have developed plans for returning children to schools for some form of in-person instruction this calendar year, including students with special needs.
Governor Hogan and Dr. Salmon will visit school sites across the state in the coming weeks to observe systems that are bringing small groups of students back into a safe and educationally effective environment.
“As a result of our improved health metrics, every single county school system in the State of Maryland is now fully authorized to begin safely reopening,” said Governor Hogan. “Nearly everyone agrees that there is no substitute for in-person instruction. It is essential that we all work together on flexible hybrid plans to safely get some of our kids back into classrooms and into healthy and supportive learning environments.”
One of the school systems that did not developed plans for returning children to schools for some form of in-person instruction was Baltimore County.
Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Darryl Williams released a statement after Governor Larry Hogan and State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon authorized school systems to provide in-person instruction.
“From the start of the pandemic, and as we began planning for the reopening of schools, we indicated we would work with Baltimore County health officials to ensure we are following the guidance provided by them and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The safety and health of our students and staff have always been our top priorities. On Aug. 27, Governor Hogan and State Superintendent Salmon indicated that school systems across the state are now authorized to reopen with in-person instruction, but we must still ensure we can do so safely,” Williams said.
“At this time, we are still moving forward with a virtual reopening, beginning September 8, but we will immediately begin to look at our plan to incorporate already created hybrid models that include a phased-in plan for small groups of students to return to our buildings. As we implement this small-group phased-in approach and are sure students and staff are safe, we will continue to evaluate the implementation and add groups of students until all have returned to school. This will take time to implement, but we promise to keep you informed as we move forward. Please continue to check the website and look for messages we will send to our families and staff through our phone notification system.”
