This article was written by Elijah Emory-Muhammad of Bethesda Chevy Chase High School
Montgomery County parents and students have long been in the dark about school reopening plans. Even teachers and staff have been pondering about whether in-school attendance will be an option for the second semester. Luckily, the Montgomery County Board of Education has recently issued some key updates about school reopening plans that many will find to be assuring.
The School Board plans to have students begin gradually phasing back to school on Jan. 12, and not all at once. The current plans have specific groups of students return to school on varying dates. So far, the Board has stated that only the first group will begin phasing in on Jan. 12. Later, on Feb. 1, larger groups of students will be able to begin phasing in.
These groups of students are separated by grade level and special programs, taking into account those who have been struggling the most with virtual learning. It is also important to note that students can opt out of returning to in-person learning for the second semester.
Hybrid learning schedules are in use throughout the country and MCPS is planning to follow suit. A hybrid schedule would have students attend both in-person and virtual learning throughout the week, alternating on specific days to avoid spreading COVID-19 and maintain social distancing.
Any student will be able to attend in-person extracurricular activities or athletics, no matter what learning model they end up doing.
However, these plans are subject to change due to various factors such as parent preferences and health metrics. These factors can influence whether or not all or some schools in the county open.
An important survey has been issued for families to fill out, asking what learning model and method of transportation for in-person learning they prefer. This survey will close on Dec. 3, so any family that does not make a selection by then will automatically be defaulted to the virtual-only learning experience.
MCPS has developed a health metrics grid aligned with CDC guidelines that will indicate if return to in-person instruction is safe or not. To summarize the grid, MCPS will take into account the average amount of new cases over a two week period.
If schools reopen, there will be many precautions to ensure everyone’s safety and observance of health guidelines. Staff will receive training, students will be socially distanced on buses, masks will be provided for those who do not bring their own, and there will be daily disinfections. These are absolute requirements reinforced by MCPS Associate Superintendent of Operations Essie Mcguire, who calls these precautions “non-negotiable.”
“There have been discussions but there have not been initial plans shared with us,” MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith said, in regards to what is considered a COVID outbreak and what actions should be taken when school reopens. For now, it seems that Maryland will allow districts to perform discretionary actions under these circumstances, which does leave some room for worry.
COVID has proven to be quite unpredictable, especially now that winter is approaching, which will undoubtedly affect the MCPS reopening plans. Things are not looking well as of now for returning to in-person learning. According to the Baltimore Sun, MD has recently surpassed 2,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, the second highest daily total since the start of the pandemic.
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