Students Will Be In HCPSS Classrooms Full Time This Fall

Columbia MD

28 April, 2021

1:59 PM

Description

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Maryland State Board of Education issued an ultimatum Tuesday to all 24 state public school systems: get your students back in the classroom full-time for the fall. The board passed a resolution stating that schools should be open for the required 180 days of in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year, which is the intention of the Howard County Public School System leaders. Howard County Public School System Superintend Michael Martirano said that the resolution does allow school districts to gain approval for a virtual alternative options for families who wish to remain virtual, but clearly states that in-person instruction for five days a week is the expectation for all districts. "I assure you that no state resolution was required to persuade our intent. I have been very clear in multiple public comments and communications that HCPSS intends to provide fully in-person instruction five days a week for all students for the entire 2021-2022 school year," Martirano said. At its March 25 meeting, Howard County Board of Education members stated their overwhelming support for the return of all students who wish to return to in-person instruction five days per week for the 2021-2022 fall semester. "I fully support this priority and we are focusing our planning efforts on this goal. During this pandemic year, we have been able to implement each phase of our transition to hybrid instruction without having to scale back or modify our plan at any point. The protocols and PPE that are in place have proven effective and our schools are proving to be safe environments for students and staff. The virus isn't being spread within school buildings; rather, positive cases of COVID-19 are being transmitted primarily at outside gatherings and brought into our schools," Martirano said. "Despite fluctuations in community case rates, transmission in schools has remained constantly low." Martirano noted that more than 99 percent of HCPSS staffers who wanted to receive the vaccine have done so. The rest of the staffers who haven't will be doing so soon. "Protecting our staff has been a priority even before the vaccine was available and we appreciate the collaboration with the Howard County Health Department and County Health Officer Dr. Maura Rossman to prioritize doses for educators and help us quickly get to this point. We have now turned our attention to assisting students who are eligible," he said. The school's Digital Education Center will help those students who want to or need to remain virtual for the following school year. Martirano said that a detailed fall instructional plan will be presented to the education board and HCPSS community once it's ready that prioritizes the return of all students along with newly available virtual options for those students who may be better served by that instructional delivery model. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan released a statement in support of the state education board's directive. "The science supports getting our children back into school for in-person learning, and every student in Maryland should have that opportunity right now. To encourage the safe reopening of schools, the state has committed more than $1.2 billion in funding, prioritized teachers for vaccines and provided all the necessary PPE, testing and guidance. Families and students deserve certainty that all school systems will return to full in-person learning," Hogan said.