MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) officials announced Thursday that all public schools in the district will reopen on January 3, despite the post-holiday spike in COVID cases across the state.
The school district says the decision to open up schools despite the rise in COVID cases was made with input from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
“We meet with our county officials, our Department of Health and Human Services every week. And, oftentimes, over the past few weeks, we meet with them several times a week to engage in conversations around what's the impact of the omicron variant in Montgomery County [and] what are the implications for the school system,” said MCPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight.
According to MCPS all students and staff will be receiving at-home rapid test kits over the next two weeks. Families are asked to administer the tests and report any positive results.
McKnight said the test kits are being offered to the school system through a partnership with the Montgomery County government. However, she notes, they will not be made available to students in time for the first day of school.
“The county does not have enough rapid tests for students and staff to take them prior to the return on school on January 3,” she said. “When we think about all of the necessities of running the school system, we are in fact the school system, and so we have to rely on many others to help us get access to resources to help protect the interests of the health and safety of our students and staff.”
MCPS also claims that all its staff members will receive KN-95 masks for the week of January 3. McKnight says they will continue to receive masks on a weekly basis after that.
“This is another layer of protection that we're providing for our staff,” she said. “But we have been providing masks generally to any of our staff and students who need them since we returned to school in the fall.”
School officials did announce that a plan is in place for a possible return to virtual learning. MCPS says that if 5% or more of unrelated students/teachers/staff test positive in a 14-day period, officials will determine if the school should be closed for 14 days and move to virtual learning.
However, if a school does hit the 5% threshold, it will not automatically result in that school being closed, according to McKnight. MCPS’ central office staff will work with DHHS in making the ultimate decision as to whether a closure should occur.
“What we've learned is we need to differentiate for every school based on what the COVID cases represent,” McKnight said. “So, that's exactly what we're doing to try and make that decision for all of our schools. A one size fits all model just doesn't work when we really think about how do we want to protect the interests of in-person learning.”
As of December 21, there were 267 active cases of COVID among MCPS staff. McKnight acknowledged the challenge the virus can create for staffing, however, she said employees were doing their best to make sure students are still taught in an acceptable manner.
“We have staff members who have stepped in a number of different positions to help support the teaching and learning that needs to take place for students if something happens when a teacher cannot be there,” she said.
Montgomery County resident Joanna Snyder help put together a petition calling for a safer restart to MCPS’ second semester. She is also the parent of a first-grader and rising kindergartener.
She said she is not comfortable with MCPS’ plan as it stands now.
“So many of us parents have a great concern about contributing to that transmission,” Snyder said. “I don't have personal high risk in my family, but I'm just not ready to resign myself and my family to getting COVID.”
Snyder added many students are currently traveling, which only elevates the risks that could be seen Monday.
“In addition to COVID coming home, many of our lower-income communities are also lower vaccination, which is our biggest hospitalization right now,” she said. “So, there’s impact, long-term, on those kids having family members get severely sick.”
Snyder, who will not have her daughter attend school this week, said she would like to pause classes so administrators could think of ways to increase mitigation in schools.
“This isn't just about my family,” she said. “This is about my community and anything we can do to try to take care of each other.”
Carrie Askew Swann, a mother of three MCPS students, one of whom has special education needs, co-chairs the education committee of the Down Syndrome Network of Montgomery County.
She said the DSNMC would like to make sure keeping special education students in school is a priority.
“Exposed students should be able to ‘test to stay’ rather than automatically quarantine,” she said. “Virtual instruction for special education should be an absolute last resort, especially for vaccinated students. We need to be creative to find solutions to improve safety and keep kids in schools.”
Swann added she is particularly concerned that the Board of Education has continued to make in-school testing optional and opt-in, rather than mandatory or opt-out.
“We are allowing too much exposure for high-risk students and teachers, including special education students who most need to be in school to access instruction,” she said.
Montgomery County parent Jennifer Reesman has one child in MCPS. She says she supports the system’s decision to return to in-person learning.
“Kids need to be in school,” she said. “And, I'm really pleased with all of the mitigation layers that Montgomery County has put into place. I think that anyone can criticize and there's certainly more that folks could be doing but Montgomery County really has lots of layers of mitigation going.
Reesman pointed to the mask mandate and the asymptomatic surveillance testing program that many people have opted into.
“And, I understand they're going to be getting a ton more rapid test in the coming weeks,” she said. “And, I think that's something that we'll celebrate. And, we also live in one of the most highly vaccinated counties in the nation. So, I feel really good about sending my daughter back to school on Monday.”
She said she does not like the idea of pausing school or having it go virtual to start the new semester.
“I think there's a lot of concern and trauma about the possibility of school going virtual or closing for a brief period of time because we were closed for so very long, and it really affects a lot of kids,” Reesman said.
MCPS officials have also asked students and parents to do four things as they prepare to return to class.
1. Report positive COVID cases
MCPS asks that parents report if their child has tested positive for COVID using this form. Officials say parents can call their child's school if they are not able to submit the form online.
2. Get a COVID test before returning to class
While MCPS is not mandating the test, officials ask parents to get their children tested at their healthcare provider, local clinic, pharmacy or the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
3. Keep your children home if they have any symptoms
If your child is showing any symptoms, MCPS asks you do not send them to school and take them to get tested "as an extra precaution."
"It's important that students don't spread their illness to others," school officials said on the website.
4. Say Yes to the Test
In-school testing for COVID is an option at MCPS but parents but must give their permission. For more information, visit the district's "Say Yes to the Test" website.
Maryland’s Hospital Association issued an urgent appeal to Governor Larry Hogan for a limited public health emergency declaration.