COVID In Maryland: How Each School District Is Responding To An Uptick In COVID-19 Cases
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- As a second wave of coronavirus hits Maryland, school districts statewide are reassessing plans for hybrid or in-person learning.
Many public schools started the school year with only virtual learning, but then either began some in-person learning this fall or submitted plans to begin in-person learning soon. However, an uptick in COVID-19 cases is leading to many of the district to pull back on their plans.
Here's a county-by-county breakdown of the decisions:
Allegany County Public Schools: ACPS returned to virtual learning this week due to a spike in cases. Learn more here
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Anne Arundel County Public Schools will remain virtual for the first semester of the 2020-21 school year. AACPS had plans to reopen in mid-November, but will instead remain virtual, citing coronavirus health metrics. Learn more here
Baltimore City Public Schools: Baltimore City Schools announced November 10 they are scaling back reopening plans amid a surge in coronavirus cases statewide. The district reopened 27 schools instead of the original 44 on Nov. 16 in light of the rising number of cases. They later announced November 19 that all in-person learning and meal sites will be closed the week after Thanksgiving until December 7. Learn more here
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Baltimore said its Catholic schools will reopen for in-person learning in the fall. Students who don't feel comfortable learning in the classroom can take part remotely. Learn more here
Baltimore County Public Schools: As coronavirus cases in Maryland continue to climb, the Baltimore County Public Schools system said Wednesday it won't move forward with reopening four public separate day schools later this month as planned. In a statement, school officials said the county's positivity rate and the number of cases per 100,000 residents have "steadily increased" over the past week. Learn more here
Calvert County Public Schools: On July 24th, the Board of Education of Calvert County Public Schools voted to open virtually for 2020-2021 school year. Learn more here
Caroline County Public Schools: The county school board approved a plan to begin the year with distance learning. Based on current conditions, Caroline County Public Schools is planning to bring 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th grade students back to school buildings on an AA/BB schedule. AA Schedule students will begin on Monday, November 30. BB Schedule students will begin on Thursday, December 3. Learn more here
Carroll County Public Schools: Carroll County Public Schools will began the 2020-21 school year virtually. After an outbreak was reported at one school, the district moved to virtual learning again on Nov. 19. Learn more here
Cecil County Public Schools: CCPS expanded their face-to-face learning to two days per week beginning the week of November 9, 2020. But a week later, they've moved back to only virtual. Learn more here
Charles County Public Schools: On Nov. 5, Charles County Public Schools was prepared to move to Phase 2 of its Reopening Plan; however, the recent rise in COVID-19 cases has caused the school system to pause the move to in-person learning for students. Learn more here
Dorchester County Public Schools: After a spike in COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate in Dorchester County, the schools decided to close school buildings indefinitely on Oct. 21. Learn more here
Frederick County Public Schools: Public school students in Frederick County will remain virtual for the fall semester of the 2020-2021 school year. Learn more here
Garrett County Public Schools: The Garrett County Board of Education voted on November 10, 2020, to move students to a red, fully virtual learning model beginning Thursday, November 12, 2020, and continuing until at least Thursday, December 10, 2020. GCPS is also cancelling all in-person extra-curricular activities and athletic events and practices effective immediately. Learn more here
Harford County Public Schools: Harford County Public Schools will return to virtual learning on Nov. 13, the school system announced. The system cited a surge in county coronavirus metrics, which have reached 15+ per 100,000 daily positive cases. Learn more here
Howard County Public Schools: Howard County Public Schools is latest school district to lay out a plan to return students to the classrooms, but right now students remain virtual. Learn more here
Kent County Public Schools: The schools are currently operating in a hybrid model with some in-person learning. Learn more here
Montgomery County Public Schools: Montgomery County Public Schools said it will remain in a virtual-only instructional model through the first semester. They have released a plan for hybrid, in-person learning for Jan. 2021. Learn more here
Prince George's County Public Schools: Public school students in Prince George's County will continue distance learning through January 2021, the district said. Learn more here
Queen Anne's County Public Schools: Queen Anne's County schools will continue virtual-only learning for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year. The county's school board voted 3-2 on November 11 to delay moving to a hybrid reopening model due to health trends and the holiday season. Learn more here
St. Mary's County Public Schools: St. Mary's County Public Schools students continue to learn virtually. Learn more here
Somerset County Public Schools: Somerset County Public Schools will temporarily close all schools for in-person learning beginning Monday, November 9, 2020 through Friday November 27, 2020 due to the county's rising COVID-19 health metrics, coupled with an increase in reported COVID-19 cases among students and staff in the last two weeks. Learn more here
Talbot County Public Schools: On Monday, October 12, 2020, all students in grades PreK through 5 who requested In Person Instruction on their commitment form returned to school buildings with the AA BB day hybrid model. Learn more here
Washington County Public Schools: Washington County Public Schools (WCPS) is preparing for the transition to Stage 4 as described in the Return to Learn Plan. Stage 4 will begin no sooner than Monday, November 30, 2020. Learn more here
Wicomico County Public Schools: Students are learning virtually so far this year. The school has released a recovery plan. Learn more here
Worcester County Public Schools: Worchester County schools returned to a hybrid learning model as a part of Stage 2 of their responsible reopening plan. However starting on November 11, Stephen Decatur High School will be moving to distance learning until December 1. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution following a notification today that a third individual has tested positive for COVID-19 within the school over the past 24 hours. Learn more here
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
