Baltimore County Parents Renew Calls For In-Person Learning To Resume, Threaten Lawsuit
PERRY HALL, Md. (WJZ) -- As multiple Maryland school districts start announcing their reopening plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the state's largest counties has yet to publish a date of when in-person learning of some form will begin.
Gov. Larry Hogan has called on all schools to be open or working in that direction, but Baltimore County Schools students are still virtual.
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On the schools' website, next to the dates February-June 2021 it states, "If it is safe to do so, BCPS will implement a hybrid instructional model with in-person and virtual learning. Full-time virtual learning will remain an option for parents." Parents say no firm date has been set.
The "Re-Open BCPS" group has now taken on the title of the Baltimore County Parents and Students Coalition and has partnered with the 501(C)3 "Respect the Constitution" to file a legal claim demanding a start date from the Baltimore County superintendent and administration.
Amy Adams has children in the Baltimore County Public Schools. Once the legal claim is filed, "I just hope the administration steps up puts date on the calendar and follows through," she said.
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The school administration will have 10 days to respond before the legal team files a federal lawsuit that claims keeping kids out of school violates their constitutional rights.
"There's not a comparison of in-person versus virtual. The kids need to be back in school," said Linda Brown, the president of Respect the Constitution.
Multiple rallies held every few months show the strength of the group of parents and students whose numbers have grown. They said they want to see a reopening plan like so many of the counties around them.
"The governor, the state superintendent and the health department doctor coming out and saying 'by March 1, children should be in school,' we want to see that happen for our students," Adams said.
WJZ reached out to the school system; in a statement, they said:
"Due to pending litigation, BCPS will have no comment regarding today's event. The BCPS Re-opening Plan is available publicly on the BCPS website, and we are now working with stakeholders and partners to soon share a timeline for our phased-in reopening, first with the Board of Education of Baltimore County and then with all community members."
For Adams, in-person learning is not the type of education she wants her children to get.
"They miss the community, they miss the activities, collaborating with friends, hands-on learning, not being in front of a screen all day long," she said.
Some parents will choose to keep their children remote because of pre-existing conditions or fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
