Gov. Hogan, Dr. Salmon ask county systems to return to combination of instruction

By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer

(Jan. 28, 2021) Gov. Larry Hogan and State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon on Jan. 21 urged Maryland school systems to return to hybrid instruction—a combination of in-person and virtual learning — no later than March 1 because of the learning loss caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Every single Maryland student must have at least the opportunity to return to attending school in some form or fashion,” Hogan said. “Our children simply cannot afford any more endless roadblocks, or any more moving of the goalposts. The time has come to get all of our kids back in the classroom, and to open the schools.”

Hogan and Salmon sent a letter to Maryland State Education Association President Cheryl Bost imploring her to aid the effort to get students back into classrooms.

“While the online setting for instruction has improved in many ways since March of 2020, far too many students remain unable to participate and thrive in such an environment. We have already seen this in a tangible way, as failing grades for students throughout Maryland were far higher in the first term of this school year than in the previous year,” the letter states.

“The clear social and emotional toll that online learning has taken on students, families, and educators is yet another unquantifiable impact of the prolonged school building closure. Therefore, immediate action must be taken by every school system in our State to provide opportunities for in-person instruction to all students.”

Bost responded in a letter of her own Tuesday, taking the governor to task for what she said were his implications that teachers were more concerned about themselves than helping to restore classroom instruction.

The problem, Bost said, is the state’s failure to protect teachers and to institute certain safety protocols in schools.

“We are frustrated by the lackadaisical implementation of, and resources for, safety measures in our schools,” she said. “We are frustrated by the lack of availability of vaccines after being told how important it is for us to get vaccinated. We want to be back in our schools, safely and sustainably, for our students.

“While your letter called for partnership, your actions have consistently and inappropriately tried to paint educators as opponents and obstacles.”

Numerous back-to-the-classroom advocates have made their pitch for classroom instruction, from President Biden to Dr. Anthony Fauci. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently stated, “Children absolutely need to return to in-school learning for their healthy development and well-being, and so safety in schools and in the community must be a priority.”

“While school systems have made strides with remote learning, far too many students remain unable to thrive in such an environment,” Hogan said. “There can be no debating that online learning has taken an unmistakable toll on students, families and educators.”

State health officials recommend daily in-person learning for students with disabilities and special learning needs, phased daily in-person learning for elementary students, and hybrid learning for secondary students.

The governor said keeping children in remote learning is more damaging than any potential risk of having them return to the classroom.

“By law, these decisions to reopen the schools ultimately rest with the duly elected and appointed county school boards, and I cannot order them to open schools, but I want to make it perfectly clear I will do everything I possibly can do within the law to push to get all of Maryland’s children back into the classrooms,” Hogan said. “I call on every leader in this state to join me and President Joe Biden in making this an immediate priority.”

In her response, Bost said, “No one wants to open school buildings safely and sustainably sooner than educators. That will continue to be our focus, and I hope it will be yours as well, rather than more U-turns in the state’s guidance and further inappropriate public bullying of educators. These actions do nothing to improve and save the lives of Marylanders, but your concerted efforts to improve vaccine distribution and health and safety protocols in school buildings very well could.”

Salmon said vaccinations are not a requirement for reopening schools, but “they can further ensure a safe and comfortable learning environment for those that are wary about the prospect of returning to school buildings.”

PHOTO COURTESY WORCESTER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon visited Annette Waters’ Pre-Kindergarten 3 classroom at Buckingham Elementary while touring Worcester County Public Schools on Jan. 22.

Salmon recently visited Worcester County Public Schools to evaluate the school system’s safety protocols amid the pandemic.

“In my travels across the state to visit open schools, I am always impressed to see the creative, innovative ways school communities are safely opening for in-person instruction,” she said. “From playgrounds to band practices to classrooms, public health measures and safety protocols were meticulously implemented, including social distancing, mask wearing and intense cleaning and sanitization – I even saw masks for musicians and their instruments! I celebrate our teachers and school staff who are back in classrooms at Buckingham and Showell Elementary and Stephen Decatur Middle schools, providing our state’s children with the opportunity for a meaningful, comprehensive education and learning experience.”

Following the press conference on Jan. 21, Salmon and education staff from across the state received their covid-19 vaccinations live.

“However, and I would emphasize, school reopening decisions should not be based on the availability of vaccination or the level of vaccinations among staff,” said Maryland Department of Health Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan.

Additionally, Chan said health officials are providing school systems with more school reopening guidance and educational design options based on scientific evidence, recent studies on the impact of school reopening on community transmission and the effects of school closures on children and learning.

“First, there is little evidence that school reopening is a major driver of overall community spread,” Chan said. “Second, studies have indicated transmission in schools … is relatively uncommon when there is effective implementation of the mitigation strategies, including social distancing, use of masks and cleaning.”

Evidence shows that children less than 10 years old are less likely to spread covid-19, she added.

“Research shows that many students as a result of this prolonged pandemic isolation, including school closures, are falling behind academically, and those will have long-lasting impacts unless we can turn the tide now,” Chan continued.

The updated school reopening guidance still allows parents to decide whether to continue with remote learning or transition to in-person instruction.

On Jan. 15, Salmon announced $781 million in covid-19 relief for education.

“As our education system demonstrates resilience in the face of the public health emergency wrought by COVID-19, we must continue to prioritize the needs of the State’s children and ensure that all children have access to a meaningful education founded in excellence and equity,” Salmon stated in a press release. “These additional resources will help bridge the gaps widened by the pandemic and supplement the supports already in place to safely return students to in-person instruction, focusing on those most impacted during the crisis.”

The new funding, more than four times the initial awards to state education agencies under the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in spring 2020, is intended to help states and school districts reopen schools, measure and effectively address significant learning loss and take other actions to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the students and families who depend upon public K-12 education.

The funding allows flexibility so that local school leaders can address the needs of their individual schools and encourages investment in students with unique needs including children from low-income households, students and children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness and foster care youth.

In addition to the $780 million in funding provided by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, the State of Maryland and Maryland State Department of Education had already distributed $400 million in emergency funding to assist with technology, supplies, materials and equipment.

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act requires the Department to allocate the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Act (ESSER II) Funds based on the proportion that each State received under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) in the most recent fiscal year. Local systems will submit applications for the funds.

Worcester County Public Schools will be allocated $6,406,920.

A total of more than $1.2 billion has been made available in the most recent stimulus to every school system in the state.

Furthermore, the governor submitted a FY 2022 recovery budget to the General Assembly, which will provide a record $7.5 billion for K-12 funding, hold schools harmless from the impact of declining enrollment figures and ensure that every jurisdiction receives more funding than in the previous year.

Maryland State Sen. Mary Beth Carozza thanked Governor Hogan and his Administration on Jan. 21 for their calls for Maryland school systems to return to in-person hybrid instruction no later than March 1.

“This call for our schools to return to in-person hybrid instruction by the beginning of March, if not sooner, is outstanding news, and I know it can be done safely and effectively,” Carozza said after reviewing the new guidelines issued by the Maryland Department of Health and Department of Education to help ensure safe, in-person learning. “I have heard from countless parents and guardians in my district who would like to see their children back in a classroom so they may receive the best education possible. I also agree that based on the science, there is no public health reason to keep students out of schools. It is past time for our students to return safely to in-person learning.”

She noted the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that children absolutely need to return to in-school learning for their healthy development and well-being, and so safety in schools and in the community must be a priority.

Carozza supports the vaccination of teachers and school personnel in Phase 1B of the covid-19 vaccine rollout.

She also supports the $780 million in additional funding from the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act to assist Maryland schools and students as they recover from the covid-19 pandemic. This funding will be used to help reopen classrooms, assess and address learning loss, provide targeted tutoring, and other initiatives to help students.