In a press conference in January, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan urged all public schools in Maryland to return to hybrid in-person learning by March 1.
Hogan cited health statistics and evidence to show that reopening schools will have limited impact on community spread and hospitalization rates. He emphasized the “unmistakable toll” online learning has brought to students, family and educators, especially disadvantaged students.
“It is abundantly clear that the toll of keeping students out of school far exceeds any potential risk having students in school where they belong,” Hogan said.
Hogan cannot mandate public schools to reopen, but if schools do not immediately make a “good-faith effort” to return to in-person learning, he would “explore every legal avenue at our disposal.”
In Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), the largest school district in Maryland, teaching has been virtual-only since last March. Before Hogan’s urge to reopen schools, the MCPS Board of Education (BOE) had voted to push back the reopening plan until at least March 15.
Hogan’s call for school reopening has triggered some uncertainty among MCPS workers and students. One primary concern is proper health measures in schools.
“I don’t think all schools can be prepared to open by March 1,” Farmland Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Christina Peters said. “Older schools don’t have the proper ventilation systems to keep teachers and students safe.”
Walter Johnson High School teacher Oscar Ramos pointed out the lack of a well-developed proposal for keeping teachers and students safe in the classrooms.
“I don’t see the safety measures built in with that deadline,” Ramos said.
The slow vaccine rollout also adds to the uncertainty of hybrid in-person learning by March 1.
Peters, who just got her first dose of the vaccine, said that the process of getting one was very hard and took her many tries. She thinks that the vaccine rollout in Maryland needs to be more equitable and efficient.
“The teachers want to be vaccinated because a lot of us have family members who have all other kinds of health issues that could expose them to COVID-19,” Ramos said.
Despite those concerns, teachers are looking forward to being back in school when proper health measures are in place.
“[Teachers] all want to be back in the classroom. This is not a situation of teachers preferring to be home and teach virtually. This is not an easy way to teach. This is not what any of us had in mind when we went into the teaching profession,” Ramos said. “We would rather be in school, but we want to be in school safely.”
Similarly, Peters expressed her eagerness to be in the room with kids, working with them in person.
Students also have mixed reactions to Hogan’s message.
“The COVID-19 case numbers are increasing, so I am worried if it is still safe to go,” Montgomery Blair High School freshman Dami Kim said. “But at the same time, I feel like we haven’t gone to school in too long, and I want to go back before the year ends.”
Kim plans on choosing hybrid learning if schools reopen because some of her classes require interaction and hands-on experience.
“I think we can return to school when infection rates go down and the majority of teachers get vaccinated,” Walter Johnson freshman Sara Karbowski said. “We should prioritize everyone’s health. But education is important too.”
The BOE will have further discussions regarding the next steps of reopening schools while keeping Hogan’s announcement in mind.
Article by Allison Xu of Walter Johnson High School
Graphic by Charles Wang of Walter Johnson High School