Fewer roommates in the fall: U-Md., American U. put new limits on student housing to curb coronavirus

Ordinarily, the University of Maryland tries to maximize the capacity of its residence halls by putting three or four students into some rooms. But next fall, those triples and quads will become doubles as the university aims to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus on its campus in College Park.

At American University, arrangements will be even more strict, according to plans released Tuesday. The private university in the District of Columbia will cut the number of available beds on campus by almost half, to 2,300 from 4,300, using a standard of one student per room, spokeswoman Lisa Stark said.

Emerging blueprints for a highly unusual fall semester show that universities in the Washington region are trying to bring as many students back as they can while reducing the health risks inherent when large numbers of people gather in close quarters to live and study together amid a pandemic...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/06/16/fewer-roommates-fall-u-md-other-schools-rearrange-student-housing-contain-coronavirus/

Maryland schools must prepare for fall online learning if coronavirus spread continues, superintendent says

The Baltimore Sun story:

Maryland public schools must be prepared to continue teaching classes online into the fall and winter if the spread of the coronavirus continues or makes a resurgence, the state’s top education official said Wednesday.

Speaking to a bipartisan work group of Maryland lawmakers, State Superintendent of Schools Karen B. Salmon said she is ramping up online and distance-learning capabilities in case schools must remain closed into the 2020-2021 academic year. Some epidemiologists have said the state could see a second wave of the virus in the fall.

“I’m not sure we are going to be doing school in the same way going forward,” Salmon told lawmakers. “We’re not sure that is not something that we’re going to revisit in the fall or the winter."

 https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-pol-coronavirus-task-force-20200408-hkudrtszoreyjmu3tgznx3pjt4-story.html



Below is video of the statement that Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon made today at the  Meeting of the Joint Covid-19 Response Legislative Workgroup.