More than a third of Baltimore City schools shift to online Monday amid spread of COVID-19

In a sign of the growing difficulty of keeping schools open, more than a third of Baltimore City schools will switch to online learning Monday after test results that came in over the weekend showing thousands of students and staff may have COVID-19.

The school system listed 57 schools transitioning temporarily to online learning on its website Sunday evening. Two other schools were closed for what was described as facilities challenges. The city has 155 schools.

Baltimore City Public Schools spokesman Andre Riley said Sunday that those schools closed by positive pool tests will remain virtual all week and return Wednesday, Jan. 19.

Most of the schools that are closing serve students in kindergarten through eighth grade and perform pool testing for the coronavirus, Riley said. A handful of high schools, including Dunbar High School, Independence School Local and Renaissance Academy, also are closed...

...According to one administrator, school system leadership spent most of the weekend trying to understand the extent of the problem and deciding which schools should close. The source, who asked not to be identified to protect their job, said school principals were told to go to online instruction if more than 50% of the pool tests in their school were positive for COVID-19...

https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-online-schools-city-20220110-ltxfesk77ra43cvmtmybiepwti-story.html

Virus testing strategies, opinions vary widely in US schools

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Children are having their noses swabbed or saliva sampled at school to test for the coronavirus in cities such as Baltimore, New York and Chicago. In other parts of the U.S., school districts are reluctant to check even students showing signs of illness for COVID-19.



Education and health officials around the country have taken different approaches to testing students and staff members — and widely varying positions or whether to test them at all as more children give up virtual classrooms for in-person learning. Some states have rejected their share of the billions of dollars the Biden administration made available for conducting virus tests in schools...

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-education-health-082ade974a5c3257b9f7baa35cb9eec2

Baltimore City Schools report 13 positive COVID-19 results after weekly pooled testing

BALTIMORE (WBFF) - On Monday, Baltimore City Teacher's Union reported COVID-19 outbreaks at multiple schools just a week after students returned to in-person learning.

A spokesperson for Baltimore City Schools noted that following their weekly asymptomatic pooled testing on staff and students, there were 13 positive results. Pooled testing is a part of the school system's safety protocols to prevent the spread of the virus...

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/baltimore-city-schools-report-13-positive-covid-19-results-after-weekly-pooled-testing