the tide: MCPS introduces virtual learning option on closure days

Montgomery County Public Schools announced a new plan for virtual learning on snow days during the Board of Education meeting held Thursday, Jan. 12. A new color code system has been created to indicate the school district’s response according to the severity of winter weather, with Code Green being a normal school day and Code Purple being full virtual learning.

According to the MCPS website, “The approved plan [for Code Purple] has been sent to [Maryland State Department of Education] and…can be used after receiving final approval.” MCPS said it would consider how families and individuals may be affected by the changes. Therefore, the new changes are only confirmed when the school board feels that it is completely necessary and that any harmful impact can be minimized...

MCPS introduces virtual learning option on closure days – The Tide (thermtide.com)

Families of color drive surge in homeschooling, as one family sweetens the lessons

WASHINGTON (7News) — Homeschooling is surging and the families its attracting defy the traditional notions of who homeschools and why.

Parents, who say they're done with school politics, inequitable treatment and a one-sized-fits all approach are finding creative solutions to maximize their child's abilities and educational experience.

For aspiring 6th grade baker and entrepreneur, Tyce Yorke, it means cake design is part of his curriculum...

https://wjla.com/features/i-team/homeschooling-pandemic-learning-covid-19-families-of-color-cooking-baking-dc-virginia-maryland-yorke-family-unschooling-black-hispanic?fbclid=IwAR37pUH1okbjHsp9KbmJBeQ4btP6THLXyeGBgpnKVZGG8JEmxlPABeWPcP0

NYC’s schools forever changed by COVID-19

New York City schools are forever changed since COVID-19′s March 2020 arrival — and some ways are just becoming clear two years later.

A forced year-and-a-half-long experiment in remote learning and the cascading economic, medical and emotional fallout of the pandemic left an indelible mark on the nation’s largest school system.

Some of the changes can be measured in numbers: 73,000 fewer K-12 students on school rosters after a pandemic-fueled enrollment decline; an extra $9 billion in the Education Department’s budget this year thanks to a flood of state and federal recovery dollars, and the exodus of more than 1,000 school safety agents and 3,800 classroom paraprofessionals since summer 2020.

And the most jarring number — at least 91 DOE employees and parents of an estimated 2,900 city kids who lost their lives to the virus in the harrowing first months alone.

Other changes are harder to quantify: A new embrace of technology in schools after a forced shift to remote learning; an upending of academic measures that schools have relied on for decades; a greater appreciation for the small joys of the student-teacher bond; lingering trauma and loss that will shape the lives of kids and educators for years to come...

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny-covid-changes-nyc-schools-for-good-20220312-yqjukuqwkfhmzjqmwpvkq6lqly-story.html

Loudoun Co. schools open distance learning portal for next school year

 

As other Virginia-based schools scale back on their COVID-19-related health restrictions, Loudoun County Public Schools is reminding students and parents of its virtual learning program for middle and high school students for its upcoming school year.

Students interested in distance learning need to apply through an online web application to be considered for enrollment in the program. The application portal will close on March 31, according to a news release...

https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2022/03/loudoun-co-schools-opens-distance-learning-portal-for-next-school-year/?fbclid=IwAR3CXSVNX2mwsUlZdefkEL1mgMlCS8dFw6mswLBCftVP7U-kKrnV8mJ1UBI

TODAY 2/1/22: You Can Object to the Board of Education Hiding in a Closed Session to Discuss Snow Days and/or New Superintendent Hire

Today at noon the Montgomery County Board of Education is going in to a Closed Session. 

What will they be discussing? They don't want you to know, but the public can guess.  Maybe they will be discussing virtual snow days? Maybe they will be voting to pick the next superintendent? 

Do you want the Board of Education to discuss these topics in secret or do you want Board members to have a public discussion about these topics? 

The Board of Education doesn't want you to know what they are discussing so they are claiming an exception to the Maryland Open Meetings Act allows them to hold this closed meeting to exclude the public.

  Section 3-103(a)

a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section and § 3-104 of this subtitle, this title does not apply to:

(1) a public body when it is carrying out:

(i) an administrative function;

(ii) a judicial function; or

(iii) a quasi-judicial function; or

(2) a chance encounter, a social gathering, or any other occasion that is not intended to circumvent this title.

Under the Maryland Open Meetings Act a member of the public may object to the Closing of a Board of Education meeting. 

From the Maryland Open Meetings Act manual (page 78): 

 If a member of the public objects to the closing of a session, the public body must send a copy of the closing statement to the [Open Meetings Act] Compliance Board. See § 3-305(d)(3).

Even for a virtual meeting, the Board of Education must meet in public first and allow the public the option of objecting to the closing of the meeting.  15 OMCB 5,8 

If you object to the closing to today's Board of Education meeting notify the Board through the chat function of the virtual meeting or any other method available. The Board of Education will then have to comply with the law and send a copy of their Closing Statement from today's meeting to the Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board.  

The Parents' Coalition suggests the following options for objections to today's closed session of the Board of Education:  virtual chat, e-mail [ boe@mcpsmd.org ] , Twitter, phone 240-740-3030, or FAX  301-279-3860

Montgomery Co. Board of Education to Discuss Virtual Learning on Snow Dates in CLOSED Session while Anne Arundel Co. Discusses in OPEN Session.

Montgomery County Board of Education Closed Session for February 1, 2022 to discuss Virtual Learning on Snow Days.

 https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/CB4SXK74A6A6/$file/220201%20Resolution%20for%20Todays%20Closed%20Session.pdf

Meanwhile in Anne Arundel County their Board of Education will be discussing the same topic in an Open Session with an opportunity for Public Comment.

https://www.aacps.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=24362&dataid=91434&FileName=Agenda%2002-02-22.pdf

PRESS RELEASE from Anne Arundel County Board of Education: 

Anne Arundel County Public School: Board To Receive Presentation On AACPS' Virtual Learning Plan For Inclement Weather Days

4 More Schools Go Virtual as Omicron Variant Continues to Spread

Four more Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will revert to virtual learning for 10 days as the omicron variant continues to spread.

Loiederman Middle School, Harmony Hills, Pine Crest and Wheaton Woods elementary schools and the autism program at Westover Elementary School temporarily will cease in-school classes as of Jan. 31. They are expected to reopen their doors Feb. 10, according to an MCPS Community Message issued Thursday evening...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/4-more-schools-go-virtual-as-omicron-variant-continues-to-spread/

The Blake Beat: "I’ve always wanted to live out a dystopian fiction plotline. A huge health crisis going on globally, schools only caring about politics and not the safety of their community, spending my time always being worried about dying instead of normal teenage activities."

 I love it at school right now.

Nothing like walking into the hallways and breathing in a thick scent of dread and fear. Smells great, really. Some people are even pulling down their masks to get a nice whiff. Who could blame them?

We even get breaks from our teachers all the time! Isn’t that great? I mean, nobody likes their teacher, the person they’re plenty used to getting instruction from at this point in the year. It’s MUCH better to get a change of pace of teachers, especially burnt out teachers that need to be using the time to plan for their other classes or tend to the students who are stuck at home.

I get to go through my classes, nice and exhausted, and retain not a single word that was said. Doing my assignments by stumbling through them is so much better than actually trying. No stress about getting right or wrong answers if you BSed the whole thing. Really taking advantage of in-person learning, because students can REALLY get the benefits of in-person instruction. I’m definitely learning better than I ever would at home...

https://www.theblakebeat.com/live-laugh-love/

‘We stopped the spread of COVID’: Prince George’s schools CEO says unpopular decisions paying off

When Prince George’s County, Maryland, Public Schools leaders suddenly announced that the week leading up to winter break, and the two weeks after, would feature virtual learning, they acknowledge it wasn’t a popular decision.

But schools CEO Monica Goldson said the only thing school leaders could do with so many outbreaks spreading around the county was wait it out.

“We stopped the spread of COVID,” Goldson said at an event in Capitol Heights a week after kids returned to the classroom...

https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2022/01/we-stopped-the-spread-of-covid-pg-schools-ceo-says-unpopular-decisions-paying-off/

Jan. 18th @mcps COVID-19 Data for Active Cases Sorted from Highest to Lowest

 Montgomery County's Board of Education shut down their public reporting of student and staff active COVID-19 cases in schools weeks ago.

MCPS parents are now compiling their own data to track what is going on in schools.  Today's numbers are shown in the image and in the PDF below.  

This spreadsheet can be found here.  

Note: The data source is MCPS and many MCPS teachers and parents have reported the MCPS data that is released is not accurate. 

2022 Jan 18 MCPS Covid - Ac... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

Jan. 3rd: Whitman HS Teachers Has Option to Livestream their Classes on Zoom or use "Quarantine Instruction" model.

“All hands on deck”: Administrators introduce livestream instruction option, address temporary staff shortage

By Ethan Schenker
JANUARY 3, 2022

Whitman teachers will have the option to livestream their classes on Zoom when students return from winter break, according to an email Principal Robert Dodd sent to staff on Sunday. Dodd’s message also addressed expected gaps in staff coverage in the coming days.

Beginning Wednesday, teachers will be able to choose between two options for instructing students who are in quarantine. They may either livestream their classes on Zoom or deliver instruction through the existing “Quarantine Instruction” model, in which educators provide students at home with access to virtual school materials and establish direct contact through virtual check-ins or email.  

Teachers must communicate their chosen instructional method to quarantined students and can switch between the options from lesson to lesson. Educators who livestream their classes must position their microphone and laptop to ensure remote learners can hear and see the instruction over Zoom, but they won’t need to incorporate “interactive strategies” to include the students at home in-class activities, according to Dodd’s email...

https://theblackandwhite.net/71319/news/all-hands-on-deck-administrators-introduce-livestream-instruction-option-address-temporary-staff-shortage/

Montgomery Co. set to reveal new plans for shifting to virtual learning

After scrapping its previous formula on when a school switches to virtual learning due to COVID-19, Montgomery County, Maryland, schools are expected to soon reveal the new plan for making the pivot.

During a board of education meeting on Thursday, officials for the school district previewed the plan for shifting to 10 days of virtual learning if certain criteria were met.

Some of the factors include the number of students and teachers testing positive for COVID-19 over a 10-day period, the number of absences for students and teachers, and if the school doesn’t have enough substitute teachers. The number of unserved bus routes and the concerns of school officials about being able to safely and efficiently operate will also come into play with the decisions...

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2022/01/montgomery-co-set-to-reveal-new-plans-for-shifting-to-virtual-learning/?fbclid=IwAR30vwPjuUQj9-VG5uSsLvkEth1oYgOqCTyt-c7qdABabmg7m2KVqv2mCs8

Opinion: Montgomery County schools have failed the students

The Jan. 10 Metro article “Classes virtual this week at 11 Montgomery schools” missed many of the Montgomery County Public Schools’ failures. Unlike Prince George’s County, which went virtual temporarily during this coronavirus surge, MCPS is forcing kids to be physically in school. It should offer a virtual option, or at least do what is needed to keep them safe in school, but it is not...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/letters-to-the-editor/montgomery-county-schools-have-failed-the-students/2022/01/14/66038ef0-74a0-11ec-a26d-1c21c16b1c93_story.html

Montgomery Co. Executive says he isn't opposed to a temporary pause on in-person learning

ROCKVILLE, Md. (7News) — Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) declared Wednesday that he isn't opposed to the county's public school system temporarily pausing in-person learning amid Omicron.

"I'm very concerned about where we are with schools. This is clearly a no-win situation," Elrich stated during a Zoom call with reporters. "I have thought for a while that the pause idea made some sense, with some modifications. I've had conversations both with folks on the labor side and the administration on how to accommodate that."..

https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-public-schools-covid-in-person-learning-virtual-omicron-low-staffing-levels-pause-temporary-return?fbclid=IwAR2kUxpkmNCYtENyR1izy9ym76Tv2aIcpcFabNesOHpEj3_pzNfF7RQHMHo

Canceled buses and a superintendent in the classroom: How omicron has thrown schools into crisis

 

Meghan McCoy intended to send her child back to school in January, but as she watched coronavirus cases surge in Salem, N.H., she changed her mind — joining a slew of parents across the nation keeping their children home.

“We can’t in good conscience send them back when the spread is so high,” she said.

School districts across the country saw higher-than-usual absences among students in the first week back from winter break. Many had sick children, while others, like McCoy, decided it was too risky to let their children attend.

Students were not the only ones absent. Large numbers of teachers, counselors, bus drivers and school resource officers were also out — leading to some unusual solutions. In Miami, the superintendent said coaches and administration staff with teaching credentials — including himself — stepped in to fill in for absent teachers. Elsewhere, bus routes were canceled. A handful of schools closed or went remote after not being able to find enough instructors...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/07/student-teacher-absences-omicron/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social

@Poppendieck @MCPS has reported over 10,000 students and staff infected in the last 14 days. That means at least 50 of them will likely develop long COVID. Death is not the only metric of concern.

@MCPS has reported over 10,000 students and staff infected in the last 14 days. That means at least 50 of them will likely develop long COVID. Death is not the only metric of concern. https://t.co/XsK0cmcTxL

— Dustin Poppendieck (@Poppendieck) January 7, 2022

MCPS eliminates 5 percent COVID threshold to closer align with other large school systems

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — Three days after rolling out a new color-coded COVID-positivity model, Montgomery County Public Schools said it is eliminating the concept, effective immediately.

In a Friday afternoon letter to its entire school community, MCPS explained it wants to closer align with other large school systems across the country when it comes to keeping schools safe during the Omicron chapter of COVID. MCPS also noted that it reached this decision after the state of Maryland provided "clarifications" on the "appropriate use of thresholds for transitioning to virtual learning."

"The state of Maryland does not currently recommend any automatic trigger or threshold for the suspension of in-person learning," MCPS' letter said in part. "Therefore, MCPS will no longer use a threshold of 5% or more of unrelated students and staff in a school who test positive in a 14-day period to consider a transition to virtual learning."..

https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-public-schools-maryland-color-code-green-yellow-red-covid-positivity-threshold-virtual-learning-eliminates-stops-days

Petition up to 8,130 Signatures - MCPS Board of Education: We need virtual learning right now

Amid the recent surge of COVID cases in the country, specifically the omicron variant, it is unsafe to hold students in schools that do not mandate any social distancing and allow masks to be taken off. 

A month ago, MCPS announced that if a school reached a student infection rate of 5 percent, the school would be reviewed by MCPS and the Department of Health and Human Services to go virtual for two weeks. County officials are scared now -- one day after winter break, 11 schools were above the 5% rate, and two days later, 126 schools were. 

Not expecting this extreme upsurge, the county is scrambling now, trying to force us to stay in school, even though they know it is unsafe. Their justification? A social media interaction between the county and Mike Ricci, a spokesman for Governor Larry Hogan. Ricci said, “The 5% is not a metric for the suspension of in-person learning or a conversation about it, and should not be used that way by any school system.”

Larry Hogan: the governor who announced that Maryland is in a “state of emergency,” with COVID hospitalizations increasing by 500% due to omicron. We need to resist this hypocrisy and keep students and MCPS staff members safe, not to mention possibly immunocompromised family members. 

https://www.change.org/p/mcps-board-of-education-we-need-virtual-learning-right-now

~~~~~~~~~~

Second Petition has 1,841 names:

https://www.change.org/p/montgomery-county-public-schools-mpcs-should-go-virtual-2022-due-to-soaring-covid-numbers?recruiter=1047796086&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_message&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=588eba90-60fe-11ea-8d87-2df72b1dafb7&share_bandit_exp=message-31959818-en-US

Baltimore County schools prepare for potential transitions to virtual learning

Baltimore County schools will be closed for two days to give teachers time to prepare for potential transition to virtual learning amid a surge in coronavirus cases, leaders from the school system and five labor unions announced in a message to the community on Saturday.

Baltimore County Superintendent Darryl L. Williams and the top officials from its five labor unions said in their message that school buildings would be closed on Monday and Tuesday "to provide staff with the time needed to prepare instructional lessons in the event of a temporary transition to virtual learning for their specific school.”

They noted that “independent learning activities” were prepared for the students so that their education would not be as disrupted...

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/588873-baltimore-county-schools-close-for-two-days-as-teachers-prepare-for?rl=1

MCPS needs to transition Whitman into virtual learning for two weeks — immediately.

 By Editorial Staff

JANUARY 4, 2022

Since our return to in-person school, Whitman students have, for the most part, managed to avoid a surge in coronavirus cases. We’ve worn our masks, stayed home during sickness and gotten tested when necessary in an attempt to keep the pandemic on a downward trajectory. 

Despite our efforts, 101 of us — 4.56% of the student body — have reported testing positive for coronavirus with active cases as of January 3. 

For many, the possibility of resorting back to virtual learning may feel like the worst-case scenario. But the recent spike in cases indicates that we are, indeed, confronting a dire situation –– one that threatens not just our community but the rest of our in-person school year. 

And that’s why MCPS should immediately transition Whitman’s instruction to virtual learning for 14 days. 

The rapidly spreading omicron variant — which has already outpaced delta — poses a danger we’ve never seen before. For almost all of the country, the variant has resulted in the tightening of previously-loosened pandemic rules. The U.S. is averaging nearly 500,000 cases a day, over the last seven-day period, with urban areas remaining particularly vulnerable...

https://theblackandwhite.net/71328/opinion/mcps-needs-to-transition-whitman-into-virtual-learning-for-two-weeks-immediately/?fbclid=IwAR3Bl3eDUO66KGjyhwD2Nhctx-YgySmQNlOltbQo1Jlphp0-z2HQR1lvjqY