Classroom Concerns: 16,559 Students Quarantined, 4,042 Confirmed Student Covid-19 Cases In Maryland Schools
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland's Board of Education revealed Tuesday there have been 4,042 confirmed cases among students in schools statewide and 681 cases among staff members. At least,16,559 students have been quarantined, along with 784 staff members since schools reopened.
And those numbers do not include cases this week.
Maryland state board of education chart shows 4,042 confirmed student #COVID19 cases and 681 among staff; 16,559 students have been quarantined; 784 staff have been quarantined (updated Sept 22) @wjz pic.twitter.com/JTGQTBbFcN
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) September 28, 2021
Barbara Carter is outraged over the handling of the covid outbreak at her grandson's school, Cherry Hill Elementary-Middle in South Baltimore, where there have been at least 15 confirmed cases. She is worried both of them are at risk of getting infected.
"Shut it down! Shut it down! Shut it down!" Carter told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "It has gotten totally out of control. I'm not sending [my grandson] back in here."
James Ward, who has a niece and nephew at the school, also said he believes the school should not be open to in-person instruction.
And Cherry Hill is not even the school with the most cases in the city. There have been 24 in the past 10 days at Calvin Rodwell Elementary Middle.
You can see city schools' covid dashboard here.
A raft of new information on the pandemic was revealed at a meeting of state education leaders Tuesday.
When it comes to teacher vaccination rates, only 49 percent of Harford County teachers who live in the county are vaccinated, while 84 percent of teachers are vaccinated in Baltimore City.
Maryland State Board of Education releases percentages of teachers who are vaccinated statewide (as of 9/22). 49% in Harford Co (of the teachers who live there) and 84% Baltimore City pic.twitter.com/FRkFetrsQ8
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) September 28, 2021
The Maryland Department of Health is expected to release updated numbers on cases in schools Wednesday.
Some lawmakers are pushing the state to require children to get vaccines in order to go to school.
At a legislative hearing Monday, several senators told the Maryland Secretary of Health they would like him to consider requiring the vaccine for eligible students.
"When I was in school, they lined us up for polio and smallpox vaccines. There wasn't any question," said Senator Ron Young, a Frederick County Democrat. "I think we have the authority to do that, and if we want to break this thing, we have to start taking more bold steps."