Maryland Schools Weigh Pros, Cons Of Returning Students For Hybrid Learning
GLEN BURNIE, Md. (WJZ) -- In just a matter of weeks, some students in Anne Arundel County will have the option to go back into a classroom.
Thursday night, the school board approved a hybrid learning plan for "as many students as possible."
With teachers being moved toward the front of the line to get vaccinated, the union president says he's optimistic, but there are still concerns.
CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:
- TIMELINE: Coronavirus In Maryland, Tracking The Spread
- Latest coronavirus stories from WJZ
- Latest CDC Guidelines
"Safety is our top priority and when school buildings are able to reopen, we want it to be in a safe way that is able to sustain that reopening," Russell Leone, the President of the Teachers' Association in Anne Arundel County, said. "We don't want a situation where we re-open, but then numbers skyrocket again, and then we have to close back up."
Baltimore City also has plans to start expanding in-person learning by mid-February.
Baltimore City Schools CEO, Dr. Sonja Santelises says this is necessary, especially since more than 60% of freshmen are failing a class.
"For us, what that means is that this does not just impact for this year's ninth-graders, it impacts for the next four years," Dr. Santelises said.
Carroll County resumed hybrid learning earlier in the month, but days later, there were reports that 118 staff members were quarantining because they may have been exposed in their community or were showing symptoms.
Howard County is eyeing a possible hybrid model for the fourth quarter which begins in mid-April.
Baltimore and Harford Counties are still in a virtual learning mode. In Harford County, officials expressed concern about moving too fast, when the COVID-19 metrics are still serious.
Some experts have said the COVID-19 transmission rates in schools have been very low or zero in some cases, but some unions in the region are still concerned.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.