No Fans At Sporting Events, Field Trips Canceled At AACPS

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Effective March 11, all large scale school-related public events and all school field trips not part of the core mission of instruction are canceled. Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent George Arlotto based his decision on advice from county health officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman.

Kalyanaraman’s recommendation came after a woman visiting Anne Arundel County from Montana was diagnosed with new coronavirus. The woman does not have any known ties to Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Kalynaraman did not recommend any school closures and schools will continue to operate on normal schedules.

“This continues to be a rapidly changing situation and I am incredibly grateful for the collaboration of the county executive and his team – especially the county department of health – and the City of Annapolis,” said Arlotto in a statement, who took part in a meeting of leaders from Anne Arundel County and the city this afternoon. “We remain committed to operating our school system as normally as possible, but we must be prudent and cautious in that approach.”

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Spring athletic events will be allowed to continue, though games, matches and meets will take place without spectators. Contests that take place in high school stadiums are livestreamed through the National Federation of High Schools and can be viewed here.

To summarize, until further notice, the following are canceled as a result of Arlotto’s announcement:

• Field trips that are not part of core mission of school system instruction. School system administrators are examining scheduled field trips now and will notify schools of the status of those trips by the end of the week.
• Grandparents Day and similar events that involve the public visiting schools.
• School assemblies in which large numbers of students congregate and hear from speakers and presenters from outside the school or school system.
• School performances such as plays, musicals and concerts unless they take place without public audiences.
• Awards events with public audiences such as the Regional Science and Engineering Expo scheduled for March 12 and the Excellence in Education Awards scheduled for April 16. Plans for alternate ways to present those awards will be announced as they are formulated.

No decisions have been made regarding high school proms or graduations, or elementary and middle school promotional exercises. Visitors to schools should remain mindful of and be prepared to answer questions from school staff about recent travel.