Prince George's Schools Considers 3 Options For Classes This Fall

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Prince George's County Public Schools is considering what school will look like when it fall rolls around. The school system recently sent out a survey to parents, teachers, administration and community members asking how they would prefer to proceed. The results leave PGCPS with three options.

The county is in the process of deciding whether to return to in-person schooling, offer a hybrid model or continue with distance learning. Nearly 18,000 people gave their input through the questionnaire. Survey respondents preferred hybrid and distance models over the in-person option.

Distance learning was the most popular model, registering 46 percent of the vote. The hybrid option was not far behind, with 42 percent of respondents preferring this method. The final 12 percent of people wanted to return to in-person instruction.

PGCPS will follow "strict preventative measures" whenever the school system reopens, CEO Monica Goldson said in a press release.

"This is no easy task," Goldson said. "There are many factors to consider and many decisions to be made in a short amount of time."

The survey offered two options for what a hybrid system could look like. Students would alternate between two days of in-person instruction and two days of distance learning under the first model, which 80 percent of respondents favored. Students would alternate between a week of in-person learning and a week of distance instruction in the second model.

Teacher responsiveness to students' questions, maintaining social distancing and requiring masks for all students and staff were top priorities for more than 70 percent of those surveyed. The survey also suggested that most people thought PGCPS communicated and taught well during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I understand your concerns about any scenario and we will work through them together," Goldson said.

The latest coronavirus updates from PGCPS are available here.

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