Activities Resume At Some HCPSS Schools, Others Remain Banned Due To COVID Case Levels

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Certain school-related activities at specific buildings within the Howard County Public School System can resume effective immediately. Howard County Public School System Superintendent Michael Martirano shared that in the past two weeks, positive cases in schools have "increased at an alarming rate." He contributed that jump to in-person gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday and colder weather bringing people indoors, along with the spread of the Omicron and Delta variants.

"These past few days have allowed us to work alongside the Howard County Health Department and gain greater clarity on the areas and activities being most impacted by this increase. Additionally, it has allowed us to implement critical screening testing at schools with the highest rate in an effort to slow the spread as quickly as possible," he said. "We are now to a point where we can begin to resume some activities, with precautions, and be more tactical in decisions that will be driven by data and guidance by our health partners."

Because of their current high rates of spread, all activities outside of the school day at Oakland Mills, Hammond and Mt. Hebron high schools and Laurel Woods Elementary School will remain suspended until further notice, Martirano said.

Immediate Resumption of Activities

The following activities and events may resume immediately. Masks must be worn during all indoor activities.

• Athletics team practices may occur entirely outside
• Theater, music and dance rehearsals
• Clubs and other extracurricular activities not considered athletics and don’t require travel
• Tutoring and academic interventions
• Certain field trips communicated by each school
• Outdoor events in the community
• After school community use of facilities

Activities Resuming Jan. 3, 2022

The following activities can resume Jan. 3. Masks must be worn during all indoor activities except when student-athletes are actively participating in practices and competitions indoors or outdoors.

• Indoor athletics practices
• Dance performances
• Music concerts and performances
• Travel for extracurricular activities

The Howard County board of education will require a plan for resuming all in-person activities that includes a test-to-play requirement for athletics and theater, which will be developed within the week, Martirano said.

"Athletics competitions and theater performances will be permitted to resume once that plan is in place and at a point following the resumption of practices on Jan. 3. Decisions to suspend activities moving forward will be made on a school-by-school and activity-by-activity basis with input from the health department," he said. "Thank you for your understanding as we seek to keep our school communities healthy and safe for students, staff and families. This brief pause was critical as it allowed us to examine how we make decisions during a time of significant cases. Additionally, it allowed us to quickly implement a critical testing screening program in collaboration with the Health Department at schools currently experiencing the highest numbers of cases.

"I will continue to make decisions with the primary focus of keeping school buildings healthy and open through the entire school year. We will pay close attention to the rapidly evolving data and implement necessary mitigation strategies, Martirano added. "Over the winter break, please take all efforts to remain healthy. The last thing I want to happen is to have to suspend activities again in January due to another significant escalation of cases."