HCPSS Students To Return To School In Phases Starting March 1

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Beginning in March, Howard County students will start returning to the classroom with a hybrid in-person A-group/B-group plan in which students are split up into two different groups. The Howard County school board approved a plan at its meeting Tuesday after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and State Superintendent Karen Salmon stated recently that school districts would be mandated to open in a hybrid format by March 1. The school district’s approximately 56,000 students have been learning online since last April when the coronavirus pandemic prompted officials to shut its doors.

Howard County school board members approved in-person learning up to five days per week for students with disabilities, special learning needs, difficulty with virtual learning and English learners who have been identified by school officials. They have the option of returning to school the week of March 1.

Students in pre-kindergarten through second grade are slated to return to school via the hybrid model starting the week of March 15. Students in grades three, four, five, six, nine and 12th, along with career and technical education students, will fall under the hybrid model the week of March 29. Students in grades 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th will not return to the hybrid learning plan until the week of April 12.

Families are able to keep their students engaged in 100 percent online learning if they choose. If they wish to switch students to the hybrid plan, students will attend classes in person up to two days per week and engage in online learning the other days of the week.

According to the school district, one group of students will learn in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the other group of students will attend school in person on Thursdays and Fridays. Educators will be tasked with teaching both in-person and virtual students simultaneously. Wednesdays will be available for virtual help and homework for all students, as well as planning and training for teachers.

Howard County Public School System Superintendent Michael J. Martirano said at a work session Monday that many school nurses and health assistants had already received the COVID-19 vaccine. However, after speaking with Dr. Maura Rossman, Howard County Health Officer, Martirano learned that the "pace of vaccinations should not impact decisions related to reopening," he said during the work session.

Martirano also was informed that COVID-19 metrics should not affect the decision to reopen either, he shared at the work session. As of Jan. 24, the 7-day average for positive cases per 100,000 Howard County residents was 24.21 and the 7-day average positivity rate was 5.59 percent.

"Nowhere in the state’s guidance document is there a requirement that health metrics be at a certain level prior to implementing a hybrid instructional model. In fact, the guidance document goes to great lengths to demonstrate that the spread in schools does not align to the spread and
metrics of the general population," Martirano stated. "I want to make clear that students and staff who return to school buildings and/or ride school buses will wear protective face masks and adhere to social distancing and other guidelines to ensure we maintain a healthy school and work environment."

The school district now will survey families to determine how many students will opt for the hybrid plan and how many will remain virtual for the rest of the school year. Teachers and staff also will be surveyed to gauge who will be returning to school, taking a leave of absence or retiring.

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