For Now, Maryland State Board Of Education Keeps Masks on Children - Issue #20
For Now, Maryland State Board Of Education Keeps Masks on Children - Issue #20
Maryland State Board of Education Keeps Masks
Maryland State Board of Education responded to Gov. Larry Hogans's message, encouraging the institution to rescind school mask mandates, saying that, for now, the state will continue to have children and teachers wear masks inside of buildings.
Clarence Crawford, the president of the Maryland State Board of Education, essentially said that there are off-ramp metrics that would allow them to cease mask-wearing. However, as it stands, schools have not met those metrics. One metric is that schools need to demonstrate "14 consecutive days of moderate or low transmission rate of COVID-19 cases," according to the letter. Those off-ramp metrics are informed by the Center For Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 mask policies.
Early this week, as some politicians in Maryland called to rescind mask mandates, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky stated that it was too early for states to rescind mask mandates. Note: There doesn't seem to be any Prince George's County Democrats asking to rescind mask mandates. This is not true for other Democratic leaders in other states. In fact, Prince George's County council members voted to extend mask-wearing to March 9, 2022.
I reached out to Prince George's County Public Schools communication team about mask-wearing, but I have not heard anything back from them.
Maryland State Board Of Education letter to Gov. Hogan:
Dear Governor Hogan:
On behalf of the State Board of Education, I express our appreciation for your strong leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and your steadfast support of Maryland public schools. Like you, the State Board of Education and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) continue to prioritize safe, full-time, in-person learning with minimal disruption. The Maryland State Board of Education is watching with optimism as Covid-19 metrics improve in the State. In fact, the State Board issued the current not-to-exceed 180-day face-covering emergency regulation with off-ramps during the Omicron surge, in anticipation of an improving environment in which face coverings would no longer be needed as we learn to live with the virus. As a transition to ultimately lifting the face-covering requirement, these research-based off-ramps allow local superintendents and school boards to unilaterally lift the requirement as follows:
1. A local board of education may lift the face-covering requirement in a public meeting if at least 80 percent of the county population in the county where the schools are located is fully vaccinated, as reported by the Maryland Department of Health.
2. The local superintendent may lift the face-covering requirement for a school facility or facilities after a principal or designated school official verifies that 80 percent of the school staff and students in the school facility have been fully vaccinated.
3. The local superintendent may lift the face-covering requirement in schools if the county has sustained 14 consecutive days of moderate or low transmission rate of COVID-19 cases, as reported by the CDC. At each monthly meeting, the State Board reviews current COVID-19 metrics in the State to assess the need for the continuation of the regulation.
Our commitment has not changed, and we look forward to reviewing the latest data and health guidance at the State Board meeting on February 22, 2022. As you know, the State Board has and continues to rely upon science, research, and guidance from public health experts, including the CDC and the Maryland Department of Health in its efforts to ensure schools remain safely open. Again, we deeply appreciate your strong leadership and support throughout this once-in-a-century pandemic. We, too, share your desire not to let this pandemic distract us from aggressively addressing the learning loss and social-emotional harm this pandemic has done to our children. We look forward to working with you and stakeholders across the state to provide an excellent and equitable education for every Maryland child.