COVID-19 Guidance, Resources and Updates
for Maryland Schools and Communities
Multiple state agencies are collaborating on and are committed to the health and safety of students and staff in the school setting. We are working collaboratively with the Governor's Office, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and all other relevant State agencies on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Maryland State Department of Education will remain vigilant in providing all information regarding the virus as it pertains to the health and safety of students and staff in our schools.
Click Here to learn more information on COVID-19.
Invitation to provide comment/input:
Dr. Salmon Governor’s Press Conference Remarks 6.10.2020
Thank you Governor for your continued leadership. Today I am excited and optimistic to share some positive news about moving education forward in Maryland. In light of the encouraging data we have seen in recent weeks that allowed the Governor to move the State into stage two of the Roadmap to Recovery, the education community has been able to move alongside the rest of the State.
School systems will now be able to bring small groups of students and staff into school buildings for summer school programming. After consultation with leading public health experts, that would mean having between 10-15 individuals maximum at a time in rooms within school buildings.
Students with the most intense learning needs are the ones that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, and without an intense focus on these students they would be among the last to recover.
Therefore, I strongly encourage local school systems to focus any return to school buildings for summer instruction on those that have been most deeply impacted by the pandemic or those that have struggled with distance learning.
This likely includes younger children, students who are the farthest behind academically, students who lack the capacity to work independently, and students without the proper resources to participate in distance learning effectively.
Long-standing gaps in educational opportunity and access have been further exposed and widened during this COVID-19 crisis. Now is the time for school systems to engage their equity plans. This is required by a regulation that I recommended and that was passed by the State Board of Education, so that these groups of students are our first priority in the recovery plan for Maryland education.
It is incumbent upon State and local leaders in education to maintain the emphasis on equity and action for those most affected by current events.
Additionally, all nonpublic special education schools may reopen to serve students with disabilities. These schools may begin bringing small groups of children back into their buildings under the same capacity parameters as public school systems. As one of the first programs to reopen following extended school closures, Maryland’s nonpublic special education schools may develop a model for replication across the State during this recovery period.
This reopening allows for instruction to many students with disabilities through an alternative service delivery model, including opportunities for face-to-face instruction. Eligible programs that opt to reopen will need to develop a recovery plan aligned with the new service delivery system. This plan will require thoughtful planning and intentional collaboration from all parties to ensure the continuum of teaching and learning and the smooth transition of students returning to a physical school building. Health and safety protocols and procedures that are in accordance with State guidelines must be addressed prior to reopening.
In the coming days as we move forward with the state’s recovery, all child care providers may reopen as long as they follow the health department protocols listed on the MSDE website and also adhere to class size restrictions.
We are expanding the number of individuals that child care providers can have in one room to a maximum of 15 total. This will assist both providers and members of the community as many parents and families return to work.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, local school systems and MSDE have consistently maintained student access to nutritious meals with more than 13 million meals served since the start of school closures. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended several waivers through the end of summer to include non-congregate meals, meal service time flexibility and allowing parents and guardians to pick up meals on behalf of their children.