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.
Guidance for Use of Cloth Face Coverings in Schools
Updated August 28, 2020
For more information on COVID-19.
Important Update:
September 1, 2020 State Board of Education Presentation on Student Engagement
Student Engagement Recommendations
Adopted by the State Board September 1, 2020
Invitation to provide comment/input:
Updates from the State Superintendent
Opening Remarks by State Superintendent Karen B. Salmon, Ph.D.
Board of Education Meeting: October 26, 2020
Before we begin some of our presentations today, I want to take a few minutes to talk about the reopening of our schools. The success of the path to recovery depends on the actions of all leaders in our State. It has been said that true leaders act during chaotic times and it is our responsibility as educators to take actions now that will return students gradually and safely to in-person instruction. The stakes could not be higher.
A study conducted by Emily Oster, a researcher at Brown University on almost 200,000 students in 47 states from the last two weeks of September revealed an infection rate of 0.13 percent among students and 0.24 percent among staff. That’s about 1.3 infections over two weeks in a school of 1,000 kids, or 2.2 infections over two weeks in a group of 1,000 staff. Even in high-risk areas of the country, the student rates were well under half a percent. The lead researcher on the dashboard, Dr. Emily Oster, has written in the
Atlantic and the New York Times about schools not being super-spreaders. Her assertions seem to be supported by data, and she is a highly reputable economist and researcher. I actually have the opportunity to meet with Dr. Oster on Wednesday, along with my Chief State Officer colleagues across the Nation to discuss her findings in more detail.