Hogan Announcement

By Leo Kugel

September 1, 2020

Just days before students’ return to school last Monday, Governor Larry Hogan made a surprising announcement that all Maryland schools had been fully authorized to reopen in-person.

The decision comes after high schools and colleges across the country attempted reopenings just to become Covid hotspots within days of students returning to campus.

Needless to say, the news caught many across the state off guard and some were upset with its timing. MCPS responded to Hogan with a written statement, which read in part: “we are deeply disappointed by the last-minute announcement of this critical information for school systems” and that “will begin the school year in a virtual-only instructional model on August 31, as scheduled.”

During the press conference, Hogan, along with Dr. Jinlene Chan, Acting Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services and State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Karen Salmon, cited Maryland’s declining positive test rate for Covid as reason to forge ahead towards more face-to-face instruction. According to the State, “Last week, for the first time, the COVID-19 positivity rate for all 24 jurisdictions in Maryland fell below the 5% milestone.” By dipping under the five percent rate, Maryland can officially comply with the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization’s recommended bench mark.

While Hogan, Chan, and Salmon all believe Maryland schools can open safely, they are steadfast in their acknowledgement of the importance of the continuation of health and safety precautions including mask wearing and social distancing. Salmon also promised that the State would “continue to work in conjunction with local health officials to monitor trends in the metrics and any outbreaks at area schools.”

Included in the press conference was a commitment from Hogan and the State to allocate $10 million to help school systems transition back into an in-person model. Despite the large sum, some are worried it won’t be enough to safely reopen schools. Jess Gartner, founder of Allovue, a company that makes software to help schools equitably distribute their budget, wrote in a recent tweet that after prorating “the major professional education org[anizations’] estimates for reopening costs for Maryland schools/students based on enrollment” the cost would be approximately $1.69 to 3.3 billion.

While it remains to be seen how schools’ systems will re-evaluate their recovery plans, it’s clear that, even in the face of criticism, the generally well-liked Governor has made reopening schools and the State as whole, is a top priority. Just days after announcing schools would reopen, he also decided to start with stage three of Maryland’s Covid recovery plan.