Maryland extends closure of schools through May 15 amid battle against coronavirus

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Maryland has extended the closure of schools through May 15 as the state battles the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

“After extensive consultation with the State Board of Education and leading public health experts in the state, I am extending the closure of schools," Maryland State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon said in a press conference Friday.

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Salmon said they will use this time to evaluate every option for the remainder of the school year and into the summer in an attempt to develop a long-term plan for recovery.

On Friday, FOX 5's Ayesha Khan spoke with some students and their parents in Montgomery County66l about how distance learning has been going so far.

“Everyone is just trying to figure it out," said ninth-grader Elyssa Shenker.

She attends Winston Churchill High School and considers herself to be pretty tech-savvy with plenty of support from her teachers—but admits it hasn’t been the easiest navigating online learning. 

“Some teachers have been using myMCPS classroom and other teachers are using google classroom so I think it would be easier if every teacher would use the same platform," said Shenker.

Elyssa’s mom is worried about the long term impact of missing out on the actual in-classroom experience.

“How will they continue in the future will things have to be more leveled so that students can be brought up if they have missed time or were not able to access on the instructional materials," said Stacey Shenker.

Meanwhile, Saba Ahmed in Germantown has kids in elementary school but she too is concerned about how her children will make up for lost time and how the school system will try to re-engage an entire school community once kids go back.  

“Children who are on grade level or above grade level perhaps they will be able to catch up but what about the kids who are below grade level? who can’t keep up?" asked Ahmed.

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The state of Maryland has more than 11,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with 425 deaths. 

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the closures of schools in the District for the remainder of the academic year Friday morning..

Mayor Bowser said that distance learning will continue through May 29, which is three weeks earlier than originally planned.