Parents in Montgomery County continue to push for answers about when kids will go back to school
ROCKVILLE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Will kids ever go back to in-person learning anytime soon? It’s a question that many parents in Montgomery County are continuing to ask.
Montgomery County Public Schools and the county’s Board of Education continue to say that they are working to enhance on the plans that are already in place but have not been able to come up with a target date of return.
FOX 5's Ayesha Khan has been hearing from various parents for quite some time and has been digging to get answers.
FOX 5 has continuously requested to speak with school superintendent Dr. Jack Smith, in addition to sending requests for interviews with the board of education, but our requests have been denied each time.
On Tuesday, the board listed what it has laid out in the plans, including equipping schools with plenty of supplies like personal protective equipment and touchless sanitizer dispensers. Other plans include which groups of kids to bring back first and how but did not specify, when.
Some parents weighing in said, the board meetings continue to discuss those said topics but members have failed to produce any results.
“I was hoping they would have concrete ideas and set dates for when they would be going back to school,” said Anna Schor, whose son attends school within MCPS.
It was back in July that our cameras were allowed inside of College Gardens Elementary School in Rockville, showing us what types of safety protocols would be in place for in-person instruction.
That included lines on the floor that are six feet apart, hand-washing stations at school and classroom entrances and other locations throughout the facility.
Classroom occupancy cut to 50 percent and mandatory face coverings.
When we asked MCPS Wednesday, if we could do the same again to show parents what the school system has been up to —we were turned down.
“I would like to see in terms of how well they are doing with managing the virus outbreak and I would like to see how they are planning to set up the classrooms,” said Schor.
READ MORE: Maryland high school sports can return in October, state says
Ayesha Khan also inquired with MCPS about surveys the school system sent to parents last month which asks, how virtual learning is going. The school system did not immediately respond to our inquiry about whether it has received any feedback or results.
One board member during Tuesday’s meeting asked about progress the school system is making to upgrade its HVAC systems and installing filters in order to improve ventilation.
It’s a concern that has come up during the plan for making schools safer during the pandemic.
MCPS spokeswoman, Gboyinde Onijala said, work surrounding ventilation and HVAC filter upgrades is ongoing and that the school system has asked for supplemental funding from the county. She did not provide dates on when the work will be completed.
“I just saw the request yesterday and we are trying to figure out where to find the money from,” explained county executive Marc Elrich, during a virtual, weekly briefing Wednesday.
According to Craig Rice, Chair of the County Council's Education and Culture Committee, there may be possible sources.
“There may not be $7 million cash sitting around but there are certainly shifts we can make in our budget,” said Rice.
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Meanwhile, when it comes to bringing kids back for in-person sports, many parents are rallying that it can be done safely, but board member Dr. Judith Docca presented her own question about that notion during Tuesday’s board meeting.
“I’m trying to figure out, why it’s so important to some of the parents and kids to have athletics when we are not having any other classes?” Docca asked.
“Is it because there’s a possibility of scholarships that are related to the athletics? I mean the academics are really important too.”
Ayesha asked board member Karla Silvestre if the reopening plans the board has in place were presented or sent to the state. She didn’t have an answer and said that someone will get back to us about it. By 6 p.m Wednesday, we had not received a follow-up response to our inquiry.
Meanwhile, Dr. Travis Gayles, the county’s health officer said that MCPS cannot make any definitive decisions yet because the school system is continuing to monitor community transmission. He said the county’s current community transmission rate remains on the higher end which is closer to 10 as opposed to closer to 5 per 100,000 people.