By Caitlyn Freeman
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
After nearly 18 months of mostly online instruction, Baltimore County’s 111,000 students returned to public school buildings Monday to start an academic year still being shadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.
As the new school year begins, BCPS teachers and staff are all required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly screening testing.
In addition, all students, teachers and staff are required to wear masks inside school buildings and on busses regardless of vaccination status, according to the school systems COVID-19 protocols known as “Safety Is Our True North.”
BCPS students who were interviewed this week said they were excited as they entered the building on Monday.
Christian Thomas, a senior at Eastern Technical High School in Essex and the student member of the school board, said it was “amazing” to be back in-person.
“I didn’t realize the amount of pressure that was put on us in virtual learning, and how a lot of that was relieved when you’re back in the building,” Thomas said.
He noticed that his teachers were more excited to see students return compared to previous years.
BCPS Superintendent Darryl L. Williams shared similar sentiments during a press conference on Monday at Loch Raven High School in Towson. He said the school system is excited about the return to in-person learning and is working to ensure proper communication regarding COVID-19 policies and protocols to the school board and principals.
“We’re working with our unions and our board just to keep them updated and informed,” Williams said Monday. “Really a lot of this is falling on our principals in terms of the communication that’s happening in each one of our 175 schools, centers and programs. So [Monday was] a good day. The first day of school is always exciting.”
Cindy Sexton, the president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO), said teachers are excited to see a return to in-person instruction. However, Sexton said union officials wish there was more clarity from the administration about the school systems COVID-19 protocols, specifically regarding what happens if a student comes in close contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.
The current guidelines state that when a positive test result arises, the person is excluded from in-person activities for at least 10 days from symptom onset. A “community notice” will be issued when a positive case occurs within a school. The school system will also update its online “COVID Dashboard” weekly with the newest data on cases.
Further guidance states that a BCPS nurse will work to identify and notify “close contacts” of a positive case should one occur and help determine if quarantine is needed. The school system defines a “close contact” as a person who comes within six feet of someone who tested positive for 15 minutes or more, with exceptions.
Carter Bohart, a senior at Eastern Technical, said while he’s excited about being back in the classroom, he’s nervous about the possibility of returning to virtual instruction because of positive COVID-19 cases.
“I completely understand that it’s a precaution that needs to be made,” Bohart said. “I got vaccinated, I wear my masks so that I can be in the school building and be able to learn with my peers. But if I have to quarantine for two weeks, that’s two weeks that I’m going to be out of instruction and two weeks of material that I’m going to be missing for the seven classes that I’m taking.”
Both Bohart and Thomas said they feel the protocols put in place by the school system are adequate overall.
“Personally, I feel safe in the classroom, with masks, knowing that a lot of my friends who I am around all day chose to be vaccinated. But there’s nothing that really concerns me surrounding safety and COVID,” Bohart said.
However, he added that the school felt a bit “hectic” this week due to the number of students in the building compared to the hybrid model last spring.
Eastern Tech Junior Maja Durkovic shared similar thoughts, adding that the school’s lunch period feels overcrowded even with additional locations in the building being used to seat students.
“This is for like every school in the county,” Durkovic said. “As far as I’m aware that we even open our lobby and gym to put tables in for kids to eat, and it’s still amazingly crowded. So, it’s very suffocating. And […] compared to the cafeteria, you’re so distanced in classrooms, and then of course, in the cafeteria is the one place where you can’t wear the mask.”
As the third largest school system in the state returned to in-person instruction this week, others who’ve already been back in school are seeing spikes in positive COVID-19 cases.
According to Brandon Oland, the communications manager for Fredrick County Public Schools, 66 students have tested positive countywide, with 10 cases coming from Walkersville High School specifically.
Currently, 1,120 students in the school system are out on a “COVID-related absence,” which includes students who’ve tested positive for the virus or were in close contact with someone who tested positive or exhibited symptoms. Oland said the school system, which began the school year on Aug, 19, didn’t have data on how many students in each individual school were absent due to the virus.
Speaking at Loch Raven High School on Monday, State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury said the state is expecting to see positive COVID-19 cases but won’t be closing down schools as a result. He added that the superintendents of the localities are working to ensure student safety.
“I do not see a scenario where we have to close a single school down in Maryland,” Choudhury said.
Williams said BCPS will address possible cases on a school-by-school basis and work to address them individually as they arise.
While hopeful about the five-days of in-person instruction, Sexton said there is concern about possible quarantines.
“We would love to be able to keep all the students in school, five days a week, and I know that that is the goal of the state superintendent and also Baltimore County schools,” Sexton said. “But we also have to be realistic that there may be a time, and I hope it doesn’t happen, where it needs to be more directed like maybe a school or a classroom may need to be quarantined or shut down.”