Montgomery County parents speak out on district's handling of COVID-19 at town hall

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - County Councilman Tom Hucker hosted a town hall for Montgomery County Public School parents Sunday afternoon, discussing the district's latest response to COVID-19.

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Hucker’s office organized the town hall Saturday, and Sunday, nearly 4,000 people into the zoom, which featured nearly 50 speakers.

The speeches had a variety of thoughts across the spectrum.

Some families wanted a couple of weeks of virtual learning until the current COVID surge goes down. Other families say in-person school must continue now for children’s mental health and development.,

Teachers spoke indicating that the staffing issues were challenging.

READ MORE: Montgomery County parents, teachers frustrated by COVID spikes, staffing shortages

Last week, MCPS made some policy changes for what would prompt a school to go virtual, they had bus driver issues that impacted routes and had challenges communicating changes to families.

"The decisions they’ve made and the tone they’ve used to communicate them have shattered my confidence that they’re making the safest decisions for my child’s safety. For the first time during this pandemic, I feel like my family is alone, left with untenable and desperate choices. MCPS, once an advocate and ally for my child’s education and well-being, now seems to me to be an adversary," said Matt Oldham, a parent.

In a statement released before the zoom started, Acting Superintendent Monifa McKnight indicated the district needed to do better.

READ MORE: More than half of Montgomery County Public Schools showing COVID-19 'outbreak'

"While the circumstances leading to these disruptions are beyond our control, we should have done a better job communicating with you about these challenges and clarifying our response," McKnight said.

In the letter, McKnight shared she was diagnosed with COVID early last week and was working from home.

Hucker tells FOX 5 that the council doesn’t have authority over the schools, that the Board of Education does. Hucker indicated the board needs more information from the district and the Health Department about best practices.  

The MCPS letter that went to families included a commitment to work more closely with the health department about the best policies moving forward.

MCPS also announced a 6:30 p.m. town hall of its own for Wednesday, something Hucker called a good step.

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"I think it’s great that they’re having that. I think they should hear from as many people as possible. And I think they need to roll out some decisions because everyone I think needs to do two things. Keep the schools open and make sure that the educators that are there, the staff that are there, and the students that are there are safe," Hucker said.