Montgomery County educators pass lack of confidence resolution over school reopening plan

Maryland schools not likely to meet 5 days a week goal

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan had called for schools to reopen by March 1, but today, Prince George's County Public Schools announced their reopening won’t take place until April. Meanwhile, the Montgomery County teachers union has voted 'no confidence' in the reopening plan there.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - The Montgomery County Education Association has overwhelmingly passed a resolution stating a lack of confidence in the reopening plan developed and approved by the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Montgomery County Public Schools plan to return to in-person learning while teachers scramble to get vaccine

"The current MCPS plan to reopen school facilities cannot be successfully implemented - requiring more resources, more people, and more space than is available - without negatively impacting students’ learning experience," the MCEA said in a press release. "MCEA members demand that MCPS adhere to CDC guidelines regarding the physical reopening of school buildings, implement a contact tracing and testing program, and provide all employees the opportunity to be fully vaccinated before a return to in-person instruction."

Combatting mental health issues amid return to the classroom

Some Northern Virginia students are headed back into the classroom Tuesday for the first time in close to a year, including in Loudoun and Fairfax counties. It’s a big change of pace, and according to experts, it can lead to mental health challenges for many children too.

MCEA is also demanding the school system develop a building reopening plan for the "adequate staffing of all instructional models, particularly those that directly serve Black and Brown students, and students impacted by poverty, without diminishing access to staff and services that supplement required direct instruction."

Reopening schools in Montgomery County

Together Again MCPS co-founder Kevin Dougherty talks through Montgomery County's plan to reopen schools for in-person learning and why he thinks it should be moving faster.

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MCEA has requested a meeting with the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education to discuss the MCPS reopening plan.