Prince George’s County students return to in-person learning following temporary virtual period
Prince George’s County students return to in-person learning following temporary virtual period
Students in Prince George's County are heading back to school for in-person learning Tuesday after a temporary virtual learning period was triggered by safety concerns over the rapid spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Students in Prince George's County are heading back to school for in-person learning Tuesday after a temporary virtual learning period was triggered by safety concerns over the rapid spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant.
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Virtual learning for students began in mid-December. School officials say the following mitigation measures are in place to try and keep students safe and COVID-19 cases at a minimum:
- Home test kits and KN95 masks will be distributed to all students and staff. One kit containing two tests will be available for each child enrolled in our schools. The distribution will be held at schools and offices. Students will be requested to test weekly in order to return to school the following week. Every Sunday, tests should be taken and results uploaded from January 23 through February 27. The link for uploading will be provided next week. Home test kits will be distributed biweekly until the end of February to facilitate this request.
- More students will be randomly tested in our weekly pools. We have worked with testing vendors to double the capacity to 20 percent of students.
- New county and state quarantine rules were implemented with clear guidance on when students can return to school after contracting or being exposed to COVID-19.
- Staff testing was expanded during virtual learning. All employees regardless of vaccination status were able to get free COVID testing provided by PGCPS due to the difficulty of obtaining tests in the community. Weekly testing of unvaccinated staff will continue.
- No spectators will be allowed at athletic events through the end of January. Athletes who are not vaccinated will continue to be tested weekly. Starting Tuesday, February 1, attendance at athletic events will be limited to 25 percent of building capacity.
In addition, school officials say the ‘Temporary K-6 Virtual Learning Program' will conclude Friday, January 28.