See something? Some teachers have indicated that they will continue to wear masks even after the policy shift, especially if they see a large number of students through the day, Goldson said. Site Map. Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Maryland did not reimplement a statewide mask mandate during the pandemic, but some jurisdictions took precautions. 5425 Wisconsin Ave Mask Mandate Returns To Prince George's Schools Effective Aug. 15. NEWS ALERT: California board denies parole for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, John Domen | jdomen@wtop.com. "All staff, students and families are encouraged to support personal decisions. Masks will be required inside Prince George's County Public Schools again starting Monday, Aug . Dr. Frances Toni Draper announces retirement from pastorship at Freedom Temple AME Zion Church, 130 years of excellence: AFRO Gala set to kick anniversary celebration into high gear. Prince George's County school system will end its mask mandate Sept. 6. DMV news: Most of Prince Georges students are scoring below grade level on district tests. The email stated: Effective immediately, all PGCPS schools and facilities will be mask optional. $50K Reward Offered For Information In Men's Shooting Death: Police, Teen, D.C. Man Fatally Shot In Separate Cases: Prince George's Police, $769M In Investments Popping Up Along Blue Line Corridor, Masterworks IV: Mahler's "Tragic" Symphony No. PGCPS will continue to make health and safety decisions in consultation with health experts.. Wearing a mask is optional for students in Montgomery County. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. D.C. Public Schools new reading curriculum is designed to help improve literacy among the citys youngest readers. D.C. Public Schools new reading curriculum is designed to help improve literacy among the citys youngest readers. Officials in Prince Georges County have announced that students will start the 2022-2023 school year with masks on. Schools 135 #1 IN GREEN SCHOOLS PGCPS tops all Maryland districts in total number of green schools certifications Schools 10 HISTORIC SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION 10 schools under construction or to be delivered in next 4 years Schools 198 NUMBER OF SCHOOLS FOR 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR Get the Latest Information The fully vaccinated rate increases to 85.7 percent for residents 12 and older. The latest: Updated coronavirus booster shots are now available for children as young as 5. 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A South Florida native, Scott graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019. Great stories teach, transport and transform! Prince Georges County schools to end mask mandate Sept. 6. Larry Hogan (R) and the State Board of Education weighed in on the move, but school system leaders argued that the extension was critical after consulting with the local health department. Report a Website Problem /QuickLinks.aspx. In the classroom: Amid a teacher shortage, states desperate to fill teaching jobs have relaxed job requirements as staffing crises rise in many schools. Prince Georges County was a center of the pandemic, reporting the most cases among counties in Maryland. California will stop requiring masks in K-12 schools as of March 12, leaving it up to counties and school districts to keep or ditch the pandemic mandate as tension mounts among parents . Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to engage in conversation about this article and others. When the school year ended in late June, students and staff were still required to wear a mask inside all school buildings. Wayne K. Curry Administration Building 1301 McCormick Drive Largo, MD 20774. endobj 1 of 2. He is a reporter and photographer focusing on politics, political activism and international affairs. Prince Georges County Public Schools the last system in the D.C. area that required students and staff to wear masks lifted that mandate in early July. According to a press release, the changes will be in place until further notice. 9:15 PM, PGCPS tops all Maryland districts in total number of green schools certifications, 10 schools under construction or to be delivered in next 4 years, Prince George's County Public Schools Fentanyl-related overdoses among teens are rising. Contact Information. Fast, informative and written just for locals. Prince George's County Public School (PGCPS) will continue to mandate mask-wearing for all students, teachers and staff, regardless of . 4 0 obj Students in Prince George's County will be required to wear masks when they return to school in late August, school officials said Monday. Baltimore, MD 21202, Washington, DC Office Learn about the latest metrics from our county, building closures and more. . The new policy for Prince Georges went into effect July 1. "It's sad that what this truly is a distraction. Prince Georges County public schools are requiring masks again ahead of the new academic year, citing the spread of a highly contagious COVID-19 Omicron subvariant. Juanita Miller, chair of the countys school board, directed questions about the new policy to CEO Monica Goldson, who is in charge of day-to-day operations for the school system. Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Prince George's County Public Schools announced Friday that masks will once again be mandatory at all schools and facilities starting on Monday. In schools with a COVID-19 outbreak, students and staff identified as close contacts of a positive case must quarantine, regardless of vaccination status or the presence of symptoms. This decision reverses one from July, which made mask wearing optional in Prince George's County schools. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Aug. 11 is no longer recommending people quarantine when exposed to someone with COVID-19, and is also dropping its guidance for people to stay 6 feet apart. In a poll of its members a few weeks ago, she said, around 60% favored the return of a mask mandate. In late February, PGCPS CEO Monica Goldson wrote an email to parents stating, I anticipate easing our mask mandate by the end of the school year, once 80% of the countys population was vaccinated. Copyright 2022 by WTOP. Submit anonymous tips through the Safe Schools Maryland app or tip line. The mandatory mask-wearing policy was put back in place due to the "highly contagious BA variant 5 COVID-19," the district said, and is a change from its mask-optional policy that took effect July 1. It was the last school system in the state to return to in-person instruction. PGCPS will continue to make health and safety decisions in consultation with health experts. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. 8:30 PM, 7:15 PM Prince George's County school system will end its mask mandate Sept. 6. On Tuesday, the Prince Georges County website still stated masks are required on public transportation, in public schools, and in businesses that choose to require them., The state of Maryland says 81.5% of residents 5 and older in Prince Georges County are considered fully vaccinated.. Before then, the school system briefly had a mask-optional policy in place in July. 2023 FOX Television Stations, FBI: Explosive found in bag at Pennsylvania airport, man arrested, Elderly couple dead in possible murder-suicide in Fairfax County: police, Airbnb renting out Paris theater that inspired 'Phantom of the Opera', Pot smoking lounge set to open in Montgomery County is first of its kind, Surgeon runs down Philadelphia street to retrieve organ from transport vehicle stuck in traffic, Video shows Amazon delivery driver hitting, killing dog at Maryland home, Richard Montgomery High School student accused of robbing Shell gas station at knifepoint, U.S. Monica Goldson, chief executive of Maryland's. Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member subscribers are now members! 2 0 obj Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to engage in conversation about this article and others. There are no language selections available at this time. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In one, a massive study of more than 340,000 residents of rural Bangladesh, the study found that mask programs that promoted but didn't mandate masks "increased mask usage and reduced . WTOP has obtained a short email, dated July 1, that PGCPS sent to teachers and staff. In Prince Georges County, the virus is at a low community level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The county was severely affected by the virus, with the second-most reported deaths in Maryland. With the declining local COVID-19 positivity rates, CEO Dr. Monica Goldson announced the mask-optional policy will resume in all PGCPS facilities on Tuesday, September 6. All Rights Reserved. - Schools in Prince George's County will be bringing back its masks requirements starting Monday, August 15 due to spreading coronavirus cases, according to schools officials. Prince Georges County Public Schools will reopen on Aug. 29. Donna Christy, president of the Prince Georges County Educators Association, previously told WTOP that the union supported the move to start the year with a mask requirement. Lorsqu'il s'agit de rpondre des menaces de sant publique telles que le COVID-19, les districts scolaires du Maryland disposent d'une certaine flexibilit pour dterminer les politiques de port de masque. Prince Georges County school system will end its mask mandate Sept. 6. PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD Face masks must be worn in all schools and district buildings within Prince George's County Public Schools starting Aug. 15. It ended up being one of the last times county leaders would publicly discuss lifting the mandate. Bradley Beal hits season high as Wizards fight to the finish in Atlanta, For Ovechkin in winter, a deadline sell-off makes sense this spring, Commanders cut Carson Wentz and Bobby McCain, clearing cap space, coronavirus booster shots are now available for children as young as 5, 10.5 million children have lost one or both parents, students test scores have even plummeted, ACT and SAT testing have rebounded modestly, Prince Georges students are scoring below grade level, D.C. Public Schools new reading curriculum. WTOP.com | Alexa | Google Home | WTOP App | 103.5 FM. All staff, students and families are encouraged to support personal decisions on mask-wearing. Prince George's County is the only D.C.-area jurisdiction that had a mask mandate on the first day of classes. There are no language selections available at this time. Nearly 77% of residents are fully vaccinated, meaning theyve received at least two shots, according to CDC data. Instead, the decision about masking to prevent the spread of COVID-19 was left to each local jurisdiction and its respective school board. Neighboring Montgomery County, Maryland, dropped its mask mandate in public schools back in March after a unanimous vote by its school board. The Centers for Disease Control rate of transmission for the BA.5 variant indicates that the county is experiencing a low rate of transmission, but the rate was designated as high when the decision was made for PGCPS to restart the masking policy. The schools do not have enough teachers to start in 2 weeks nor enough bus drivers. 14201 School Lane American students test scores have even plummeted to levels unseen for decades. endobj Goldson cited improving coronavirus levels in her decision to make masking optional. Bradley Beal hits season high as Wizards fight to the finish in Atlanta, For Ovechkin in winter, a deadline sell-off makes sense this spring, Commanders cut Carson Wentz and Bobby McCain, clearing cap space, coronavirus booster shots are now available for children as young as 5, 10.5 million children have lost one or both parents, students test scores have even plummeted, ACT and SAT testing have rebounded modestly, Prince Georges students are scoring below grade level, D.C. Public Schools new reading curriculum. UPPER MARLBORO, Md. In a poll of its members a few weeks ago, she said, around 60% favored the return of a mask mandate. WTOP has obtained a short. Washington, DC 20002, Prince Georges County has suffered higher than normal COVID-19 infection rates since the start of the pandemic. Goldson has previously said she exercises an abundance of caution when making decisions about coronavirus protocols. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. I have known people who have taught in PG county and who are traumatized by the upper administration. Read More Questions? This decision is personal; students and staff are asked to respect the choices of others. Parents were also notified in a newsletter the following week. 5425 Wisconsin Ave Students will return to school in Prince George's County on August 29. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. UPPER MARLBORO, Md. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Scott Gelman is a digital editor and writer for WTOP. A mask should still be worn through the 10th day after testing positive, according to the guidelines. School officials indicate they reserve the right to change the masking mandate at any time. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. 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