MCPS Disregards 5 % Threshold for The Transition to Virtual Education: The New Evaluation Process

Earlier this week it was revealed that the vast majority of schools in MCPS surpassed the 5% threshold of positive cases required to transition to virtual education. Following this update, the Board of Education has changed the protocol in order to handle the situation on a school by school basis.

Eleven schools transitioned to virtual learning after surpassing the 5% positivity rate in the original update. Now MCPS and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will evaluate schools on a case by case basis to decide if a transition to virtual education is required for safety. The factors that will be considered include the number of students and staff with positive test results, number of students in quarantine, faculty absent for COVID-19 related concerns, and the overall spread of the virus within the school.

Measures are being taken to combat the virus, such as masking, enhanced ventilation, high vaccination rates, and increased access to testing. Rapid tests sent home earlier this week. Families can send in their student’s results through this link. In an email sent out to MCPS families, the distribution of KN-95 masks was mentioned but that has yet to be seen at Blake.

It is still required for any student who tests positive to be quarantined for ten days following the date of the test or from the onset of symptoms, whichever started first.