Three days after rolling out a new color-coded COVID-positivity model, Montgomery County Public Schools said it is eliminating the concept, effective immediately. In a Friday afternoon letter to its entire school community, MCPS explained it wants to closer align with other large school systems across the country when it comes to keeping schools safe during the Omicron chapter of COVID. MCPS also noted that it reached this decision after the state of Maryland provided “clarifications” on the “appropriate use of thresholds for transitioning to virtual learning.” “The state of Maryland does not currently recommend any automatic trigger or threshold for the suspension of in-person learning,” MCPS’ letter said in part. “Therefore, MCPS will no longer use a threshold of 5% or more of unrelated students and staff in a school who test positive in a 14-day period to consider a transition to virtual learning.” On Tuesday, Jan. 4, MCPS Interim Superintendent Monifa McKnight stated 11 schools would transition to virtual learning come Jan. 5, because more than five percent of their student and staff populations had contracted COVID within the prior 14 calendar days. McKnight explained the virtual learning would continue for at least 14 calendar days. Those schools included Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Hallie Wells Middle School in Clarksburg, and Sherwood Elementary School in Sandy Spring. In its Friday letter, MCPS said it would provide “next steps” on Sunday afternoon to the 11 schools actively engaged in virtual learning.
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