MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County health officials are doubling down on their prohibition of nonpublic schools opening for in-person instruction before October.
County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles issued an amended order Wednesday evening to prohibit nonpublic schools from reopening until at least Oct. 1. The new order comes after Gov. Larry Hogan issued an amended emergency order on Monday that would effectively ban counties from “blanket school closures” and allow private and parochial schools to have the power to keep schools open or move them online.
Shortly before Gayles issued his new order, a rally was held outside the Montgomery County Executive Building by parents of private school students.
Karl Macmillan, who has four children who attend a religious school, was one of many people who held signs and chanted against the county order.
"I think it’s easier for private schools to open in a safe way," the father said. "A lot of private schools are smaller. A lot of private schools are able to socially distance in a way that public schools are not.”
Speakers at the rally claimed Montgomery County leadership was committing an abuse of power and overstepping its reach by closing down in-person learning at private schools.
For Jessica Brown, the closure orders showed unjust treatment to local private schools.
"Public schools had the right to open. They chose not to because they felt they couldn’t do it safely," she said. "Private schools were just shut down.”
The campaign against the county's handling of private school closures has spread online, with a Facebook group called "Open Montgomery County, MD Private Schools" attracting over 4,000 followers.
With Wednesday's developments fueling the private school supporters even more, Brown said that she and others would keep calling for change with county leaders.
"We need to keep pressure on," she said. "We need to say we’re standing up.”
