WASHINGTON — As the debate over in-person learning at Montgomery County private schools heats up, parents in D.C. are asking questions about private schools in the District.
“I am comfortable with our school's plan at this point, given the amount of space they have,” parent Jennifer Bowser Gerts said.
Her daughter is a middle school student at Whittle School and Studios in the old Intelsat building on Van Ness St. NW. The new school is in its second year and expects all students to return to class Sept. 8.
According to its website, spaces will be sanitized, temperatures will be taken and masks will be worn. Classes of 10 will be spaced out in a building that “has capacity for more than double its current enrollment.” Parents have the option to choose virtual learning, but it is described as temporary.
“I'm looking forward to the school year for my daughter, because I think it had an effect on her mood to be away from her friends,” Gerts said. "But I think there's going to be some parents and some kids who are really nervous. And that's going to affect the learning environment. There are going to be teachers who are definitely nervous, who may not have agreed with in-person learning, or hybrid.”
Nearby Sidwell Friends is going all virtual, but National Cathedral is following a blended learning model where two groups of students will alternate weeks. Maret’s website and Saint Augustine’s indicate an announcement is still to come.
"Private schools have the flexibility to make their own determinations on the viability of in-person instruction and have been provided guidance from DC Health and OSSE (Office of the State Superintendent of Education) on how to do so safely at their smaller scales," Deputy Mayor of Education Paul Kihn said.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser seemed to contradict that statement in a news conference Wednesday when asked if she has the authority to force private schools to follow DCPS’ plan and go all-virtual. Bowser said in the case of a public health emergency she does.
“As we did in March, we can close any number of businesses or organizations,” she said.
Bowser extended D.C.’s public health emergency until Oct. 9, 2020.
"Parents invest in private school learning because of the opportunity for individualism for their kids," Gerts said. "If this is the case, then I think there should be some individual options."