x
Breaking News
More () »

St. Mary's County cancels in-person learning 1 week after returning to school

SMCPS said there will be no in-person instruction from Nov. 9-13 after the county had just returned to classrooms on Nov. 4.

ST. MARY'S COUNTY, Md. — Less than a week after entering Phase 2 of its "Return to School" plan, St. Mary's County Public Schools canceled all in-person learning for the week of Nov. 9-13 due to rising COVID-19 case counts in the county.  All students will instead resume virtual learning.

Phase 2, which began on Nov. 4,  included the return of students in Head Start, PreK, kindergarten, and grades 1, 6, 9, and 12 through a hybrid model. 

  • Head Start and PreK return with AM and PM sessions- for in-person instruction Monday-Thursday.
  • Grades K, 1, 6, 9, and 12 begin the hybrid model with in-person instruction 2 days per week with the A group attending Monday and Wednesday and the B group attending Tuesday and Thursday. Fridays will remain an online work day with dedicated office hours and opportunities for intervention and enrichment as well as professional development and instructional planning.

The county announced the cancelation in a Facebook post and sent an email to parents and staff. 

"I regret to inform you that as a result of community spread of COVID 19 in St. Mary’s County, we will be canceling all in-person instruction for the upcoming week, November 9-13, 2020," SMCPS Superintendent J. Scott Smith said in a letter to the community. "As I am sure you are aware, COVID 19 cases are surging across the nation and our state." 

The county's case rate has risen rapidly since Nov. 4 when the 7-day average was 4.22 per 100,000 and now sits at 10.31 per 100,000 on Nov. 9. 

"St. Mary’s County has been well below the state in both metrics - positivity rate and case rate per 100,000, but in the past three days, the county has added 60 new cases resulting in a total of 95 new cases for the past week," Smith said in a letter dated Nov. 8. "This is the highest one-week case rate since May. Many of these positive cases can be traced back to social and family gatherings held over the Halloween weekend." 

Statewide, Maryland reported a new all-time high for its seven-day average on Monday, which is now at 1,197 cases a day. The state is also on its fourth-consecutive day of reporting more than 1,000 cases. Maryland has also seen hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continue to skyrocket. As of Monday, more than 700 hospital beds are now in use in the state to treat coronavirus patients. That's an increase of 80% from where it was a month ago. 

Credit: St. Mary's County Health Department
New Case Rate per 100,000 (Includes Lab Positive PCR and Antigen Tests)


On Oct. 29, Smith sent a letter to faculty and parents regarding the plan for in-person learning. 

"As part of our Recovery Plan, one of the key facets is to use data to guide the gradual return of students to school," the letter said. "We monitor state and local data, as well as the number of cases within SMCPS ... According to the governor’s “Safely Reopening Maryland Schools” decision matrix, the number and rate of increase for both Percent Positive Rate and New Case Rate per 100,000 require us to reassess our plan ... It is important to realize that the recent spike in COVID 19 cases are in the community and not in SMCPS. We are determined to keep it that way even if it means altering our return timeline."

The school district adjusted its return to in-person learning plan by pushing back the start of the hybrid model by one day, from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4 (school was already canceled on Nov. 3 for Election Day). 

Phase 3 was expected to begin on Nov. 16, bringing back all remaining students for in-person instruction two days per week with the A group attending Monday and Wednesday and the B group attending Tuesday and Thursday. There has been no decision made yet on when Phase 3 will begin following this week's cancelation. 

Download the brand new WUSA9 app here.

Sign up for the Get Up DC newsletter: Your forecast. Your commute. Your news.

Before You Leave, Check This Out