MCPS Announces Plan in the Event Schools Close Due to Coronavirus

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is preparing to provide instructional activities for all students online in the event that schools must close due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

MCPS sent out a letter to parents and guardians Wednesday stating the district will be meeting with all principals to review the emergency procedures in the event of school closures. MCPS is currently focusing on disinfecting communal surfaces. School officials are encouraging staff, teachers, and faculty to stay home if they are sick.

“The CDC recommends that individuals remain home for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medication (i.e., chills, feeling warm, flushed appearance),” MCPS said in a statement.

Read a message to the community about efforts to ensure the health and safety of all students: https://t.co/eWj7SI0tAQ

— MCPS (@MCPS) March 4, 2020

In the event that schools close because of COVID-19, MCPS says it would provide students instructional activities that may include participating in online activities through Google for Education software, watching grade-specific educational videos, or completing traditional hard copy educational packets.

“Depending on the length of time schools are closed, we are prepared to provide meals at several schools as regional meal sites,” MCPS said in a statement.

MCPS will continue to update families on the coronavirus outbreak and will follow the direction of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). School officials encourage the community to follow MCPS’ coronavirus webpage and they say continued updates will be shared on various platforms such as AlertMCPS, ConnectEd, social media, the MCPS Information Line, and QuickNotes.

Correction (March 5, 2020): An earlier version of this article incorrectly said MCPS would be “providing” online education in the event schools were closed because of a coronavirus outbreak. To clarify, MCPS would offer instructional activities for all students in the event of such an emergency; MCPS does not require families without internet access to access the internet.

About Josalyn Perez

Josalyn Perez was an intern for Montgomery Community Media during the spring of 2020. At the time she was a Mass Communication major at Towson University.

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