Montgomery Community Media

Maryland State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon wants schools to offer an average of 3.5 hours of live virtual instruction per day this fall.  All school systems were required to submit their fall semester plans to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) by Aug. 14. At an MSDE meeting Monday, Salmon said that while the […]

Insurify, an insurance comparison website, has named Rockville the most educated city in Maryland in its 2020 award list of most educated cities. The website says that in the face of the challenges brought on by COVID-19 and virtual classrooms, these cities and students have remained “resilient” and committed to education. In order to choose […]

The Montgomery County school board voted and approved Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) having an all-virtual semester this fall.  A vote on the new draft plan introduced at the meeting is scheduled for Aug. 25.  In regard to returning to brick-and-mortar learning, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith said at a school board meeting Thursday that […]

After a week-long back and forth over private schools, Montgomery County has backed down.  On Friday, County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles rescinded his order to keep private schools virtual until at least Oct. 1. The announcement comes after the state health department said on Thursday that it is policy that private schools can’t be […]

MCPS students and staff can now access anti-racist e-books and audiobooks without any wait time until September.  As part of its ongoing commitment to equity and excellence, MCPS students and staff can access anti-racist e-books and audiobooks through the Sora app, MCPS’ digital eBook and audiobook platform from OverDrive, without any wait time until September. […]

As the next school year draws near, so do the anxiety and uncertainties of what the school year will look like as well as how parents will navigate it. The uncertainties, likelihood of schedule changes during the school year (i.e., remote to hybrid model), and balancing childcare/remote learning assistance with a job, all factor into […]

The Maryland Department of Health and Department of Education released guidance for how Maryland schools should respond to a COVID-19 outbreak when in-person instruction begins and what districts need to prepare for.  At a press conference with Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday, State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon emphasized that a COVID-19 “outbreak” means one case. […]

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith said fewer new students have enrolled in the school system than MCPS projected.  On Tuesday, Smith announced that the first semester of the 2020-21 academic year, beginning Aug. 31 and ending on Jan. 21, 2021, will be virtual-only instruction. During a media briefing Wednesday he said […]

In-school learning is not a safe option right now, Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles said at a Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) media briefing Wednesday.  MCPS Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith announced Tuesday that the first semester of the 2020-21 academic year, beginning Aug. 31 and ending on Jan. 21, 2021, will be virtual-only […]

In June, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) launched parent and staff surveys asking for input about education for the fall semester.  On Tuesday, results were shared at a Board of Education meeting. 55,839 residents responded to the online parent survey, and about 7,000 responded to a phone survey targeted at zip codes with low online […]