(11/15) The Frederick County Board of Education voted to begin the second half of the school year (which begins on January 28) under the ‘hybrid model’ proposed in the county’s reopening plan for schools. The final vote for the motion was 6-0, with one board member abstaining from the vote. Overall, the decision has received a mixed reception; some strongly advocate for students returning to the classroom, while others simply believe it is too dangerous to do so.
An important caveat to this decision is that it is neither final nor binding by any definition. The board, as well as Superintendent Terry Alban, reserve the right to reconsider or reverse the decision based upon state guidance, state direction, and/or relevant COVID-19 metrics.
As approved by the board, the hybrid model will include online and in-person instruction for students. Students will all be placed into either an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ cohort. The A cohort students will have in-person instruction on Mondays and Tuesdays, and online instruction on Thursdays and Fridays. Students in the B cohort will experience the exact opposite: online learning on Mondays and Tuesdays and in-person instruction on Thursdays and Fridays.
All students will have online instruction on Wednesdays while the school buildings are thoroughly cleaned. Additionally, school buildings will undergo a thorough cleaning on Saturday and Sunday. Any students wishing to continue exclusively with classes online will be allowed to do so.
Additionally, the board discussed and voted on a motion to allow sports to begin officially in December. This motion passed by a vote of 4-2, again with one board member abstaining from the vote. Under the plan, winter sport practices and activities will be allowed to begin on December 7, while winter sport competitions will be scheduled to begin in January. The shortened winter sports season will be followed by an abbreviated fall sports season, which will be followed by an abbreviated spring sports season.
As with the school decision, the decision to begin sports this month could be changed or reversed by the board or Superintendent Alban depending upon state guidance, state direction, and/or relevant COVID-19 metrics. "This was a very hard vote," Board President Brad Young said in a Facebook post on his page, "but we have to be prepared to get kids back in school. Too many are falling through the cracks and we can not let that happen!"
Board member Lois Jarman was the one abstaining vote in both decisions. Jarman said that she chose to abstain because she believed that newly elected board members that will be sworn-in this month should have a say in these decisions. The recent election saw voters decide between six candidates on the ballot: incumbent board members Jarman and Rae Gallagher, both of whom were appointed to fill empty seats by County Executive Jan Gardner, David Bass, Jason Johnson, Sue Johnson, and Dean Rose. Additionally, Paulette Anders launched a significant write-in campaign.
Ultimately, the election proved to be very competitive and was not called until over a week after Election Day, once all of the mail-in and provisional ballots were counted. In the end, Sue Johnson was the top vote getter by a wide margin, while Jason Johnson and David Bass also won seats on the board, but by much narrower margins.
Finally, President Brad Young recently announced that he will not seek another term as board president when the vote is held later this month and will instead support current Board Vice President Jay Mason for President. Young has served as president for seven of his ten years on the board, but felt that it was time for a change in leadership and for him to give someone else the opportunity to lead the board.
