What are the new optional in-person sites?

For traditional and transformation schools, all elementary/middle schools and high schools will host optional in-person learning sites for students in kindergarten through 5th grade, 9th grade, and high school seniors. At traditional schools, all other grade levels will continue with virtual learning. For charter and contract schools, please visit your school's website to see what grade levels will be served.

When do the new in-person learning sites open?

• Kindergarten through grade 2 begins Monday, March 1
• Grades 3-5 and 9 begin Monday, March 15
• Grade 12 will begin April 12, 2021, the first day of the Fourth Quarter
• Note: An update on pre-kindergarten, grades 6-8,  and grades 10-11 will be provided in early March, at the latest

Are students required to participate in optional in-person learning?

No. Families may choose in-person learning or continue with virtual learning, but do not have to make a choice immediately. We understand that many families may initially opt to remain virtual. However, as we earn trust and confidence, we believe more families will choose the in-person option.

Are charter or operator-led schools included in this list?

Transformation schools are included on this list. For charter and contract schools, please visit your school's website to see their plans.

How do I enroll my student in optional in-person learning sites?

Check with your school to express interest in attending an in-person learning option.

Why are you reopening more schools for more grade levels while infection rates remain high?

• City Schools is offering additional in-person learning site options to provide more opportunities for traditional school students to learn in the classroom where students learn best. Student attendance and achievement in the first semester, when most students participated virtually, was down compared to the same period in 2019. 
• For instance, when compared to the First Quarter of 2019, we saw a significant increase in the number of students failing one or more courses across all grade bands and student groups. In grades 6-12, the numbers rose from 38% of students to 60%. Students who failed one or more courses in grades 2-5 rose from 30% to 55%, and in PK-1 from 29% to 39%. At the same time, student attendance in some parts of the city was regularly under 60 percent. It’s important to note that this trend and subsequent decline in GPA scores affected not only students who were already struggling last year, but also students who were previously doing well.
• In addition to the need to open to meet students’ needs, the expansion of our in-person options builds on our experience of offering an increasing number of safe in-person learning opportunities going back to the summer. We have also proven during the first semester that students can safely engage in in-person learning in small-group environments, even as infection rates have risen. Students and staff attended in-person learning sites more than 68,000 cumulative days combined between Sept. 28, 2020 and January 13, 2021. During that period, the district recorded 36 positive COVID cases at in-person learning sites (and 23 positive cases at meal sites).
• Our effective health protocols have minimized in-school transmission and helped to keep students and staff members safe.
• Finally, City Schools meets with the Baltimore City Health Department every week and with our Health Advisory Committee every other week to review community health indicators and get their advice on our reopening plans.  Both are supportive of our plans to expand in-person learning options based on our effective implementation of the CDC’s 5 mitigation strategies and the additional actions we’ve taken ensure health and safety.  Those additional measures include partnering with the University of Maryland Medical System to offer daily, on-site testing for staff or students who experience COVID-like symptoms, daily health screenings, student desk shields and the measures we’ve put in place to ensure our ventilation systems meet health and safety standards.
   

What was the process to select the additional in-person sites? How were the returning student populations identified?

• All traditional and transformation schools elementary/middle schools will host in-person learning programs, and all traditional and transformation high schools will offer in-person programming for 9th and 12th graders. 
• City Schools has prioritized its youngest learners to participate in in-person learning efforts. For high school students, the increase in course failures and decreases in average GPA informs our actions. For charter and contract schools, operators made decisions based on what made sense for their school communities and assessing their readiness for in-person instruction.
   

Is there a possibility, based on response rates, that school leaders or district leadership would decide not to open some in-person learning sites or specific grades in some schools based on a lack of family interest in in-person instruction at that sch

Our experience in the summer and fall demonstrates that families show increased interest when observing safe in-person learning at their school. Yes, it is possible that sign up for some classrooms may be small enough in some cases that City Schools decides it does not make sense to open that classroom.  It is unlikely that all in-person options at school would be closed due to low interest.

Will families be required to sign a compact regarding health risks?

Yes, families who choose to participate in in-person learning will be required to sign a consent form and COVID-19 acknowledgment statement. The purpose of the form is to ensure families are well-informed about in-person learning environments and for them to acknowledge our health and safety procedures.

How will staff and families know that buildings/classrooms are ready to receive staff and students?

• All City Schools owned educational facilities have been assessed to ensure that every building and instructional space has a working window or a mechanical ventilation system. City schools Operation’s teams will continue to perform corrective maintenance and scheduled preventive maintenance. 
• City Schools maintains the Building Conditions webpage to provide access to dashboards and updates about our facilities' statuses. There you will find dashboards about building maintenance, air conditioning planning, and the overall condition of our facilities.
• A new dashboard about air ventilation systems will be added to the webpage by the beginning of February. To learn more, visit https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/building-conditions. City Schools is installing MERV-13 rated filters in buildings where it does not adversely impact system operation. If MERV-13 filters cannot be used, including when there is no mechanical ventilation of a space, portable air purifiers in occupied spaces may be considered. MERV 13 filters are being installed in all buildings that can operate with upgraded filters.  Air purifiers are being installed in classrooms and support spaces for facilities that cannot operate with MERV 13 filters, as well as health suites or isolation rooms.  
   

What type of safety equipment is available? Will you have adequate supplies at every optional in-person learning site?

To date, City Schools has purchased more than $4 million worth of masks, desk shields, face shields, and cleaning products - (soap, sanitizer, wipes, spray bottles, soap and sanitizer dispensers, gloves, paper towels, and gowns).  Another $5.4 million was used to support building ventilation that meets health standards. These health and safety supplies and equipment will be available at all in-person sites.

Do all schools have soap and hand sanitizer?

Yes. In the past, some schools have not had adequate supplies of soap and sanitizer. However, since the pandemic's onset, City Schools has centralized responsibility for ordering and supplying critical health and safety supplies to ensure each campus has sufficient supplies of soap and hand sanitizer and ample supplies available for replenishment.

What is the plan for transportation? Will students ride the bus? How will you ensure social distancing?

• We will continue to provide transportation to students who require it as a related service. Physical distancing on yellow buses will be practiced by assigning one student per seat; however, students from the same household can ride two students to a seat. All bus staff and students are required to wear face coverings. 
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When and how will staff be notified about when they will return to work?

• Staff members serving grades K-5 at traditional schools, and within those grade bands at charter/contract schools starting on Feb. 16, will be notified in writing by the Human Capital Office on Friday, January 15, 2021. Notifications for staff members serving grades 9 and 12 at traditional and other schools that start on March 1, will be sent out the following week.
• Also, staff members may participate in a Staff Town Hall on January 20 to receive additional information.
   

How did you decide what employees are required to return?

In order to support in-person programming, employees with duties that support K-5 students, 9th-grade students, and 12th-grade students were selected to return. In addition, any other staff members at schools that support students in the in-person environment will be required to return. 

What if a returning teacher has a pre-existing health condition that puts them at higher risk for COVID-19?

We understand that some staff members may be less prepared or able to return on-site. Some may be eligible for leave or accommodations due to their personal, family, or health circumstances. We will take staff members' situations into consideration as much as possible. Staff members who believe they are eligible for leave or who would like to request a reasonable accommodation should do so. All requests will be evaluated on an individual basis. Click here for leave information or here for accommodation requests.

Will there be a reminder regarding what employees are required to return to work and their responsibilities?

Yes. Employees that are required to return to work will be notified directly by the Human Capital office.

If my school opens, do I have to teach virtually and in person?

It is likely that some educators will have to provide support both virtually (synchronously and asynchronously) and in-person. Schedules and formats need to be flexible based on staffing, size of the school, and cohort requirements. This is to ensure students receive core offerings and instructional expectations are being met.  Based on feedback, we will provide a sample schedule, and principals will work with their teams to best support this effort.

Teacher: If my school reopens, may I opt out?

• Staff members who are required to begin reporting in person in February or March 2021 will receive personal, electronic notification from the Human Capital Office, mostly between Friday, January 15 and Friday, January 22. These notifications are sent to staff members based on their job title, school assignment/s, and within-school grade or course assignment/s.
• After student and family opt-in choices are made in the next few weeks, it is possible that some staff members who were notified of the duty to report in person may no longer be required to report in person in February or March. In any such case, the Human Capital Office will provide a revised notification so that work expectations are clear. It is possible that in some cases, volunteers will be able to be prioritized for in-person returns. However, the duty to report in person is not dependent on a staff member's interest in volunteering to return in person.
   

What happens if a teacher has symptoms or enters quarantine? Does the entire classroom shutdown?

If a student or staff member who has been on-site for in-person learning has COVID-like symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, the entire pod will enter quarantine if any individual has symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19. While few members of a pod will actually be close contacts given social distancing protocols, City Schools takes this additional precaution anytime a member of the pod has symptoms or tests positive.

Will guidance or preparation be provided to teachers about in-person instruction? Will safety guidance be provided?

• Students in grades K-2 will have half-days from February 8-12. This will allow teachers in grades K-2 to teach virtually that week and spend the remainder of the day coordinating with colleagues and preparing for in-person learning that starts for those grades on February 16. Staff at charter and contract schools that are opening on Feb 16 will have similar time to set up but the schedules may look different, your school leader will provide you with this information.
• Students in grades 3-5, 9, and 12 will have half-days from February 22-26. This will allow teachers in grades 3-5, 9, and 12 to teach virtually that week and spend the remainder of the day coordinating with colleagues and preparing for in-person learning that starts for those grades on March 1. Staff at charter and contract schools that are opening on March 1 will have similar time to set up but the schedules may look different, your school leader will provide you with this information.
• All teachers will receive training on City Schools' health and safety standard operating procedures during system PD on January 28. Additionally, principals will have access to a suite of asynchronous PD sessions that they can offer to their staff based on team members' roles and responsibilities within the school. Sessions address topics such as performing health screenings, COVID-19 cleaning protocols, and classroom and school-wide management for health and safety. 
   

Will staff be notified if there's a COVID-19 case at their school but not in their classroom?

Yes. Staff members at a school will be notified of COVID-19 cases in writing. This general advisory notice is provided to all staff members, even though any quarantine requirements will only apply to close contacts and members of the same pod.

Can resource teachers/specials teachers/therapists teach remotely from home or a classroom?

Educators supporting multiple cohorts will likely need to provide a blend of in-person and virtual instruction to ensure there is limited close contact and no more than two classroom cohorts are not linked.  This will include virtual instruction from both their classroom and remotely as needed depending on their schedules and classroom space usage.

Is City Schools declining to extend COVID-19 sick leave past January? Does this mean staff will have to use sick leave?

City Schools offers one of the most extensive benefits packages available anywhere in the country, including paid time off. From April to December 2020, City Schools implemented certain, additional leave provisions included in federal legislation covering that time period. On its own initiative, City Schools extended these leave provisions for one month in January 2021. Continuing in February and beyond, City Schools will grant additional, paid leave to employees who are instructed to quarantine for a reason other than their own sickness and to employees who have COVID-like symptoms when there has been a COVID case at their work site. In other cases where employees are sick, they should use the sick leave time allocated for this purpose. No employee should ever report to work sick. Staff members who choose to participate in the sick bank may also make a request to the sick bank if needed. 

Will teachers have observations and SLOs while returning to in-person learning?

All teachers in Maryland must be evaluated every year. Each year, City Schools mutually agrees with the teachers union on the components of the teacher evaluation, which this year includes observations, student learning objectives, and professional expectations ratings. This year, observations may include either or both virtual and in-person instruction, and this will continue through the spring semester. One exception to this is the new opportunity City Schools chose to provide this year to nearly 2,000 of our veteran, effective teachers to opt out of observations and carry forward those ratings from last year.