LEONARDTOWN, Md. — At a town hall hosted by St. Mary’s County Public Schools(SMCPS) and Superintendent James Scott Smith, a plan which will be presented to the Board of Education next week was announced, consisting of two options for fall learning.
The first option, mimicking an option proposed by Calvert County Public Schools and as Smith said is being looked at closely by “every single [school] system in the United States,” would be a hybrid-learning option, which would include two days of in-person learning and three days out of the classroom.
The second option would be an entirely-online learning experience. The majority of the online option would become a “self-paced asynchronous structure,” with an integration of some real-time face-to-face elements. Attendance would be recorded in both virtual and in-person options.
However, Smith cited a similarity to Montgomery County Public School’s plans during his presentation, explaining how “even if you go to a hybrid schedule, you don’t start right off.” He would go on to explain how to make sure that the first day of school, everyone is prepared to begin online instructions with needed materials such as computers.
Smith also noted during his presentation that at this time, the hybrid-learning option would be a “best-case-scenario.”
“Anybody who thinks we are going to get to the end of August or September and all the kids are going to come back Monday through Friday… put it out of your head,” Smith said. “That’s not even being discussed.”
The current “Safe Return Plan for Education” being made by the SMCPS recovery committee is being structured around four primary pillars. These pillars include teaching and learning, services for students, supporting services, and organization and system support.
The phasing into a potential hybrid-learning environment like the first described option, the current plan would begin online and would bring students back to schools on the two-day schedule by different grade levels.
“If we have to go through what we have to go through for the next six months, so be it,” Smith said. “At the end of the six-months, we’ll all still be here, and we will be standing, and we will be able to move forward together.”
It can also be noted that no decision has been made in regards to whether fall athletics will begin as in previous years, however outdoor summer workouts for SMCPS athletics began on July 13. Multiple schedules and start dates for athletics are currently being considered.
The final recommendations from the various groups that have worked on the plans go before the St. Mary’s County Board of Education on July 22. The recovery group is still open to receiving input from SMCPS families and can be given by email at concerns@smcps.org
Contact Zach at zach.hill@thebaynet.com