This story was updated at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29. 

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich released a joint statement with the county council, supporting the school board’s decision to begin the year remotely.

“We are dismayed and perplexed that Governor Hogan made this announcement just days before students return to school,” the statement said. “MCPS has been proactive and deliberate in its approach in creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment in our schools.”

The school system will start online classes Monday. School system officials say they will continue to work with public health officials to determine when it is safe to bring students back into classrooms.

Original: 

Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday authorized all school systems in the state to begin the school year with at least partial in-person instruction.

Hogan said 16 of the state’s 24 school systems have put forward plans that could eventually provide some in-person learning for students in the fall. He called on the eight districts that have only planned to offer virtual instruction, including Montgomery County Public Schools and Prince George’s County Public Schools, to reconsider.

“Some of the county school boards have not even attempted to develop any safe reopening plans, which would bring any kids back for any form of in-person instruction,” Hogan said during a press conference. “This is simply unacceptable.”

Hogan, a Republican, said the health metrics the state uses to monitor coronavirus cases have improved enough to open campuses with social distancing and other safety precautions. Local school boards have the final say in reopening schools.

Several local school superintendents last week accused the Maryland State Department of Education of not providing sufficient guidance for gauging when it is safe to return to in-person instruction. The superintendents also said the state must provide a plan for administering universal coronavirus testing for school workers and purchasing personal protective equipment for students and staff.

Dr. Jinlene Chan, acting deputy secretary for public health, introduced criteria on Thursday to help school systems determine if campuses should open.

Schools in localities where positivity rates are below 5% and where there are 5 or fewer coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, should be able to offer in-person instruction with safety measures. Jurisdictions with more cases should be able to offer partial in-person instruction, she said.

“By these metrics, all jurisdictions across the state of Maryland could open for some level of in-person instruction,” Chan said.

Hogan admonished school systems that do not have a plan for eventually bringing students back to classes in the coming months. He suggested it was “easier” for school boards to keep schools closed than develop plans to bring students back for partial in-person instruction.

Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, accused Hogan and State Superintendent of Schools Karen B. Salmon of “throwing school communities under the bus” after telling districts to devise their own reopening plans.

“They chose to ambush and second guess the hard decisions that local boards of education, parents, and educators have made to keep students and schools safe,” she said.

In Montgomery County, the state’s most populous jurisdiction, the school board said it was disappointed by the state’s “last-minute announcement” about reopening. The 163,000-student system is set to start the school year Monday and continue with virtual-only learning through the first semester, which ends January 29.

The school board said it would assess the guidance as it prepares for the school year.

Alvin Thorton, chair of the Prince George’s County Board of Education, said the county will not change its plans for the start of the school year. Classes, which start Monday, are scheduled to continue virtually through January.

“We have listened to parents and our community in making decisions that prioritize our students’ needs,” Thorton said.