Prince George's County will lift its indoor mask mandate on Monday, Feb. 28, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced Friday. Prince George's County Portal. All staff, students and families are encouraged to support personal decisions on mask-wearing. The guidelines for those who test positive remain unchanged. May 12: Health Department Recommends Voluntary Mask-Wearing in Indoor Public Places March 16: County Updates COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Locations February 25: County to Lift Indoor Mask Mandate Lift (PDF) / Spanish (PDF) February 18: COVID-19 Vaccination Update February 8: COVID-19 Vaccination Update / Spanish (PDF) PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. Media maven. The latest: Updated coronavirus booster shots are now available for children as young as 5. Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to engage in conversation about this article and others. Prince George's County Public Schools the last system in the D.C. area that required students and staff to wear masks lifted that mandate in early July. Se anima a todos los empleados, estudiantes y familias a apoyar las decisiones personales de uso de mascarilla. 5425 Wisconsin Ave As a parent that has a child in PG county schools, I would like it to make it my choice and their choice whether they choose to wear a mask," Facebook user Ray Abrams posted. In the classroom: Amid a teacher shortage, states desperate to fill teaching jobs have relaxed job requirements as staffing crises rise in many schools. In the classroom: Amid a teacher shortage, states desperate to fill teaching jobs have relaxed job requirements as staffing crises rise in many schools. Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Baltimore, MD Office Some say that policy change was not clear. Submit anonymous tips through the Safe Schools Maryland app or tip line. 1140 3rd St., 2nd Flr, NE 5425 Wisconsin Ave The county has the lowest transmission rate in Maryland at 44.98 . College scholarships are available for Class of 2023 seniors! Juanita Miller, chair of the county's school board, directed. While PGCPS is working hard to overcome its staff shortage, Prince George's County Schools will lift the mandatory mask mandate, and become "mask optional" on September 6. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. When the school year ended in late June, students and staff were still required to wear a mask inside all school buildings. In a newsletter highlighting moments from the first day of school across the county, Marylands second-largest school system said it plans to implement a mask-optional policy beginning Sept. 6. Prince George's County Public Schools CEO Monica Goldson said she expects students to be required to wear masks at her schools until COVID-19 "no longer exists," WTOP reported Monday. PG county officials, focus your attention on making our schools better and stop putting distractions like a mask mandate," Abrams continued. According to PGCPS, the guidance comes at the request of the Prince Georges County Health Department. Instead, the agency is recommending those exposed to someone with COVID-19 wear a mask for 10 days and test for the virus on the fifth day. Miller said the board of education hadnt discussed the issue yet, since it has been on break since early July. 14201 School Lane <>/Metadata 79 0 R/ViewerPreferences 80 0 R>> Numerous other parents posted in that same Facebook thread that they will be sending their students to school without masks. Joinhere! Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member subscribers are now members! In light of the highly contagious COVID-19 BA.5 variant, Prince Georges County Public Schools (PGCPS) will return to a mandatory mask policy in all schools and facilities until further notice, effective on Aug. 15, according to the website. American students test scores have even plummeted to levels unseen for decades. The public school system of about 128,000 students was the last in Maryland to keep a mask requirement in place, even as other jurisdictions dropped them earlier in the spring. Accessibility. Wearing a mask is optional for students in Montgomery County. It states the system was lifting its mask mandate an announcement that has not been clear to many parents. Mask mandates are quickly becoming a thing of the past in the D.C. region: The last two local jurisdictions with mandates in place are lifting those requirements this week. For Read Across America Week, check out our many resources that encourage a love of reading. "Once again, this is the county officials pushing their agenda of fear. Prince George's County is the only D.C.-area jurisdiction that had a mask mandate on the first day of classes. "Mask policy is subject to change according to local. ACT and SAT testing have rebounded modestly since the massive disruptions early in the coronavirus pandemic, and many colleges are also easing mask rules. In February 2022, the Maryland State Board of Education lifted its statewide mandate that students and staff wear face coverings in school. Prince Georges County students go back to classes on Aug. 29. Prince George's County Public Schools WTOP.com | Alexa | Google Home | WTOP App | 103.5 FM, dropped its mask mandate in public schools back in March, Prince Georges Co. council votes to temporarily cap rent hikes at 3%, Millions invested into Blue Line corridor by Prince Georges Co. developers, Cardinal Gregory meets with descendants of slaves buried on Bowie church hillside, Grand jury indicts DC employee charged with killing 13-year-old boy, Virginia state superintendent Jillian Balow announces resignation, Maryland food bank braces for more hungry mouths after emergency benefits are reduced. PGCPS will continue to make health and safety decisions in consultation with health experts.. 233 E. Redwood Street Suite 600G 31pCMS_DO` }kam~x1J`v3T`m(EAv>}uDIE -,0 The county was severely affected by the virus, with the second-most reported deaths in Maryland. Contact Information. Departments and Offices. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. Also, public schools in D.C. went mask-optional in March, while state lawmakers in Virginia voted to ban school mask mandates in February. $50K Reward Offered For Information In Men's Shooting Death: Police, Teen, D.C. Man Fatally Shot In Separate Cases: Prince George's Police, $769M In Investments Popping Up Along Blue Line Corridor, Masterworks IV: Mahler's "Tragic" Symphony No. When responding to public health threats like COVID-19, Maryland school districts have the flexibility to determine mask-wearing policies," the school district posted on Facebook. Great stories teach, transport and transform! Prince George's County is the only D.C.-area jurisdiction that had a mask mandate on the first day of classes. Prince Georges County was a center of the pandemic, reporting the most cases among counties in Maryland. This year, when the omicron variant hit regional schools hard, Prince Georges chose to extend its winter break beyond any other school systems to slow the spread of the virus. As for the schools, the. Prince George's County Public Schools announced Friday that masks will once again be mandatory at all schools and facilities starting on Monday. School system CEO Monica Goldson announced the policy change in a newsletter to parents Monday evening, at the. Donna Christy, president of the Prince Georges County Educators Association, told WTOP that the union supports the move. Before then, the school system briefly had a mask-optional policy in place in July. Prince Georges County schools initially transitioned to a mask-optional policy in July. In a poll of its members a few weeks ago, she said, around 60% favored the return of a mask mandate. John Henry Murphy Sr.; Slave. Covid-19 is ravaging one of the countrys wealthiest black counties. There are no language selections available at this time. Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here. Prince George's schools where the last in the region to drop their mask mandate in July. PGCPS will continue to make health and safety decisions in consultation with health experts. The mandatory mask-wearing policy was put back in place due to the "highly contagious BA variant 5 COVID-19," the district said, and is a change from its mask-optional policy that took effect July 1. Joinhere! 2023 FOX Television Stations, FBI: Explosive found in bag at Pennsylvania airport, man arrested, Elderly couple dead in possible murder-suicide in Fairfax County: police, Airbnb renting out Paris theater that inspired 'Phantom of the Opera', Pot smoking lounge set to open in Montgomery County is first of its kind, Surgeon runs down Philadelphia street to retrieve organ from transport vehicle stuck in traffic, Video shows Amazon delivery driver hitting, killing dog at Maryland home, Richard Montgomery High School student accused of robbing Shell gas station at knifepoint, U.S. The community levels are determined by the number of hospital beds being used by covid-19 patients, the level of covid-19 hospital admissions and the total number of new cases in an area. A South Florida native, Scott graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019. Washington, DC 20002, Prince Georges County has suffered higher than normal COVID-19 infection rates since the start of the pandemic. In a tweet on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, called . XM x0r\1+'O5l,QUc4]@4\h\xLF:Q>Xo`&2&\g . Officials in Prince Georges County have announced that students will start the 2022-2023 school year with masks on. PGCPS continuar tomando decisiones relacionadas con la salud y la seguridad en consulta con los expertos en el rea de la salud. John started working at WTOP in 2016 after having grown up in Maryland listening to the station as a child. Home. Sasscer Administration Building Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. Schools 135 #1 IN GREEN SCHOOLS PGCPS tops all Maryland districts in total number of green schools certifications Schools 10 HISTORIC SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION 10 schools under construction or to be delivered in next 4 years Schools 198 NUMBER OF SCHOOLS FOR 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR Get the Latest Information Fast, informative and written just for locals. Los distritos escolares de Maryland tienen flexibilidad para determinar las polticas de uso de mascarilla cuando responden a amenazas de salud pblica como la de la COVID-19. Prince Georges County Public Schools will reopen on Aug. 29. We are one of the last counties in the country to still have a mask mandate. Lorsqu'il s'agit de rpondre des menaces de sant publique telles que le COVID-19, les districts scolaires du Maryland disposent d'une certaine flexibilit pour dterminer les politiques de port de masque. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/Annots[ 23 0 R] /MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Sign up for Text Messages, Emails and Newsletters. Masks will be required inside Prince George's County Public Schools again starting Monday, Aug . This decision reverses one from July, which made mask wearing optional in Prince George's County schools. Deadline to submit application is Friday, March 10, 2023. Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member subscribers are now members! Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. During his time in College Park, he worked for The Diamondback, the schools student newspaper. Maryland hotline: 211 Prince George's County hotline: 301-883-6627 Student and Parent Instructional Resources Password Reset School officials say the decision comes in light of the highly contagious COVID-19 BA.5 variant spreading through the county. Prince George's. WTOPs John Domen contributed to this report. Donna Christy, president of Prince Georges County Educators, said Prince Georges County teachers are supportive of returning to a mask mandate if infection rates require it. Many of the conspiracy theories contradict each other and the findings in the Energy Department report. It was the last school system in the state to return to in-person instruction. Mask Mandate Returns To Prince George's Schools Effective Aug. 15. The mandate extends to all indoor public locations at all. 3 0 obj All Rights Reserved. Officials in Prince George's County have announced that students will start the 2022-2023 school year with masks on. 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Prince George's County Public Schools will end its indoor mask mandate next week, CEO Monica Goldson said in a note to the school community. D.C. Public Schools new reading curriculum is designed to help improve literacy among the citys youngest readers. endobj This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Staff are encouraged to exercise good judgment and are expected to be supportive of co-workers mask-wearing choices.. UPPER MARLBORO, Md. Dancers in the Suitland High School Center for Visual and Performing Arts take a master class with the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater! The school. Related: CDC Eases COVID Restrictions: What Remains In Maryland. NEWS ALERT: California board denies parole for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, Scott Gelman | sgelman@wtop.com. Montgomery County Board of Education drops mask mandate for schools. A mask should still be worn through the 10th day after testing positive, according to the guidelines. The Maryland school district is among the 20 largest in the country, with more than 136,000 students and nearly 22,000 employees. All Rights Reserved. Nearly 77% of residents are fully vaccinated, meaning theyve received at least two shots, according to CDC data. Seer. Wearing a mask is optional for students in Montgomery County. Public Information Requests. All Rights Reserved. 1 0 obj Students in Prince George's County will be required to wear masks when they return to school in late August, school officials said Monday. Communicating the official change in policy has not been entirely consistent. School officials announced the decision on Facebook Friday. Its neighbor, Montgomery County Public Schools, dropped a systemwide mask mandate in March. In July 2022, PGCPS transitioned from a mandatory mask-wearing policy to an optional-wear policy for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Aug. 11 is no longer recommending people quarantine when exposed to someone with COVID-19, and is also dropping its guidance for people to stay 6 feet apart. bD,pI-2E4n[ >-Q_N@ZN@^w $KS@y/~LO-ud)x%|$c|}J7B"C`R$~uwB!A|jS6|V">}XpaebmVY# There are no language selections available at this time. ,;=d!DEJ\0 Copyright 2022 by WTOP. The decision comes as some school systems have considered reviving their mask mandates as coronavirus variants have led to rising case numbers. In one, a massive study of more than 340,000 residents of rural Bangladesh, the study found that mask programs that promoted but didn't mandate masks "increased mask usage and reduced . 2023 WTOP. He is a reporter and photographer focusing on politics, political activism and international affairs. Prince George's County Schools (PGCPS) are requiring masks again starting Aug. 15, citing the spread of COVID-19, according to the district. (veradavidovacuz/unsplash), AFRO endorsements for the 2022 midterm elections, A time to dance: Rev. John H. Murphy, Sr., a former enslaved man founded the AFRO in 1892 with $200 from his wife, Martha Howard Murphy. The fully vaccinated rate increases to 85.7 percent for residents 12 and older. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Dr. Frances Toni Draper announces retirement from pastorship at Freedom Temple AME Zion Church, 130 years of excellence: AFRO Gala set to kick anniversary celebration into high gear. 2022 WTOP. When responding to public health threats such as COVID-19, Maryland school districts have flexibility in determining mask-wearing policies. According to a press release, the changes will be in place until further notice. Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, 2023, Prince George's County Public Schools, Website Accessibility Requests and Feedback Form. 5425 Wisconsin Ave Mask policy is subject to change according to local and/or state health department guidance and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, PGCPS said in the email. Pushing their agenda of fear announcement that has not been clear to many parents Sirhan Sirhan, Scott |...: California board denies parole for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, Scott graduated from the University Maryland... High school center for Visual and Performing Arts take a master Class with the renowned Ailey. Inbox every weekday morning staff are encouraged to exercise good judgment and are expected to supportive. D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered the theories! A lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved pg county schools mask mandate, weve you! And are expected to be supportive of co-workers mask-wearing choices.. 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