Executive Summary
At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, the Pandemic Response Team was tasked with developing MSD's Reopening Guide, and the Pandemic Response Team coordinators organized this effort. Supervisors worked with their teams as appropriate to determine what changes or updates to their safety policies and procedures were needed to align with updated federal, state, and local guidance. The Director of Curriculum and Instruction and the Director of Compliance Assurance followed MSDE guidance and guidelines to address areas in academics, assessment, and IEPs. Once the plan was drafted, MSD's Reopening Guide was reviewed by MSD's senior management team and shared with stakeholders and the school community for feedback before being finalized for the 2021-2022 school year.
Preparation for the 2023-2024 school year is like no other. Recapturing a sense of normalcy in school life requires additional planning and preparation to ensure the health and safety of our students, staff, and families remain the school's priority. MSD's Reopening Guide was drafted following a combination of guidance provided from the State of Maryland, the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, local and state Health Departments, Frederick County Public Schools, and Howard County Public School System. The Reopening Guide serves as a general blueprint for supervisors and programs to provide instruction and services responsibly, gradually, and safely.
The MSD Handbook is still in effect for the 2023-2024 school year; this plan serves in addition to the handbook. Any modifications needed to items in the handbook to support MSD's response to the pandemic or to accommodate online learning, or a hybrid model, will be noted in the Reopening Guide and will be in effect until such time modifications are no longer needed.
This Reopening Guide should be considered a working document, meaning that the criteria and recommendations are based on known factors at the time of writing. As more information becomes available, the guidelines will be updated as appropriate, or every six months until September 30, 2024.
SUBMIT FEEDBACK
Feedback and input from our parents/guardians, families, students, staff, and stakeholders help inform our planning. Please visit https://bit.ly/ReopeningGuideForm to provide feedback on our Reopening Guide throughout the year.