Maryland’s state superintendent wants small groups of students to return to in-person learning even as the coronavirus pandemic rages, saying the adverse academic and mental health effects outweigh the risk of spreading the virus.
State Superintendent Karen B. Salmon, addressing the Maryland State Board of Education Tuesday evening, cited research indicating no major spread of the virus in schools, The Associated Press reported, citing The Washington Post.
“We need to reopen our schools because the risks to our children of keeping them closed are far greater,” she said, AP reported.
State officials said two of Maryland’s 24 school systems apparently are already participating in some form of in-person instruction.
As of Wednesday, Maryland has 222,653 coronavirus cases and 4,801 related deaths, according to state health department statistics. Among those 19 and younger, the state has 29,468 cases and four deaths, including a 1-year-old boy who died last month.