State mandated school hours by 9/28

[Anonymous]

This is such a crappy thing for the state board to do. These guidelines in June would have been awesome. Publishing them now is just.... despicable.
Schools have worked hard this summer to develop a plan. Parents were *screaming* to know the schedule so they could deal with childcare. Childcare providers have worked hard to develop programs that support the schedules.

The cluelessness emanating from the state administration is just appalling.

For this who haven’t seen it, here is the new schedule, which - assuming it gets through the Tuesday meeting unchanged - will have to be implemented by 9/28.

The biggest change that I see for many districts is the elimination of the one day a week they were planning on using for supplemental instruction/pd. (Ie, AACo student schedule ends about 10am in Wednesday’s - they wouldn’t be acceptable under these rules)

http://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Documents/2020/0901/Maryland-Recovery-Plan-Education-Student-Engagement.pdf

[Anonymous]

This is terrible.

[Anonymous]

It says synchronous learning can include office hours. Maybe Wednesday could be office hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It says synchronous learning can include office hours. Maybe Wednesday could be office hours.

I know it says that but I don't see how. If students need to receive live instruction a certain number of hours every day, how can office hours really count for that unless ALL students are required to attend office hours?

[Anonymous]

Well, it's a dynamic situation. I can see not wanting to make a call about certain things earlier than now to see where the numbers are. However, I also don't agree that the state should mandate anything. It should be based on individual communities

[Anonymous]

Thankful the state realizes that getting 2 hours of an AP class a week is NOT doable. MCPS dropped the ball. Someone needs to hold them accountable.

[Anonymous]

From the State Department of Ed website: "Please email comments to: [e-mail] until further notice. Comments will be reviewed on a continuous basis."

I encourage you to write if you want to weigh in.

[Anonymous]

This impacts some counties more than others. As a parent of a HS student with this proposal I'm pissed. I'm in MCPS. 4 hours of live instruction per day with 15 minute breaks is doable. Take away the breaks to increase that to 5 hours and add in an additional hour of required homework? Now we are at overloaded and stressed out with the amount of computer time. Students with advanced courses will put in the additional time needed anyway - they have to normally. But forcing everyone to do it? Unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

I feel like the State (Hogan?) is trying to sabotage the schools at the last minute. First with the press conference on August 27 (several days before school starts) and now with the guidance on hours. I mean where was this guidance when counties actually had time to respond? I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist, but I wonder what is behind this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This impacts some counties more than others. As a parent of a HS student with this proposal I'm pissed. I'm in MCPS. 4 hours of live instruction per day with 15 minute breaks is doable. Take away the breaks to increase that to 5 hours and add in an additional hour of required homework? Now we are at overloaded and stressed out with the amount of computer time. Students with advanced courses will put in the additional time needed anyway - they have to normally. But forcing everyone to do it? Unnecessary.

I agree. 4 hours of zoom a day is plenty for my middle schooler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the State (Hogan?) is trying to sabotage the schools at the last minute. First with the press conference on August 27 (several days before school starts) and now with the guidance on hours. I mean where was this guidance when counties actually had time to respond? I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist, but I wonder what is behind this.

It really has the ring of malevolent incompetence.

[Anonymous]

It did not pass. They approved a requirement for a minimum average of 3.5 hours per day of synchronous instruction, to be implemented by the end of the calendar year.

[Anonymous]

Y’all voted for hogan!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the State (Hogan?) is trying to sabotage the schools at the last minute. First with the press conference on August 27 (several days before school starts) and now with the guidance on hours. I mean where was this guidance when counties actually had time to respond? I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist, but I wonder what is behind this.

LOL. You don’t need to call it a conspiracy— it’s true! Hogan’s hostility to public schools has been his #1 platform. He slashed budgets, forces that stupid Labor Day calendar mandate, fought with the teacher unions, and is throwing them under the bus now with this and with his comments about in person instruction a few days ago. He has been TERRIBLE for schools, kids and teachers. He is DEFINITELY trying to sabotage schools with this latest move. Call that S out and don’t give him the benefit of the doubt by claiming you’re the conspiracy theorist!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It did not pass. They approved a requirement for a minimum average of 3.5 hours per day of synchronous instruction, to be implemented by the end of the calendar year.

Thank goodness. I think many counties already meet the 3.5 hours average.
I swear it's like he stood up there and made these outlandish proposals just to get some red meat to throw at his base.