Maryland school board might require Carroll County to add live instruction time; decision delayed
The state school board on Tuesday decided to delay a vote on whether to require school districts to offer students a minimum of 3 1/4 u00bd hours of live online instruction each day — a threshold Carroll County’s plan falls short of — while classes remain remote because of the coronavirus pandemic.
State school board chairman Clarence Crawford said the board will discuss the issue at a special board meeting on Sept. 1.
Maryland schools superintendent Karen Salmon made the proposal to require a minimum number of hours of instruction at a board meeting on Monday. “I want to make sure that all students across the state have the same opportunity for learning,” Salmon said at the time. “I think this is crucial.”
Carroll County Public Schools is the only system in the Baltimore region that is planning less than three and a half hours of live instruction. Elementary school students have 75 minutes of live instruction with a teacher for math and English each day, and an additional two hours for teachers to connect live with students who need additional help in small or large groups.
