JHU creates reopening policy tracker

JHU creates reopening policy tracker

CHRISTIAN SCHAFFER.

AND I'MASHLEY JAMES.

THE DEADLINE FORMARYLAND SUPERINTENDENTS TOFINALIZE THEIR PLANS TO REOPENSCHOOLS THIS FALL IS LESS THANTHREE WEEKS AWAY.

SOME SCHOOLSYSTEMS IN OUR AREA HAVEALREADY ANNOUNCED THEPRELIMINARY PLANS.

AND NOWRESEARCHERS AT JOHNS HOPKINSUNIVERSITY HAVE BEEN STUDYINGHOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSSTHE COUNTRY ARE MAKING THESEDECISIONS.

WMAR 2 NEWS' MARKROPER IS LIVE OUTSIDE JOHNSHOPKINS HOMEWOOD CAMPUS WITHMORE ON WHAT THEY FOUND OUT..EXPERTS IN EDUCATION━ PUBLICHEALTH AND MEDICINE WORKEDTOGETHER TO COMPILE THISINFORMATION.

AND IN ANALYZINGTHE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENTOF EDUCATION'S STRATEGIES TOREOPEN━ THEY FOUND THE STATEREQUIREMENTS ADDRESS 12 OUT12 KEY CATEGORIERESEARCHERS WITH THE JOHNSHOPKINS UNIVERSITY ━ SCHOOLPLUS INITIATIVE━ COMPILED AREOPENING POLICY TRACKER OFHOW STATES ARE GUIDING SCHOOLADMINISTRATORS IN THEIR PLANSTO OPEN THIS FALL.

THEY LOOKEDAT A VARIETY OF CRITERIAINVOLVING TEACHERS━ STUDENTS━ AND THEIR FAMILIES.

THESE12 CATEGORIES INCLUDE: FIRSTAND FOREMOST━ ACADEMICS ANDMAKING SURE STUDENTS'EDUCATIONAL NEEDS ARE BEINGMET.

AND ARE SCHOOLS PREPAREDTO PROTECT STUDENTS━TEACHERS AND STAFF AGAINSTCOVI━19 IF CLASSES WILL BEHELD I━PERSON.

OTHERSTANDARDS BEING TRACKEDINVOLVE━ PLANS FOR MEAL ANDSNACK DISTRIBUTION FORSTUDENTS IN NEED PLUS━ ARESCHOOLS HANDLING PARENTALREQUESTS FOR I━ PERSON,DISTANCE━ OR HYBRIDEDUCATION━ AS WELL ASOPTIONS FOR TEACHERS AND STAFFIN ADDITION━ ARE THERE PLANSTO SUPPORT CHILDREN WITHSPECIAL NEEDS━ AND IS HELPAVAILABLE FOR KIDS IN LO━INCOME FAMILIES.

RESEARCHERSALSO CHECKED TO SEE IF SCHOOLSINCLUDED PARENTS AND STUDENTSIN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESSTO REOPEN.

BESIDES TRACKINGTHESE POLICIES━ RESEARCHERSPUT TOGETHER A REOPENINGCHECKLIST━ OF THINGS FORADMINISTRATORS TO THINK ABOUTAS THEY PLAN TO REOPEN━ ANDTHEY ALSO COLLECTED A LIST━OF WHAT THEY SEE AS SOME OFTHE BEST ACTIONSADMINISTRATORS ACROSS THECOUNTRY━ ARE TAKING TO SOLVETHE MANY PROBLEMS AND ISSUESTO REOPEN SCHOOLS━ WHETHERI━ PERSON━ ONLINE LEARNING━ OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH.We're trying very quickly toget tools in the hands ofpolicy advocates, of parents,and everyone in between,administrators, so we'retrying to think from multiplespaces, how we could quicklyget some tools into people'shands so that they could usethem and start thinkingcritically about this issuebecause we know this haschanged the way we think aboutschooIN TRACKING HOW STATEDEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION AREHANDLING THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS━ RESEARCHERS ONLY MADE NOTEWHETHER OR NOT A STATE ISADDRESSING THE CRITERIA.

THEYDID NOT EVALUATE HOW WELL ORTO WHAT EXTENT A STATE ISEXECUTING ITS PLANS.

LIVE INNORTH BALTIMORE━ MARK ROPER━ WMA