Text below from March 25, 2020 email from Blair High School Principal Renay Johnson sent to Montgomery Blair High School families.
Good Evening Montgomery Blair High School Families:
I hope that you are doing well. It has been great to see many of you at our grab-an- go lunch site. As you know by now, all Maryland public schools will remain closed until at least April 24, 2020. Consequently, all MCPS school buildings will be closed during this time. Additional information will be shared with the MCPS community soon about the continuity of learning plans, school calendar adjustments, state exams, course requirements, and much more, including graduation requirement information for the class of 2020. You should visit the MCPS website frequently for the most up-to-date information, at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the extended school closure through April 24, 2020, MCPS will be offering students who do not have a computer or laptop at home an opportunity to pick up a Chromebook from MCPS school sites to access instruction from home.
Montgomery Blair High School will distribute Chromebooks to students in need of one tomorrow (Thursday, March 26th), from 8:00 am – 11:15 am. Our distribution site will only be for students who attend Montgomery Blair High School.
Families with students in multiple MCPS schools should refer to the district email sent today and will need to go to their designated school pick up locations for younger siblings. We simply do not have enough Chromebooks to provide them for the entire Blair cluster, https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2019-2020/coronavirus-update-20200325.html.
Drive-Through Pick Up
We urge families to drive. All vehicles must enter the MBHS campus from University Boulevard. Chromebooks will be distributed outside of the cafeteria. Once you enter the drop-off loop, please have your student ID number(s) written on an 8×11 piece of paper, big enough so that staff can read it through car windows and from 6 feet away. There will be tables set up to distribute Chromebooks. Students do not need to be present in the car to receive a device. A parent can pick up for multiple children who attend MBHS by providing their student ID numbers. Parents and students will not be permitted to leave their vehicles at any time. Staff will bring the Chromebooks to your cars.
Walk-ups
We strongly encourage students and parents to drive-up. However, if a vehicle is not accessible, we will provide Chromebooks to walk-ups students or parents. Walk-ups should also have their student ID numbers written clearly on an 8×11 piece of paper. Walk-ups will wait at designated cones, spaced 6 feet apart. Once the student ID is provided, a Chromebook will be distributed. Students must leave campus immediately and maintain CDC social distancing guidelines throughout.
MCPS Student Login Information was sent to families via email on 3/16/20. The numeric portion of your child’s login, before @mcpsmd.net is the student ID number. Parents/guardians unable to locate their child’s ID number will be assisted on site.
Slowing the spread of COVID-19 requires everyone to follow the guidance of health officials. An important piece of this effort is social distancing. This means avoiding gathering in groups of more than 10 and keeping a safe distance from others in the group. We ask those picking up Chromebooks follow all social distancing guidance provided by the CDC and federal, state and local health officials.
Information about obtaining free internet service can be found by clicking [on the link] https://www.internetessentials.com/covid19.
As a reminder, the Chromebooks are for students who do not currently have a device at home.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership during this uncertain time. We have a wonderfully strong and supportive school community and will work together on behalf of our students and families. I know our staff will look back upon this time period with dignity and pride in knowing we were part of the civic response to this crisis. We will meet the needs of our amazingly diverse students (how I miss them!), and we will serve you during this challenging moment in history.
All the best.