Excerpts below from Bethesda Magazine’s April 17, 2020 article ‘UPDATED: Maryland schools to remain closed through May 15‘.

Maryland schools will stay closed through May 15, State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon announced on Friday [April 17, 2020].

The announcement extends for the second time a state order closing all public school buildings across the state as COVID-19, or the coronavirus, spreads.

The closures affect more than 166,000 students in 208 schools in Montgomery County, and nearly 900,000 students statewide.

The last day of classes in Montgomery County is scheduled for June 15.

“We will use this time to examine every option and continue to develop a long-term plan for recovery,” Salmon said.

School buildings across the state have been closed since March 16, focusing on learning online.

On March 25, Salmon announced that schools would remain closed through April 24. At the time, Gov. Larry Hogan said it was “somewhat aspirational,” signaling that closures could last longer.

During a press conference on Friday [April 17, 2020], Salmon extended the closures until mid-May, although it could continue beyond then. She has said previously that school districts must prepare for even longer disruptions into the fall or multiple stints of remote learning if there are several waves of infection.