Petition to reopen Worcester County Public Schools schools circulating online

WORCESTER CO., Md. — A petition to reopen schools in Worcester County is circulating throughout the community.

The petition claims that prolonged school closures have a quote “clear negative impact on children’s health, education, and development.” According to the site, the point of the petition is to “show superintendent Lou Taylor and the Worcester County Board of Ed that the community supports their decision to resume in-person learning on Monday January 11th.”

The district had planned to return small groups of students to the classroom on January 4th, however they pushed the date back following recommendations from the health department.

The petition also mentions that the problems brought on by the school closures are exasperated for underprivileged children. The statement says in part quote,”Private schools in the community have been open successfully since September. This will do nothing but widen the gap for the underprivileged.”

The school district stopped in-person instruction back in November of 2020, due to the county’s covid-19 positivity rate, which is currently 16.22%. This is nearly 7% higher than the state of Maryland’s average.

The call to reopen schools claims that with the proper protocols and procedures in place teachers and staff are at no higher risk of infection than the community in general.

47ABC reached out to the creator of the petition, Aaron Evans, but we haven’t heard anything back yet. Evans petition has already reached more than 300 signatures, with a goal of 500.

The view the petition, click here.