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School Board President: Drawbacks of Virtual Learning Unavoidable

December 28th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

As COVID-19 continues to surge through the county, school closures and remote instruction will continue in Allegany County heading into the new year. Despite comments from Maryland’s Superintendent of Schools in early December calling for a return to the classroom for in-person instruction as soon as possible, the local board voted this month to remain virtual into the first few weeks of January. The board will reevaluate plans, the availability of staffing and other health metrics at the January 12th meeting. The system began the year with virtual learning but had shifted to a hybrid schedule, gradually bringing kids back to school. Following a surge in COVID cases that began in mid-October, the board then voted to return to all virtual learning until further notice. School board president Tammy Fraley said all of the board members are interested in getting children back in schools as soon as possible but there are simply too many health concerns at this time. She said the classroom time lost to students this year is something they can never get back…