August 28, 2020

Greetings Brothers and Sisters,

Yesterday's announcement from Governor Hogan and Superintendent Salmon does not mean that we are going back to school immediately. Indeed, PGCPS Board of Education Chair Alvin Thornton said following the announcement , "We have listened to parents and our community in making decisions that prioritize our students ' needs. At this time , we have no plans to change course in reopening PGCPS."

We must make sure that educators , students, and families are safe before reopening. Adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilation, sanitation , social distancing, and other medically-recommended safety requirements should be in place to ensure that our schools are safe places for working and learning. Right now we have not seen the funding to make those steps happen, and the $10 million being offered by the state to schools that choose to reopen is a drop in the bucket of addressing existing needs, as our understanding is that it would be spread across the state.

We've seen Towson University here in Maryland, and other colleges and public schools across the country, reopen only to quickly shut back down due to the spread of coronavirus. We must do better in our schools and county. We encourage you to contact school board members and ask them to continue to prioritize the health and safety of educators, students , and families during these challenging times .

In solidarity, 

Martin Diggs, President

ACE-AFSCME Local 2250