Dear MCPS Community,

Earlier today, you received a letter from the MCPS medical officer, providing important updates related to COVID-19, influenza, RSV and other respiratory illnesses impacting our community. 

As the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Chief Operating Officer, it is important for me to share how we are working to ease the impact these illnesses have on the schools and on system-wide operations. MCPS is a people business: we rely on bus drivers, teachers, administrators, and support staff to make our schools function seamlessly.

Getting Students to School: Staffing Impact on Bus Routes

We remain committed to transporting students to and from school on time, and are actively recruiting and training new bus operators. In areas with significant illness-related absences, there may be disruptions to bus routes. When staff absences have an impact on scheduled routes, we will continue to communicate with families to inform them about delayed or canceled bus routes. Families will receive notification from their student’s school, and information about delayed and canceled bus routes is available on the MCPS Transportation Updates webpage.

Minimizing Interruptions to Learning

As the medical officer mentioned earlier today, MCPS monitors multiple factors that may impact normal school operations. To help maintain safe learning environments, MCPS will work to notify families about any operational disruptions, including staff absences, and necessary infection control measures, in addition to the usual inclement weather notifications. 

Ensuring Safe Air-Quality

We continue our efforts to improve ventilation and indoor air quality in our buildings. HVAC filter upgrades have been completed in all schools, and HVAC systems will continue to run on extended time cycles. MCPS meets or exceeds the recommendations for school ventilation set by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for mitigating COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in our schools. Visit our website for more on filters and air cleaners and other COVID-19 mitigation strategies in school facilities. 

Thank you for your continued support and commitment as we strive to get your children to school safely and deliver a world class education. 

Sincerely,

M. Brian Hull
Chief Operating Officer
Montgomery County Public Schools