Governor Hogan has amended his order to start school after Labor Day, setting terms for districts seeking alternatives to the new schedule.
The Governor’s Office has posted the Amended Order: Read the Executive Order.
As reported in the Washington Post,
Under Hogan’s original executive order, schools must open after Labor Day and end by June 15. But districts could seek waivers based on a “compelling justification.” The governor did not spell out what that meant.
Under the amended order, Hogan largely limits a “compelling justification” to several circumstances, involving either a charter school with an innovative schedule; certain low-performing or at-risk schools with innovative schedules, such as year-round or extended year calendars; or a district that has had 10 emergency or weather-related closings a year at least twice during the past five years.
According to the Baltimore Sun, John Woolums of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education has stated that the order is unprecedented,
“I think this new executive order sends the message that the governor is out of sync with the state board of education,” said John R. Woolums, the director of governmental relations for the Maryland Association of Boards of Education. “I think one executive order intruding into education policy is unprecedented and two is doubly unprecedented.”
Woolums said his group, which represents all the local boards of education in the state, passed a resolution last week opposing the intrusion of the governor’s office on such matters.
The State Board plans to review the second order at it October meeting, as reported in the Sun,
Andy Smarick, president of the state board, said Tuesday he could not comment because he had just gotten the order and hadn’t read it. He said the board would review the new order.
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