As President Donald Trump continues to push for schools to reopen so students can go back to their classrooms, the Maryland private school where his son Barron is enrolled is among those to stay closed for in-person learning by county’s order.
Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles said his order to stay closed for in-person instruction through Oct. 1 and to conduct online classes only will be reevaluated before Oct. 1 to determine whether it should be extended, terminated or amended.
Gayles noted increases in transmission rates for COVID-19 — the disease caused by the virus — in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia, particularly in younger age groups.
“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have based our decisions on science and data,” Gayles said in a news release announcing the decision late Friday. “At this point the data does not suggest that in-person instruction is safe for students or teachers.”
Barron, 14, is due to enter ninth grade at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, which is located in Montgomery County. The 2020-2021 school year is slated to begin Sept. 8.
