The release of a boundaries study from Montgomery County, home to Maryland’s largest school district, has been pushed back by half a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Montgomery County Board of Education voted Thursday to delay the release of its school boundaries report.
The study will determine how school boundaries affect students’ access to diverse schools, schools that aren’t crowded and schools that are within walking distance of their homes.
The decision grants a six-month extension, so that the project can take into account state restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The original timeline required a final report no later than June; officials now anticipate releasing the report Dec. 1.
The county hired an independent firm, WXY Architecture + Urban Design, to complete the study.
The consultants will continue some research and analysis, as well as the development of an interactive tool, but all community engagement and outreach has been paused due to the pandemic, according to a memo from Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Smith.
“Our staff will work with the consultants to consider social distancing, other public health requirements, and the impact on how instructional services are and may be provided across the system going forward,” Smith said in the memo proposing the resolution to delay.
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