The coronavirus pandemic has left public and private schools in a state of flux with both wanting to do the best for students and teachers while offering as normal of a school year as possible.
For many of Maryland’s independent schools, the optimal solution is to offer in-person classes, but most have plans in place for a combination that includes in-person learning and online classes. While such plans are a disappointment to many, it’s an understandable solution as the schools seek to strike the balance between returning to campus and addressing public health concerns.
Baltimore Fishbowl has compiled a list of area independent schools, including links to them, with their current plans for the fall. We will continue to update the list as conditions evolve and plans change.
Archdiocese of Baltimore Department of Catholic Schools
Plan: The Archdiocese of Baltimore Department of Catholic Schools announced that its schools will offer classes in person. Under its reopening plan, it allows for a blended or hybrid method at some if its schools, incorporating in-person and remote learning, when size or staffing makes in-person instruction impractical.
https://www.archbalt.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20-21-Catholic-Schools-Reopening-Guidelines_FINAL.pdf
Baltimore Lab School
Plan: Instruction for the 1st quarter (September 1-November 5, 2020) of the 2020-2021 school year will be virtual. A determination regarding the delivery method of instruction for the 2nd quarter will be made in October.
https://www.baltimorelabschool.org/about/message-from-the-head-of-school.cfm
Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School
Plan: Students will return to school in stages. This phased-in approach will allow students to adapt to safety precautions while giving staff the opportunity to observe, analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of protocols, which will include social distancing, masks, frequent hand-washing, increased outdoor learning and self-contained learning pods. https://www.bethtfiloh.com/School
The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland
Plan: In person, with a plan to return to online learning if necessary.
The Bryn Mawr School
Plan: The Bryn Mawr School is considering various scenarios including continuation of distance learning; return to campus with strict social distancing, which requires static groups of approximately 10 people staying in one space; flexible social distancing allowing the full student body to be on campus at the same time and resume as much of their daily schedule as possible; and a regular on-campus experience.
https://www.brynmawrschool.org/
Calvert School
Plan: Calvert plans to re-open and the school has done extensive work to reconfigure the overall layout of the lower and middle schools to create adequate social distancing in classrooms. The school will use tents as well as specials classrooms to provide more space. https://www.calvertschoolmd.org
Cambridge School
Plan: In-person when classes resume.
https://www.cambridgeschool.org/
Chapelgate Christian Academy
Plan: Preschool and lower school will be in-person 5 days per week, and middle school will be in-person 4 days per week. High school will be in-person 2 days per week and online 2 days per week with livestream real-time classroom instruction.
The Community School, Baltimore
Plan: In-person
https://tcshighschool.org/
Concordia Preparatory School
Plan: In-person with modified schedules. Students will attend on designated “red” or “gray” days. While red students attend in-person classes, gray students at home will be able to participate in classes in real-time.
https://concordiaprepschool.org/2020/07/fall-reopening-plan/
Friends School of Baltimore
Plan: In-person in varying degrees, with online-only until September 30.
https://www.friendsbalt.org/
Garrison Forest School
Plan: Online initially, with plans to begin a gradual/staggered, on-campus re-entry in mid-to-late September, starting with the school’s youngest students. On-campus instruction is expected to resume in early October with virtual options available for students who are not able to return. Boarding students are expected to return to the school in the latter part of September and are expected to provide a negative COVID test from within 72 hours prior to their arrival to campus or certification that they have completed a 14-day quarantine, in Maryland, before their arrival to campus.
gfs.org/reopening
Gerstell Academy
Plan: Lower school: on-campus five days a week; middle school: on-campus instruction four days a week with remote learning one day a week (Wednesdays). A hybrid model will be offered to families that includes both on-campus instruction two days a week and remote learning classes three days a week. The third instructional model will allow students to participate in a remote learning program on a full-time basis, five days a week. The Upper School will offer two choices for students this fall. Students are grouped by grade level for both options. Option 1 is a hybrid model that allows students to attend in-person classes on campus and remote, synchronous classes. Option 2 is a remote model that allows students to attend all classes through live, synchronous Zoom sessions.
https://www.gerstell.org/covid-19-preparedness-and-response
Gilman School
Plan: The school year will begin online initially. A staggered return to campus will commence the week of September 14 for Pre-K through Grade 1 and a staggered return the week of September 21 for students in all other grades. Upper schoolers will return to school three days per week, middle schoolers four days per week, and lower school boys five days per week.
https://www.gilman.edu/reopeningplan
Glenelg Country School
Plan: Blended. Daycare and the lower school are expected to be open on campus, and middle and upper schools will hold in-person classes part-time. A virtual platform will support all programs and will serve as a full-time option for students unable to be physically present.
https://www.glenelg.org/coronavirus-response
Grace Preschool
Plan: In-person
The GreenMount School
Plan: Virtual learning for the first trimester.
https://www.greenmountschool.org/
Greenspring Montessori School
Plan: In-person
https://greenspringmontessori.org/
The Harbour School
Plan: Blended. Two days in person and three days virtual depending on the age of the child. https://harbourschool.org/
Harford Day School
Plan: In-person with a remote option.
https://www.harfordday.org/covid19
The Highlands School
Plan: In-person.
https://www.highlandsschool.net/
Indian Creek School
Plan: In-person at both campuses.
https://www.indiancreekschool.org/planning-for-2020-21
Jemicy School
Plan: In-person with full and hybrid online options for students who prefer to continue learning from home.
https://www.jemicyschool.org/admission/welcome-from-admission
The Key School
Plan: In-person with staggering start times and dismissals of each division to enable social distancing during these high-density time periods:
https://www.keyschool.org/covid-19
Krieger Schechter Day School
Plan: In-person with a hybrid plan that combines the best of on-campus and virtual learning for families who require distance learning.
https://www.ksds.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/KSDS_Letter-7.6.20-1.pdf
McDonogh School
Plan: Staggered. Pre-K through fourth-grade students on campus five days a week. Middle school and upper school students will not be on campus on the same days. When upper school students are on campus, middle school students will be in virtual school and vice versa. https://www.mcdonogh.org/reopening
Montessori School of Westminster
Plan: Combination of in-person and distance learning.
https://www.montessorischoolofwestminster.org/
Naval Academy Primary School
Plan: In-person
https://napschool.org/
Oldfields School
Plan: In-person
https://www.oldfieldsschool.org/
The Park School of Baltimore
Plan: In-person and blended. Lower school students will spend five days a week on campus with classes divided into smaller cohorts which will remain together in the building. Middle and upper schools will blend days of on-campus classes with virtual instruction. Please see link to the “Return to Campus Plan” below.
https://www.parkschool.net/life-at-park/return-to-campus-plan/
Radcliffe Creek School
Plan: In-person
https://www.radcliffecreekschool.org/2020-2021-school-year
Roland Park Country School
Plan: In-person with families given the option of 100-percent online instruction. https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1596139390/rpcsorg/avi2mjwepksl533acvjw/RPCS_ReopeningGuide.pdf
Saint Andrew’s United Methodist Day School
Plan: In-person with specific precautions including requiring students to have daily temperature checks, masks and restricting access to school buildings to students and school staff. https://www.school.standrewsum.org/covid-19
Severn School
Plan: In-person for preschool and first grade; hybrid learning model for grades 2-12 that allows students to attend school on campus for part of the week and remotely the remaining days. https://www.severnschool.com/return-to-school-plan
St. James Academy
Plan: In-person with virtual learning option.
https://www.saintjamesacademy.org/reopening-fall/
St. John’s Parish Day School
Plan: In-person with remote and blended options.
https://www.stjohnspds.org/apps/news/article/1257446
St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School
Plan: In-person with precautions.
https://www.stjohnspds.org/apps/news/article/1257446
St. Paul’s Pre & Lower School
Plan: Preschool is open and in-session for the summer, beginning the fall semester on August 26. Pre-K plans to begin classes on September 2.
St. Paul’s School for Boys
Plan: Distance learning to start. Students will return to campus in phased re-entry, from youngest to oldest students.
https://www.stpaulsmd.org/covid
St. Paul’s School for Girls
Plan: Distance learning to start. Students will return to campus in phased re-entry, from youngest to oldest students.
St. Timothy’s School
Plan: In-person
https://www.stt.org/
Waldorf School
Plan: The Waldorf School of Baltimore plans to have their Children’s Garden, grades preschool, PreK and Kindergarten, on campus in the Fall. Grades 1-8 will begin virtually. Students will have the option to participate in some artistic and experientially-based classes on campus or at home with the schedule emphasizing the developmental need for first graders to have more in-person instruction.
