COVID-19 Outbreaks Being Investigated At 7 County Private Schools

ROCKVILLE, MD — Public health officials are investigating possible coronavirus cases at seven Montgomery County private schools.

County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles, who made the announcement at a Thursday press briefing, did not disclose the names of the schools due to "privacy concerns" and the "ongoing nature of the investigations."

The latest investigations bring the total to 13 private schools with reported infections.

"To date, we have had, I believe, approximately 13 different schools that have had instances of cases involving teachers, staff, and students," Gayles said. "We currently have seven ongoing investigations involving nonpublic schools that have cases. And in at least two of those cases, we've had to quarantine a group of students who may have been exposed."

Gayles said schools are required under Maryland law to report any coronavirus cases to the local health department.

Once that happens, a thorough contact investigation is conducted by state and local heath officials to determine how many people came into contact with a suspected source and their risk of exposure.

Gayles said that investigation determines who needs to be quarantined and what steps schools should take to mitigate the risk of transmissions.

In recent weeks, Gayles clashed with private schools and state officials over who has the authority to prohibit in-person instruction during the pandemic.

It all started after July 31, after Gayles directed nonpublic school facilities to remain closed through Oct. 1.

On Aug. 3, his original order was overturned by Gov. Larry Hogan — who said private schools should make their own reopening decisions based on public health guidelines.

Half a dozen families of private school students also took issue with the directive and filed a lawsuit against Gayles.

A couple days later, Gayles rescinded his original order and issued a second one. That order also kept private schools online through Oct. 1, but cited a different law.

He later rescinded the second order after Maryland's health secretary issued a memo that said counties could not order blanket school closures.

Despite rescinding multiple health directives, Gayles maintains that it's not yet safe for schools to hold in-person classes.

The county continues to have the highest number of deaths in the state. It also has the second highest number of confirmed cases, after Prince George's County.

As of Thursday, Montgomery County has recorded 20,893 coronavirus cases and 792 fatalities.

Unlike most of Maryland, the county is still in phase two of its reopening plan. Gayles says the county will not enter phase three until officials see low and medium levels of transmission — or 10 to 35 cases a day.

Aside from occasional spikes in new infections (as high as 171) over the last two months, daily cases have plateaued in the 70s and 80s.