In a letter signed by the heads of the Maryland PTA, the Baltimore city teachers’ union and the Maryland state teachers’ union, educators and parents urged Governor Larry Hogan and state schools Superintendent Karen Salmon to hold off on starting in-person classroom instruction until at least January 2021.

Noting that all parties are eager to have in-person classes begin so that they can enjoy their school communities, the signatories states that the safety of students, teachers, staff and families must be paramount in the discussion of opening classrooms.

“While we are eager to return to school, we are not blind to the challenges of doing so during this pandemic. Any return to in-person learning must prioritize and guarantee the highest standards for health and safety,” the letter states.

The organizations go on to note that despite rising pressure from the Trump Administration, a suitable plan has not been proposed to guarantee the safety of the people involved for “an experiment.”

“We agree with Governor Hogan that we will not be bullied by political pressure from Washington, DC. We will not succumb to politics that would place Maryland educators, students, or families in harm’s way and have them participate in a potentially deadly experiment,” the letter states.  “There is an inhuman callousness that attempts to use the lower transmission rates and mortality rates for people under the age of 18 as justification for reopening schools.”

Covering more than 1,400 schools, 57,000 teachers and 850,000 students, Maryland’s public school teachers’ unions and the state PTA encompass all 24 counties in the state.