Two Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) food and nutrition services staff members working at the Glen Haven Elementary School meal distribution site in Wheaton have reported positive tests of Covid-19 (photos 1 and 2)

In addition, there have been two confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg (photo 3).


MCPS anticipates and is expecting an extended closure, per a letter sent to the community today.

“ While state officials have only announced a two-week emergency closure at this time, we are anticipating and actively preparing for the very real possibility of an extended closure. We expect to hear from our state officials in the coming days. Our preparation includes designing plans for innovative, remote student instruction (continuity of learning) that uses multiple tools (for example, online, TV and telephone and hard copy packets) to provide teaching and learning. We are also gathering and finalizing distribution plans for digital devices that will help ensure our students can fully engage in this new model. These devices will be prioritized for students in need.”


MCPS Prepared to Provide Online Instruction/Regional Meal Sites if Schools Close Due to Coronavirus

In a community message sent out on March 4th, MCPS outlined a plan the school system would follow in the event of school closures due to the corona virus.


Every year, the Montgomery County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council holds an event through our Choose Respect Initiative which focuses on teen dating violence prevention.

RespectFest 2020 is on Sunday, March 29th from 1 -4 at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center. This festival, geared towards middle and high school students, parents, educators and youth serving providers, will have activities, games and information about celebrating healthy relationships and on dating violence prevention and where someone can go to get help.


Born in Iran, Zandieh’s family moved to Gaithersburg when she was four years old. Through high school, her projected career path seemed clear. “Growing up in DC, the only available career options that I was exposed to were to be a journalist or a lawyer. I thought I wanted to be a journalist, and so I went to college [Hofstra University] and studied communications and French,” says Zandieh (Per Zandieh’s interview with the Alliance of Women Film Journalists).


Governor Larry Hogan today announced that he is introducing the Universal School Start Act of 2020 requiring Maryland public schools to start after Labor Day.

According to the press release this will be “ending the mass confusion of having Maryland’s counties each starting on different dates. This mass confusion was created by the General Assembly’s actions in 2019, when it cynically overturned the governor’s popular executive order requiring that school start after Labor Day.”


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