MEDIA ADVISORY
JANUARY 3, 2022
CONTACTS:
Russell Leone | [email protected], 410-693-6166
Amanda Menas | [email protected], 443-994-0509
Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County (TAAAC) Supports Anne Arundel County Reissuing a Mask Mandate
Annapolis, Md. – In light of the current surge in COVID-19 cases, the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County (TAAAC) supports County Executive Steuart Pittman’s most recent emergency indoor mask executive order. The positivity rate is the highest in over a year and continues to increase. This surge has already had a significant impact on schools, with 56 county schools experiencing outbreaks before the winter break. Along with the additional pressures on our county-wide health professionals and hospitals, this surge will exacerbate shortages in school staffing. These issues jeopardize our school system’s ability to create learning environments that support our students.
“Our students deserve safe, healthy learning environments as they return from the winter break. Educators and school staff have led our community in utilizing masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, giving us the best chance to continue in-person learning. We continue to rely on our community to keep students healthy by wearing masks as well,” said elementary teacher and TAAAC President Russell Leone.
TAAAC urges the County Council to extend this indoor mask mandate until the current surge in cases subsides, consistent with recommendations from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health. Indoor mask-wearing is a key recommended means of mitigating the spread of COVID-19, protecting the community as a whole and the most vulnerable among us.
In-person schooling is essential for students’ continued academic growth and social-emotional well-being, but this must be balanced with the overall health and safety of students and staff. We ask the entire County Council to extend the executive order.
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