With cases on the rise in Maryland, public schools in the state’s most populous county decided to begin the school year online. Officials told private schools, including some of the country’s most elite institutions, to do the same. But then this week, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, abruptly overruled the order, saying that private schools should be able to make their own decisions.
The dispute over whether private schools should be able to teach in person, even if nearby public schools remain closed, represents a contentious new front in the discussion about inequality in America.
| Public schools, which educate about 90 percent of U.S. children, tend to have less money, larger class sizes and less flexibility to make the necessary changes to prepare for the virus. They must also negotiate with teachers’ unions, many of which have pushed for schools to remain closed. |
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