Gov. Mills Addresses Reopening Maine Schools

According to a press conference featured on News Center Maine, Governor Janet Mills (joined by Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin and Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah) laid of the framework for a school reopening plan.

According to the KJ, a three tiered system will be used to determine whether or not schools will physically reopen.  And, to what extent that school will reopen.

Each county, based on the spread of COVID-19, will be ranked as green, yellow, or red.  Red counties show a high COVID-19 threat and will be asked to use remote learning.  Yellow counties have a medium COVID-19 threat and should use hybrid learning.  Hybrid learning is a mix of in-class and remote learning.  Green counties show a low (or non-existent) COVID-19 threat and should reopen with proper safety measures (wearing masks, social distancing, frequent hand washing, etc).

These county ranks will begin the last week of July and will be updated every two weeks.

However, it is important to note that some schools in "green" counties may choose to take the extra precaution of hybrid or remote learning.

The governor also announced additional funding to support schools in following the science-based protocols released Friday, with up to $165 million in federal CARES Act funding now authorized for distribution to school systems across the state.

This story will be updated...