Dr. Margery Smelkinson Rips Montgomery County, Md. School Board Over ‘Ridiculous and Unscientific Policies’

EXCERPT:

SMELKINSON: "I am Dr. Margery Smelkinson and I’m an infectious disease scientist and have four elementary school students. Last Thursday, most of my son’s grade was quarantined because of one Covid-like symptom. Not a Covid case, just a headache. Quarantines based on symptoms will result in our kids sacrificing yet another year of their education to ridiculous and unscientific policies. This policy put a thousand kids into quarantine in just four days. It is the strictest in the nation and goes far beyond CDC and state recommendations. Again, we are a national outlier. Why have you placed so little value on in-person education? Why are you adhering to a policy that will continue to needlessly keep kids out of school? Your misguided approach also puts the burden on one family to test their kid to end the quarantine for the whole class. Some parents may not be willing to get a test or have the job flexibility or resources to do it quickly. The inevitable consequence of this insane policy is that lower income students will get fewer days of live instruction. End symptom-based quarantines immediately.”