Plus: Student school board nominations open through next week
January 22, 2021 | 9:58 am
January 22, 2021
School board will meet Thursday, discuss reopening plans
The Montgomery County Board of Education will meet Thursday afternoon to discuss its school reopening plan and “focused interventions” for struggling students. It also will take positions on relevant education bills in the Maryland General Assembly.
The public portion of the meeting is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., following a 2.5-hour closed session.
The school board will discuss its reopening plan first, then “focused interventions” before reviewing school-related education bills state lawmakers are considering.
The school board in early January decided to postpone MCPS’ reopening plan until March 15. On Thursday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called on all districts in the state to implement a hybrid learning model by March 1, two weeks earlier than the district’s plan.
Montgomery County school board extends review of resource officer program
Final recommendations for 2021-22 school year now due in May
January 12, 2021 | 7:18 pm
The Montgomery County Board of Education on Tuesday voted to extend its review of whether police officers should continue to be stationed in local high schools.
After more than seven months of work, the school board called on MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith to get more feedback from parents and students about the future of the school resource officer (SRO) program.
Board members also asked for more nuanced data and expressed concern about allegations that a committee established to guide the analysis was “flawed” and “clearly prioritized preserving the status quo.”
MCPS Will Provide Support for Students Following Chaos in D.C.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will offer safe spaces for students to discuss Wednesday’s events in Washington, D.C., when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building.
In a letter to the school community, MCPS leaders supported the right to peacefully protest and condemned inciting violence. MCPS encouraged parents and guardians to discuss the events with their children.
The U.S. Capitol went under lockdown Wednesday as pro-Trump protestors stormed the building. Before its session was suspended due to the chaos, Congress met Wednesday to certify electoral college votes and confirm Joe Biden as the next U.S. president. Trump has encouraged his supporters to protest what he believes is a stolen election. In the electoral college, Biden defeated Trump 306-232. Congress reconvened at Wednesday night and around 3 a.m. Thursday confirmed Biden as the next president.