• Gaithersburg High School, 6 p.m.
During a school board meeting this week, MCPS Associate Superintendent James Koutsos said that, in alignment with county COVID-19 guidelines, face coverings will not be required at outdoor graduations for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Fifth- and eighth-grade promotion ceremonies will be held virtually.
Rockville teacher wins MCPS Mark Mann award
Loretta Woods, the principal at Whetstone Elementary School in Rockville, was recently named the winner of MCPS’ annual Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award.
The award, established in 1991, is presented by the superintendent each year to honor an administrator who “has shown exceptional performance in promoting academic excellence, positive human relations, and community outreach,” according to school board documents.
More than 11,000 Montgomery County Public Schools students will receive high school diplomas in commencement ceremonies this year. The high school commencement season is set to begin Wednesday, June 2, and will end Thursday, June 17. Last year, MCPS held virtual graduation ceremonies, but this year each school’s commencement ceremony will be in person and […]
They deserve hearty praise for how they adapted, succeeded By Nate Tinbite, Ananya Tadikonda and Matt Post |
May 15, 2021 | 2:41 am
May 15, 2021
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A little over a year ago, COVID-19 upended our lives. Health care workers were put on the frontline, small businesses were forced to close, and students were sent home from school, with no idea when they would return.
At the time, no one knew how long the pandemic would stretch on or just how devastating it would be for our community.
In the midst of that widespread fear and uncertainty, teaching had to go on. On little notice, the educators of our community were forced to adapt their profession to a new medium and new world.
Elrich announces members of school safety, student well-being committee
32 members to deliver preliminary report, recommendations by June 15
May 14, 2021 | 11:03 am
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Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich announced the members of a new committee tasked with developing a report on safety and mental health in schools.
The Reimagining School Safety and Students’ Well-Being Steering Committee will develop an improvement plan with timelines, financial implications and needs for the program, as well as a communication plan to support implementation.
The committee will provide a preliminary report and recommendations by June 15. A final report will be due by Sept. 30.
“This initiative will help us rethink and reshape our public safety in our schools and provide the best social and mental health support for our students,” Elrich said in a press release on Wednesday.
Community Members Debate Police Removal From Schools
The Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) held a public hearing Tuesday in which community members shared pre-recorded statements debating the continued presence of police in schools, otherwise known as the School Resource Officer (SRO) program.
The vast majority of speakers, 24 out of 31, emphatically called for the district to terminate the SRO program citing its inefficacy and harmfulness. They requested that the Board instead direct resources to mental health services and school support staff.
”We need to stop trying to make police something that they’re not,” said Lauren Payne of Richmond High School and president of Young People for Progress. “They’re not there to be mentors. They’re not there to help students. They’re there to police students, and that’s not what students across this county need.”