Fauquier High School takes extreme measures to remove 100 unwanted vultures | FOX 5 DC
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Clearing the Way: Addressing MOCO’s Challenges with Student Safety
Is MOCO neglecting its responsibilities? Where is the funding designated for clearing student parking lots? It’s disheartening when the county supposed to support us seemingly fails. I felt a mix of anger and betrayal. This county prides itself on prioritizing its students, yet when we need assistance, we are often left in the cold—literally.
I recognize that funding challenges are intricate, and I don’t have all the details. Nevertheless, I believe the county must improve its communication with students and parents.
That morning, I thought, “Why was the parking lot still being actively plowed when I arrived, and why did they allow people to drive even though it was still hazardous?” It was alarming that one of my friends lost control of their vehicle while attempting to park due to the ice...
Clearing the Way: Addressing MOCO’s Challenges with Student Safety – The Current
Saturday, January 18, 2025
PowerSchool Breach Highlights Growing Cybersecurity Risks in America’s Schools
MCPS uses PowerSchool. PowerSchool confirmed earlier this month that it was hacked. PowerSchool is MCPS' student information system. The complete article is here, at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies website. Reported by Senior Policy Analyst Jiwon Ma and intern Mario Riofrio.
PowerSchool, a cloud-based software provider for K-12 schools, confirmed on January 7 that hackers breached its systems late last year, affecting thousands of school districts across the United States and globally. PowerSchool admitted on January 15 that the unnamed hackers accessed all of its 60 million student and teacher records, underscoring the urgent need to integrate cybersecurity into school infrastructure protection strategies and adopt stronger measures to mitigate cyber threats.
Hackers Stole Student Social Security Numbers
PowerSchool helps schools manage information and communication needs, using the platform to manage grades, attendance, and other student records. Hackers breached the platform using compromised credentials available on the dark web, pilfering student names and addresses, and, in some cases, Social Security numbers and medical records. Press reports indicate PowerSchool paid a ransom to the attackers in exchange for assurances that they would delete the stolen data.
Hackers Increasingly Target Schools for Sensitive Data
The PowerSchool data breach illustrates a growing trend in cyberattacks, which have shifted from traditional ransomware attacks to ones paired with data theft extortion. Instead of encrypting systems and demanding payment for their release, hackers now engage in dual extortion, stealing the sensitive information — instead of or in addition to encrypting it — and threatening its exposure to pressure victims into paying a ransom.
Meanwhile, American school districts are increasingly exploited by criminal hackers looking for easy targets. From January 2023 to June 2024, at least 83 cyberattacks targeted U.S. K-12 schools. While the number of reported ransomware cases dropped between 2023 and 2024, the true number of incidents is likely higher. Since October 2024, victims have reported at least another 85 additional incidents, reflecting an alarming trend.
Initial Efforts to Improve Cybersecurity Need a Jumpstart
Over the past two years, the Biden administration has attempted to focus efforts on the cybersecurity of schools, organizing a “Cybersecurity Summit for K-12 Schools” in August 2023 that featured initiatives by technology companies to provide free and low-cost cybersecurity tools and services. PowerSchool itself partnered with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to offer free and subsidized cybersecurity training and resources to K-12 schools.
Meanwhile, late last year, the Federal Communications Commission launched a pilot program to provide $200 million to schools and libraries to purchase cybersecurity products. Building on this momentum, the White House Office of the National Cyber Director announced in December 2024 that thanks to federal funding, all K-12 public schools in Rhode Island will implement a cybersecurity service designed to block harmful websites and protect student data.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
MCPS Keeping Feral Cat Horde at Shady Grove Bus Depot. School Bus doors do not lock. Feral Cats can Enter Buses
At one of the work trailers at the MCPS Shady Grove Depot, the Google Earth image shows a small door opened under one of the work trailers and a person with multiple bowls.
The bowls are apparently to feed feral cats that are being kept under the trailers.
How many feral cats are being kept at the Shady Grove Depot?
Keep in mind that MCPS school bus doors do not lock. State law prohibited school bus doors from locking and so school buses are kept in gated depots.
However, the locked gates do not keep animals, including dozens of feral cats, from entering the school buses at night.
The next day, MCPS students use those same school buses.
WTOP: Violence, mold, asbestos: Staffers at Montgomery Co. alternative school voice safety concerns
One half of the Blair G. Ewing Center on Avery Road in Rockville has been home to one alternative learning school known by staff as “Avery Road.” The school is one of three that serves students who have behavioral issues or other learning difficulties that require they be removed from their prior public school.
At the beginning of this school year, a second school, known as “Cloverleaf” in Germantown, relocated to the vacant side of the Blair Ewing facility. Two staff members who spoke with WTOP said they arrived to find mold and even warnings about asbestos.
“When we first came in, we had visible mold on ceiling tiles and walls and floors. We had leaks in some of the bathrooms that dripped and flowed down the wall when it rains,” said one teacher WTOP will refer to as “Teacher A.”..
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Video appears to show former Maryland principal stomping on foot of kindergartner with autism
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A new video has surfaced allegedly showing a principal stomping on the foot of a kindergarten student with autism. The incident reportedly occurred last year at Ritchie Park Elementary School in Montgomery County. Andrew Winter, who was reassigned to Rock Creek Valley Elementary before withdrawing, is now at the center of controversy...
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Monday, January 13, 2025
Former Wootton Student Found Guilty of Threat of Mass Violence
Judge Cummins presided over a two-day bench trial which concluded on Dec. 10, 2024, and issued her verdict Wednesday at the Circuit Court for Montgomery County.
Ye was arrested on April 16, 2024, after an investigation prompted by a 911 call from a concerned associate. Ye and this individual were communicating over Instagram and Ye sent a file containing a written 129-page manifesto about a high school shooting. In the book, Ye also mentioned the possibility of carrying out a shooting at an elementary school...
Former Wootton Student Found Guilty of Threat of Mass Violence - Montgomery Community Media
Serious Incidents in School Slightly Down; More Consistency Needed
During the same time last year, about 22% of the incidents were considered serious.
Of those serious incidents, 6% concerned fighting and attacks on others, 6% concerned drugs and 5% dealt with knives and other weapons, according to a Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) report that was discussed during the Board of Education’s (BOE) Thursday meeting.
About one in seven of the incidents concern truancy, which includes students wandering the halls and not being in class. Medical emergencies also are included when they disrupt the school day.
During this school year, there have been 71 incidents involving knives. Last school year, by the same time there were 75. So far this year, there have been 84 serious fights. Last school year, by this time there were 115 reported, according to Shauna-Key Jorandby, director of student engagement.
Drug incidents are up, rising from last year’s 82 to this year’s 91...
Serious Incidents in School Slightly Down; More Consistency Needed - Montgomery Community Media
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Thomas Taylor's $13.9 Million Dollar Mistake
On October 10th the Montgomery County Board of Education agreed to purchase $13.9 million in diesel school buses after discussing the acquisition in a closed session.
We know that the Board of Education had come to a closed session agreement because the final purchase of the diesel buses was put on the October 10th CONSENT AGENDA. Consent Agendas are for items that are believed to be unanimous ahead of time.
We also saw the September 26, 2024, Board of Education Closed Session minutes where the ACQUISITION of diesel school buses was recorded. That would probably be when Superintendent Taylor was able to determine that the Board of Education would unanimously vote for his $13.9 million purchase if he put it on the October 10th Consent Agenda.
The Parents' Coalition pointed out that this major purchase was being conducted behind closed doors without any transparency or public discussion. We said that was a problem.
We were correct.
When the October 10, 2024, Agenda Item for the purchase of $13.9 million in diesel school buses was posted, the Parents' Coalition researched the Resolution. We called Sourcewell the organization referenced in the Superintendent's Resolution, and we researched the contract that was supposedly being used.
Superintendent Taylor's Resolution did not add up. The cited contract did not include the vendor in the BOE Resolution.
ABC7 reported on the Board of Education's vote to spend $13.9 million on diesel school buses. In response to that report the Board of Education put out a statement confirming that the acquisition of diesel buses was "covered" in a Closed Session. The Board attempted to claim that was a permitted Closed Session matter. We will see what the Open Meetings Act Compliance Board has to say about that.
Not only was the purchase of diesel school buses a change from the Board of Education's stated goal of becoming a 100% electric school bus district, but the Resolution itself did not use a contract that was going to provide for the purchase of diesel school buses from a company in Virginia.
Superintendent Taylor's Resolution did not make any sense, was not transparent, and did not provide any opportunity for the public to comment on this major change from the Board of Education's stated goal of a 100% electric school bus fleet.
On October 10, 2024, the Montgomery County Board of Education sat in silence and passed Superintendent Taylor's Resolution without discussion. Why did they do that? Because they had already discussed the acquisition of diesel school buses in a Closed Session on September 26th. On October 10th they sat with their mouths closed and rubber stamped a Resolution to spend $13.9 million without ever seeing the contract or confirming the details.
And now today, Superintendent Taylor has put forth another Resolution to correct the major mistake in his October 10th Resolution.
Just as the Parents' Coalition had discovered, his October 10th Resolution was not correct.
The Montgomery County Inspector General has previously cited the Board of Education for approving Resolutions that claim to be "bridge contracts" but, in fact, are not really using the contracts they claim to be "bridging".
It is easy for MCPS to fake a Resolution for a procurement when the actual contract is never made public, and the contract is never even seen by the Board of Education members.
In this case, the Superintendent was able to put forth an inaccurate Resolution on October 10th to spend $13.9 million and the Board of Education happily voted unanimously to approve that expenditure without exerting any oversight.
Today they will attempt to fix that $13.9 million mistake.
Again, the Resolution will be on the Consent Agenda.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Help The Hechinger Report investigate special education
Our journalists want to hear from teachers, students and parents who have experience with special education in K-12 schools
More than 7 million students nationwide are entitled to special education services in K-12 schools. Services can include access to assistive technology, small-group instruction, extra time to take tests and a range of therapies. In most states, graduation rates for students with disabilities are lower than their peers and the quality of the education they receive varies greatly.
We’d like to learn more about how students with disabilities are learning in schools today and if they are getting the education they’re entitled to receive.
We need to hear from people who can help us ask the right questions as we report this story about special education. Fill out the form below to share your thoughts with our staff. We will contact you if we want to publish any part of your response to us...
Monday, January 6, 2025
Federal judge grants settlement approval in FieldTurf USA lawsuit that included N.J. schools (But Not for MCPS. MCPS Did Not Bother To Participate.)
...The total settlement value for more than 1,200 class action members nationwide exceeds $50 million in cash and in credits, according to Law.com.
The settlement on Friday allows plaintiffs to each collect cash from the class action or they can claim credits to have FieldTurf install new artificial turf. Each is entitled to $7,500 in cash compensation or $50,000 in credits for new turf, Law.com reported...
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Governor Wes Moore puts a pause on ‘The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future’ education spending plan
Story by Ronnell Foreman. Full article here. From WMDT ABC47.
EASTERN SHORE, Md. – Governor Wes Moore has announced a pause to the blueprint education spending plan. The project titled ‘The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future’ is a $3.9 billion-dollar spending concept over 10 years for the public education system.
The legislation, which passed in 2020, is currently being put on the shelf by Governor Wes Moore. This is because the state faces $2.7 billion in budget deficits. Maryland State Senator of District 38, Mary-Beth Carozza, understands the problems at hand.
“The realization is hitting that the Blueprint spending plan is not funded fully. Now in Maryland, we’re facing a budget crisis.”
Governor Moore hopes to evaluate the entire plan. However, Senator Carozza believes the state needs to look for answers at the local level first.
Thursday, January 2, 2025
2025: Spending Authorization without posting contracts and in some cases, without competitive bids.
No details yet, but we do see this one very interesting Agenda Item:
6.2 Expenditure Authorization to Enter into Contracts of $25,000 or More
As it stands now, the Board of Education never even reads or sees the contracts they vote to authorize.
Anything over $25,000 is supposed to come before the Board of Education for "approval" under Board of Education Policy DJA.
But as we have documented repeatedly, MCPS staff are adept at buying millions of dollars under the table by breaking up the purchases into smaller units.
Remember Promethean Boards purchased 3-5 at a time and never voted on by the Board of Education for a total in the tens of millions. And more recently the surprise purchase of tens of millions of BOXLIGHT screens. And these are just two of such purchases, there's more.
Governor Wes Moore changed Maryland law to permit public school staff to spend more without Board of Education oversight, but that doesn't mean the Montgomery County Board of Education has to follow his lead.
Will the newly elected Board of Education members vote to increase waste, fraud and abuse of public-school funds? Find out on January 9th.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
MCPS agree to pay vendor $1.3 million to conduct boundary study
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — 7News is working to learn more about the Montgomery County Public Schools boundary study.
The opening of Crown High School, reopening of Charles W. Woodward High, and expansion of Damascus High for the 2027-2028 school year are why Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor said the study is necessary.
The school system is trying to determine which students will attend those schools.
In a recently released video, Taylor outlined the plans for the study and said, “Because of this expansion we will need to adjust our student attendance boundaries for high schools.”..
MCPS agree to pay vendor $1.3 million to conduct boundary study
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
@mocoboe President Julie Yang: In an attempt to boost transparency... is also making school board contracts available to the public.
It’s been over a year since allegations of bullying and sexual harassment against former Montgomery County schools principal Joel Beidleman first surfaced in Maryland’s largest school system, eventually leading to the departure of superintendent Monifa McKnight and calls from parents for school officials to be more transparent.
In the months since, Montgomery County Public Schools has reviewed its policies and procedures and made changes as it works to regain the public’s trust.
This month, the Board of Education elected Julie Yang to serve as its next president. Yang was elected to her four-year term on the board in November 2022...
New Montgomery Co. school board president details plans to regain public trust - WTOP News
Monday, December 16, 2024
BusPatrol Campaign Contributions in Maryland: Delegate Marc Korman, Senator Will Smith and Delegate Regina Boyce
Following up on the article on BusPatrol in Florida, we checked for BusPatrol campaign contributions in Maryland and found BusPatrol has contributed to the campaigns of:
Delegate Marc Korman
Delegate Regina Boyce
Senator Will Smith
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Red Lights, Green Cash: How a Florida Legislator Boosted School Bus Cameras and Benefited Her Family
In The Tributary, reporter Nandhini Srinivasan. First report Oct. 24, 2024, updated Nov. 4, 2024. To read the full story go here.
Florida Rep. Vicki Lopez’s votes benefited her son’s employer as she tried to help BusPatrol win new laws and contracts.
Personal connections, aggressive lobbying and hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions fueled the rapid rise of an obscure school bus camera vendor, BusPatrol, which quickly became a major player in a niche industry that didn’t exist in Florida until last year.
That success represented a remarkable turnaround for a company with a troubled history of allegations that it values revenue over public safety and opportunity over ethics.
BusPatrol’s reversal in fortunes, already evident in other states, echoes the comeback of Florida state Rep. Vicki Lopez, once a down-and-out Lee County commissioner, with whom BusPatrol is inextricably linked.
Last year, Lopez co-sponsored a bill allowing cameras on school buses statewide. Within months, her family had cashed in on the new industry through a web of connections built with BusPatrol, which stands to make millions from traffic tickets.
A Tributary investigation found a familiar pattern between Lopez and BusPatrol — one of overlapping personal, professional, and political interests – that evokes past allegations of ethical impropriety that have dogged both.
And:
The BusPatrol Revenue Machine
BusPatrol’s business model has proven highly lucrative—largely built on the revenue generated from citations issued by its cameras. In Florida and beyond, the company has positioned itself as a leader in school bus safety, but questions persist about whether its primary focus is public safety or profit.
In Miami-Dade, the company’s cameras led to 11,500 citations in the first two weeks. BusPatrol keeps 70% of the revenue from every $200 citation issued. At that rate, BusPatrol stands to make about $3.2 million a month in revenue.
In Hillsborough County, the company estimated its cameras led to 2,500 to 3,000 citations in the first week. The company gets $225 a month for each of the about 840 school buses equipped with cameras. It also receives $65 for every fine issued.
If the county continues issuing about 3,000 citations a week, the company stands to make about a million dollars a month in Hillsborough.
BusPatrol has repeatedly faced allegations that local governments use its cameras to wrongfully and excessively issue citations.
The company faces a federal class-action complaint in New York for issuing citations without evidence. News reports in New York, Massachusetts and Pittsburgh have also reported that drivers were fined despite not breaking the law.
Pittsburgh-based television station WPXI reported last year that the station had received complaints from viewers that BusPatrol’s cameras were wrongfully citing people with $300 penalties.
In New York, after an appellate supreme court decision that BusPatrol’s cameras provided “insufficient evidence”, about 8,000 tickets in Suffolk County were dismissed. The state changed its bus camera law, and Suffolk County created a more extensive process to review citations from BusPatrol’s cameras.
Last month, Newsday reported Suffolk County and the Town of Hempstead in New York issued nearly 250,000 tickets last year. That means in one year, one citation was given for every nine residents of the area. In two years, BusPatrol made more than $20 million off of those tickets in Hempstead and Suffolk County.
Suffolk County’s comptroller issued a report in June about BusPatrol’s operation. “When you get under the hood you see how inefficient and chaotic the implementation truly was,” he told Newsday. The report suggested the county strengthen its ethics laws to prevent officials from going on to work for companies like BusPatrol.
It also found that of about 200,000 citations it looked at, about 1,600 were dismissed when the drivers contested them. However, the report also said the data suggested tickets had “improved driving behavior around school bus stops in Suffolk County.”
In Suffolk County, BusPatrol similarly hired a legislator’s son as a lobbyist, along with the elected prosecutor, his chief of staff, a state senator, a county lawmaker and other top county officials as outside counsel, lobbyists and top executives, according to an investigation by Newsday.
One of those former Suffolk County officials lobbied Miami-Dade and Hillsborough on behalf of BusPatrol, according to county records.
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