Teaching to the test, 27 minutes a day at Eastern

In 2009, Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). A screenshot of the Eastern results are shown. Details of the MSA results for Eastern are here.

In light of the MSA results, the Eastern MS principal has decided to change the Eastern school schedule for the next 6 weeks to include 27 minutes a day of MSA test preparation for all students in the school. The MSA exams will be administered the middle two weeks of March.

Whole school MSA test preparation has been implemented at other MCPS schools around the county for the last few years.

Eastern is just one more example of this MCPS practice. Even though the data is available to enable administrators to target exactly which students are in need of academic support, all students in a school are required to prep for these standardized tests.

Below is the e-mail that was sent out by the Eastern MS principal addressing parent concerns on the focus of 27 minutes a day on MSA test preparation. 
___

January 24, 2010
Eastern Families,

I have read the many emails that have been sent directly to me or sent through this listserv over the past few days and I have spent a great deal of time carefully considering the feedback and suggestions that were included in these emails.


I do not disagree with any of the points that were made in these emails. The amount of energy and time that is dedicated to one single assessment - the MSA - can be extremely frustrating. It is the current state of public education in the US as mandated by NCLB that each state implement this type of test. The performance targets for these tests increase each year.


As you know, Eastern MS did not meet the targets for the 2009 MSA. It is my charge as principal to ensure that our instructional programs and MSA preparation and planning were reveiwed (sic) and modified in a effort to meet the 2010 targets. While some may feel that our the test preparations initiatives are not necessary for thier (sic) child I beleive (sic) that a whole school approach is appropriate for Eastern Middle School. The groupings and instructional strategies have been differentiated based on predicted MSA score and every effort will be made to make the time meaningful for every student.

I recognize that using any time for anything other than instruction may not be a desired state, however, there are activities, events, and opportunities that arise that require use of class time. These include guest speakers, field trips, required testing, and in this case MSA preparation.

There are students, humanities nad (sic) comprehensive, that have demonstrated advanced level academic ability. This being said I repeat that I beleive (sic) that a schoolwide MSA prep initiative is appropriate for EMS. Again, we are committed to making this MSA prep time beneficial for all.  I ask this of you and your students.... give us two weeks to implement this plan. We will monitor the effectiveness carefully. If there is evidence after this two weeks that a test prep group has demonstrated advanced level abilities on the prep items then we will consider alternative use of this time for these students. Evidence will include performance data and student feedback.


If you would like to discuss this further please feel free to call me at 301-650-6650 or email me. Additionally, parents are invited to meet with me on Thursday morning at 8:10AM in the media center or Feb 3rd at 7pm in the media center.


Casey Crouse
Proud Principal

Congratulations to Eastern MS . . .

The Eastern Middle School community in Silver Spring is ecstatic that they will receive a new $15,000 athletic field makeover from Kellogg - the folks that bring Frosted Flakes and other breakfast foods to families across the country.

Here is the text that went out to one of the lists I am on. Note that the writer asks that everyone pass along Eastern's great news.

Hello Eastern Middle School community and friends,

Late yesterday, I received an email from Kellogg's saying that Eastern Middle School -- got that drum roll going? -- has been selected as one of 30 fields in the country to receive field improvements/renovations! Yep, we did it! We went from a late night (and practically forgotten) nomination whim, to a semifinalist in practically last place out of 100 fields with only 24 votes in early May, to ninth place and 23,554 votes only three weeks later! Who would have guessed? Well, Ben Yeatts-Lonske certainly did, with his incredible and inspirational vote-by-vote tracking of the situation, and Aileen Hilliard and Judith Arbacher and Beth Sperber Ritchie and Susan Thomas and many many others who Ben cited in his June 2 wrap-up email as having sent out reminders, emails to other lists, etc. Congratulations everyone, and get ready to enjoy a brand new field! Kellogg's will probably organize a celebration once the renovation is done (and if they don't we will). But, let's organize something sooner at the field in the next week or so to celebrate this win. Any suggestions?

If you did contact any listservs and community or personal contacts, please spread the news that Eastern is among the winners! Also, because school is out for the summer, please share the news with any EMS families you are able to contact who might not be on this listserv or might not have a computer.

Let's keep this momentum going for making Eastern a stellar example of all things cooperative and scholastic, with parents, teachers, and students working together for the single purpose of providing the best education possible for our kids who, after all, is what this is all about.

Jim Laurenson

Numerous listserves across the county carried Eastern's plea for assistance - and yes, as stated by Mr. Laurenson, this is a stellar example of all things creative.

Meanwhile, over in Bethesda, Walter Johnson High School is in the process of installing a new turf field (estimated cost $400,000 +) that will be ripped out in November after one football season (and two months into the school year) and replaced by an artificial turf field at a cost of $1.2 million.

Great job, Walter Johnson, in advocating for your own community while middle schools in Montgomery County have to be creative and identify their own financing. Now, what is your community going to do to thank the other school communities across Montgomery County who are still waiting for their field of dreams?

I never realized that when Dr. Weast talks about the green and the red zone, he is also referring to the status of the athletic fields in the county.

The Ongoing Battle for the Eastern MS Magnet Boutique Program in MCPS

The recent proposal to cut the magnet program at Eastern Middle School is the current poster child illustrating Dr. Weast's efforts to eliminate "Boutique" programs throughout MCPS, as mentioned during the April 14, 2009 Board of Education Meeting.

The topic was AP/IB High School programs, yet the Board discussion of this agenda item was filled with references to the middle school program at Eastern, and parents who expected MCPS to maintain a program that was by exam and invitation. Imagine that.

Thanks to SwitchedonMom for her recent "the 'More' Child" Blogpost with a link to the report of the Eastern Middle School Schedule Decision Reversal Group. I don't have current connections to the Eastern situation, so if you want to read more, go to the MoreChild blog for details.

This year its the Eastern MS magnet program in the news and in jeopardy; last year it was the Blair High School magnet. Additional cuts in teachers and class offerings are still plaguing the Blair Science, Math, and Computer Science magnet, despite promises from Marty Creel and MCPS that last year's cuts would be the last. Current students and alumni fear that Blair, and its sibling programs at Eastern and Takoma Middle School, may soon have nothing left to cut.

Next year? Your guess is as good as mine.

Weast "I would caution against this...action"

At the March 23, 2009, MCPS Board of Education meeting, Board members asked for the information they had requested on March 10th on the schedule changes at Eastern Middle School. Board members were told that the memo had just been provided to them right before the Board meeting started. (13 days after their request.)

In the Eastern Middle School memo to Board members, Superintendent Weast cautions not to advocate for a solution that would address the needs of the teachers and the students. Superintendent Weast says that a proposed solution would be "significantly more costly".

Suddenly, when it comes to educational services for students, Superintendent Weast is watching every penny? But he has stopped putting out Requests for Proposals (RFP), stopped taking competitive bids, stopped obtaining contracts, and stopped bringing procurements over $25,000 to the Board of Education table for approval on multi-million dollar purchases? He has not been bringing funds obtained from an outside source to the Board table or to the County Council for appropriation? The Board of Education is complicit in this lack of fiscal oversight as they no longer approve multi-million dollar purchases and do not ask for actual cost-benefit analysis on services for students. Who pays the price for this lack of fiscal oversight? The students.

"Significantly more costly" is not a number. In fact, nowhere in the March 23rd Eastern MS memo is any cost-benefit information on any of the possible configurations of the Eastern Middle School school schedule. Why did it take 13 days to prepare a memo that contains no financial analysis of the proposed change or proposed solutions?

Making one small schedule change, at one MCPS middle school would be, in Superintendent Weast's opinion,"significantly more costly". But failing to bring multi-million dollar purchases through the legally mandated procurement process has no fiscal impact?

What would be the savings if Superintendent Weast was following the MCPS Procurement Manual? What would then be the benefit that students could reap from those additional funds? We will never know as there is no Board oversight over the spending of the $2.1 billion MCPS budget, sorry kids.

The March 23rd Eastern Middle School memorandum was not made available on the MCPS website but has been obtained for the public to view here:
03-23-09EasternMSSchedule

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Parents to Rally in Support of Program

On Tuesday, March 10th parents and community members will gather at 9:30 AM outside of the MCPS Board of Education to support the continuation of the Eastern Middle School block schedule. Here are the key points the parents will be communicating to the MCPS Board of Education:

1. Bait and switch: We and our children chose Eastern Middle School because of the richness of the program, and in spite of the additional work it entails. The richness of that program is now being reduced. Many parents, especially incoming 6th graders, who just heard about this on March 5, 2009, had already made the difficult decision to attend and irreversibly turned down other options such as in now-filled private schools. To suddenly switch so drastically with such short notice is outrageous! The results of a poll on parents' listserve from last week indicate that 59% of the magnet families are considering leaving the program due to this decision (3% are leaving, 41% are seriously considering leaving,15% might leave, and 41% are not considering it). The results likely would skew even more toward leaving/not attending for incoming families (who are not represented in this poll).

2. The parents perceive that the issue was forced by the teachers, that the parents and magnet teachers were marginalized, and the students excluded. The current Eastern Middle School administration practice of removing the students' flyers objecting to the schedule change further removes the students from the process, as well as raising First Amendment issues.

3. The state mandates fine arts for the schools, just as it mandates Physical Education. This change makes fine arts optional, counter to the state mandate.

4. The process wasn't clear, even to the parent representatives. At least two of them were surprised to find that the principal, Ms. Boucher, actually had a choice to accede to the pressure to change the schedule.

5. The reasons given for the change do not require going to a seven-period schedule. The reasons we have heard include:

- Student attention spans are too short for 90-minute periods.

- Students need daily, rather than every other day, exposure to
keep the material fresh, particularly for math.

- Students need classes daily, rather than every other day, in
order to remember to do their homework.

Aside from the merits of these claims, all of them could be addressed within an 8-period schedule, if for instance there were 8 periods per day. A mixed schedule like those in some schools could combine short and long classes in the school day. Math classes could be designated as 45-minute classes, for example.

6. The loss of an elective severely damages the band/orchestra program. The band class polled itself and found that only three of the students would take band next year under the new schedule. If there are not enough students for a band class, we may well lose Ms. Baran, so in effect the school staff will be reduced. For many students, an after-school solution for the band is not workable, and it does not qualify as a school band.

Elementary-school students in the schools feeding Eastern who are considering taking band or orchestra in 4th and 5th grades will not have a class in which to continue taking music.

If there were to be significant after-school participation in band and orchestra as at Roberto Clemente Middle School, it shifts quite a load onto the music teachers' after-hours time. The effect is to take advantage of their dedication to the students' music education in order to reduce the teaching load on the academic teachers.

Will there be a similar effect on the foreign language program?

7. Class sizes will rise: There will be the same number of students in the building, but they will be taking fewer classes, so the number of students per class will rise, even if the number of teachers stays the same. If an arts or music teacher is lost due to the change, class sizes will rise still more.

8. Students lose the beneficial effects of the arts on their other subjects, quite apart from the benefits of the arts themselves. From a practical college-admissions point of view, it is helpful to have a range of activities and interests outside the academic classes.

9. Discrimination. This reduction is not happening at other magnets. Why? Families of the Argyle, Loiederman, and Parkland Middle School magnets were recently told:

The school system is pleased to inform you that as a result of recently approved budget decisions, funding has been restored to the three MSMC [Middle School Magnet Consortium] schools, Argyle, Loiederman, and Parkland. This means that the schools will be staffed to provide an eight period schedule [emphasis added], maintain their magnet coordinator, and will be able to fully implement their exciting whole school magnet programs.

We understand stimulus money has helped in this case, and is helping restore Title I school funding. Why can't we get the money to change the situation at Eastern Middle School too?

10. Goals of magnet as desegregation tool diminished. One of the reasons for the magnet was to help with desegregation. This in fact was one of the reasons the school went to an 8 period day many years ago, to promote better mixing of the kids with the increased electives. Things have never been better to reduce the "school within a school" perception of those older times. This decision will reverse that.

UPDATE: Bethesda Middle School to test dropping block schedule.

Kauffman & Berthiaume Dissent in Favor of Students

Student member of the Board of Education Timothy Hwang votes along with Board members Brandman, O'Neill, Docca and Durso in deciding against students' contractual right to participate in scheduling decision at Eastern Middle School.

In a rare dissent, Board of Education members Phil Kauffman and Laura Berthiaume break from the Board majority and detail why they believe a decision of the Superintendent should be reversed. The decision stems from an appeal of a group of Eastern Middle School stakeholders requesting that the Superintendent reverse the decision to eliminate the 8 period day at Eastern.

There are two glaring problems with the majority opinion in this decision. First and foremost, the Board majority does not know whose decision they are reviewing. The Board is given the authority to review decisions of the Superintendent, but in this majority decision the Board states they are reviewing a decision of the Chief Operating Officer, Larry Bowers. Did the Board majority forget the school system is run by a Superintendent who is the final decisionmaker?

Second, the majority opinion spends an inordinate amount of text attempting to refute the dissent of Board member Laura Berthiaume. Was this text inserted after the Board had already written the majority decision from which Berthiaume dissents? A well reasonsed majority opinion should be able to stand on its own analysis. The majority opinion and both dissents are being reproduced for the public to review.

Here are two key paragraphs from Board member Berthiaume's dissent (page 24 of document below). 

The full text of the majority opinion, and Kauffman and Berthiaume dissents are below in Scribd format.

Eastern Middle School Appeal Decision

Eastern Parents Unite

A group of over 60 families (and growing fast) have united to oppose Eastern Middle School's (EMS) change from an 8 period to a 7 period schedule. To join, go to
http://groups.google.com/group/ems-schedule-decision-reversal

Representatives from this group attended last week's MCPS Board of Education (BOE) meeting. Five parents spoke for an unusually large portion (a full third) of the public comments portion. The BOE appeared surprised by the outcry and is looking into the matter. To see the meeting, go to http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/archive/last-meeting.shtm
For those who want to start watching when the EMS parents start (each is allowed only two minutes):
-Three of the five EMS parents start at the 20 min. mark;
- A fourth EMS parent speaks at the 34 min. mark; and
- A fifth EMS parent speaks at the 41 min. mark. There's also a good followup question from the board after this speaker and a great answer. Toward the end of the meeting at the 6:40:40 mark hear Board of Education member Judy Docca note that "now Eastern is concerned" and that she would "like to (be able to) answer sensibly". (Dr. Docca is requesting more information from Superintendent Weast as to how decisions are made.)

This group also was featured last week in a story in the Gazette:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/03112009/montsch223439_32472.shtml,

Followup activities are being organized, including contacting MCPS Board of Education members and Montgomery County Council members. So please help with many hands to make light work.

Let's not give up the fight, and let's keep in mind:

“The greatest obstacle to those who hope to reform American education is complacency.”

--Diane Ravitch (education historian, educational policy analyst, former United States Assistant Secretary of Education, research professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education)

EMS Schedule Decision Reversal Workgroup

Rape Charges Filed on MCPS Teacher: Principal Confronted Victim about Relationship with Joynes

The Parents' Coalition has obtained the Statement of Charges from the May 2, 2013, arrest of MCPS teacher Lawrence Joynes.  The Statement of Charges is reproduced below with information redacted.

Read the Statement of Charges and see if you think the Eastern Middle School principal's handling of this was in compliance with Maryland law.  Are children to be confronted when there are suspicions about teacher - student relationships, or do child protection laws call for an immediate investigation by Child Protective Services?

Lawrence Joynes was at 5 schools following these incidents at Eastern Middle School:

Eastern Middle School: 1990-1997
Francis Scott Key Middle School
Kemp Mill Elementary School
Cresthaven Elementary School
Sligo Creek Elementary School
New Hampshire Estates Elementary School 2002-2013 [Homeland Security investigation and arrest in Baltimore County]

Note that additional charges were filed as to Mr. Joynes in February and August of this year.  This document is just the Statement of Charges that was filed in the District Court of Rockville, Maryland on May 2, 2013.

  2013 May by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Coronavirus surge closes schools on Eastern Shore

Schools shuttered in rural Dorchester County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland this week amid a rise in coronavirus cases, more than a month after students began a gradual return to in-person classes.

The county is the first to retreat from classroom learning in Maryland since state officials began urging school systems in late August to reopen school buildings for the fall.

Dorchester County School Superintendent W. David Bromwell said about 20 percent of the school system’s 4,700 students were on campus part time — a number slated to more than double next week under a hybrid-learning plan for pre-K to grade 12...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/coronavirus-surge-closes-schools-on-eastern-shore/2020/10/23/65c24e24-1531-11eb-ad6f-36c93e6e94fb_story.html?fbclid=IwAR11rblBRKvo6aDpqN94PvIJj7jvhzlkhfKoaAsI6yyXTGCFVuU5E1hZ6-Q

It's official - cuts to Eastern MS Magnet in 2009

Here is a link to the PTSA Presidents letter in the Eastern Eagle Post. See page 2.

Did the Board of Education take a vote to change the program substantially? I didn't see any motions or discussions at the "table."

Are cuts to the other magnet programs also in the works? Can we expect more surprises from Mr. Creel and Mr. Morrison?

Blair magnet students are planning on an eight period day next year. The school system has an amazingly complex system where the magnet students at Eastern MS, Takoma Park MS, and Blair HS share bus transportation. So - aside from the educational impact, what are the transportation plans?

Parents this week are signing up their students for the high school magnet programs, and will be making similar decisions for their middle school children.

Inquiring parents need to know what is really in store for their families.

MCPS Student with Learning Disabilities Excluded from School Dance .@mcpssuper Please Explain!

Students who earned straight A’s at Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring have been invited to a school dance Tuesday, a celebration that starts during the final period of the school day and includes a DJ, free pizza and a game room.
Students with B’s and C’s may join in later, when classes are over and pizza is no longer served. Students with lower grades are not invited at all.

Eastern’s “Academic Achieve­ment Celebration” is not an entirely new idea in education: Schools commonly reward student success. But the idea of a middle-school party that sets students apart by letter grades — leaving out 306 of the school’s 865 students, or 35 percent of the student body — has raised questions at Eastern and beyond...

...“The students that don’t get to go end up feeling bad,” said parent Karen Hanlon, whose daughter has learning disabilities and was not invited to the party. Hanlon said the dance “separates the students into groups” in a school already divided between a highly competitive magnet program and the students who come from the immediate neighborhood...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/top-grades-open-the-door-to-school-dance-in-montgomery/2014/02/03/3bb75640-89df-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html 

EXCLUSIVE: Parks is Putting Up Second, New 195' Cell Tower on Blair Baseball Field. Tower will be Visible from Eastern Middle School and Beyond! Application Obtained and Made Public Only on This Site.

In November, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to construct a new 128' cell tower on the Blair High School baseball field.  The Montgomery Blair PTSA, staff and neighbors were silent on this proposal and so Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson had no trouble leading the Planning Board to a 4-1 vote to approve the new cell tower.  

That was so easy that Montgomery Parks is now putting up a second TALLER cell/radio tower on the Blair High School baseball field.

The Montgomery County Tower Committee votes to build this new, taller 195' cell tower tomorrow, Wednesday, January 3, 2018.

This time Montgomery Parks is not even bothering to ask for any community input.  Why bother?  The public comment that was received was ignored by the Montgomery County Planning Board when they voted on the first, smaller tower.

The second new tower will be 195 feet tall and will be visible even from Eastern Middle School down University Boulevard.

The red circle shows the top of the new,
195' cell tower on Blair baseball field
as it will be viewed from Eastern MS
down University Blvd.  This will be
one TALL, VISIBLE cell tower.


Here is the Blair Baseball field cell tower Application that Montgomery County, Montgomery Parks, MCPS and the Tower Committee did not want the public to see before tomorrow's approval. 

   MC201712-05 Application and Resubmissions by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

ALERT: Opportunity for Input on Next Maryland State Superintendent Search. Same Search Firm as Always.

 https://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/superintendent-search.aspx

State Superintendent Search

The Maryland State Board of Education is in the process of identifying a State Superintendent of Schools to serve for the term beginning on July 1, 2024, and continuing through June 30, 2028. The Maryland State Board of Education has retained Hazard, Young, and Attea (HYA) Associates to conduct a nationwide search for the next Maryland State Superintendent of Schools. Working alongside the State Board, the firm is assisting to lead recruitment, stakeholder engagement, vetting of qualified candidates, and conducting outreach to assist in the State Superintendent selection and appointment process. The State Board will provide updates throughout the process on this page.

Superintendent Search Survey The Maryland State Board of Education is interested in your input as they seek to hire a new superintendent. This survey is designed to gather your perceptions of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and Maryland's public schools. In addition, your thoughts about the importance of various characteristics found in effective superintendents will be sought. The information will be used to determine the desired characteristics of the next Maryland State Superintendent. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. The survey is conducted by a search firm, which ensures that your individual responses are kept anonymous and confidential. Take the Survey

Virtual Public Town Hall Meetings on State Superintendent Search

All town hall participants will be asked the same three questions during the event. The town hall facilitator will describe how they will call on participants at the beginning of the town hall.

Once feedback and data are collected from the town halls and other focus groups, the HYA team looks for themes that develop between responses and develop a Leadership Profile. Once the Maryland State Board of Education approves the Leadership Profile, it becomes the basis for recruiting, screening, and recommending candidates to the State Board.

The three questions are:

1. What are the strengths of the Maryland State Department of Education, State Board of Education, and Maryland Public Schools in general?

2. What are the most important challenges that the new superintendent will face?

3. Name 2-3 characteristics (either professional or personal) that you believe would be needed for the new superintendent to be successful.
   

https://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/superintendent-search.aspx

National History Day at Richard Montgomery HS

Montgomery County History Day took place yesterday at Richard Montgomery High School. Parents' Coalition is proud to sponsor an award in Education History each year. This year the award went to Amina N'Gambwa and Danie Stewart of Eastern Middle School for their Group Exhibit submittal (Junior Category), 'The G.I. Bill: Reforming the American Middle Class.' Their teacher is Laurie Hawe. Congratulations!

Montgomery County History Day is pulled together every year by the hard working staff and volunteers of the Montgomery County Historical Society. Thanks to them, and thanks to all the parents, guardians, teachers, and supporters of our children who work on these projects during the entire school year.

Yesterday's event is a sub-set of National History Day (NHD). This year the theme is, Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. Some of the students who participated yesterday will go on to the Maryland History Day competition, which will be held on April 28th. Despite its name, NHD is a year-long curriculum of intense study on a topic chosen by the student. The project requires the study of primary sources, and in many cases, interviews form part of the research. The end result can be a research paper; a video; a website; a performance; or an exhibit.

This year we couldn't help noticing that Eastern Middle School swept the competition, with Bullis School a close second. Congratulations to those faculty staff, at Eastern, Laurie Hawe and Laura Huber, and at Bullis, Sara Romeyn and Lisa Vardi and thanks all for encouraging our children to study history and learn about the importance of our past.

Students Tell Board of Ed.: " I know that I would be traumatized if I had to wait inside a burning building while my classmates evacuated."... "We think that MCPS’s current practices also don’t comply with federal or state law."

Written Testimony for the MCPS Board of Education

Video Presentation at this link

 February 9, 2020

 Ayush Talukder/Srijani Chakraborty:

     Hello, my name is Srijani (or Ayush), and I attend Julius West Middle School in Rockville (or Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring). I am joined by fellow MCPS middle schoolers. Together, we are a First Lego League Team, the Nuts and Bolts. FIRST LEGO League or FLL is the result of an alliance between FIRST and the LEGO Company to groom tomorrow’s thinkers, innovators and engineers. We design and program Lego Mindstorm robots, but we also work together on an Innovation Project. The Innovation Project challenges us to develop solutions to a problem currently facing the world.

     We, Team Nuts and Bolts, have chosen to address the evacuation of disabled children in schools during an emergency. We have researched and spoken to experts, and have invented our own solution. But today, we are here to ask this Board to provide funding to take steps now that will allow all children to be safely evacuated during an emergency. 

Ayush Dave:

     My name is Ayush Dave, and I attend Rocky Hill Middle School in Clarksburg, Maryland. About 2 months ago, there was a fire emergency in my school. While evacuating, I noticed that one girl, who was in a wheelchair, waited in an Area of Refuge while everyone else left. My team and I spoke to and emailed the following experts: Mike Harting and Ed Clarke from the School Safety Office; Eastern Middle School’s principal, a local school architect, the Rockville Fire Department, and two mothers whose children had temporary or permanent disabilities. We learned that MCPS requires disabled students on an upper floor to wait until the fire department arrives before being evacuated.  We also learned that people with disabilities are much more likely to die or be injured in a disaster, in part due to an inability to evacuate. 

     I know that I would be traumatized if I had to wait inside a burning building while my classmates evacuated. What would happen if your child broke their leg? How would you feel knowing that, in a fire, your child would be left upstairs to wait for the fire department?

Ellis Chung: 

     My name is Ellis, and I attend Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring. We think that MCPS’s current practices also don’t comply with federal or state law. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires disabled students to be allowed to participate in evacuations and drills. Court cases have been filed by the Department of Justice against schools who failed to evacuate their disabled students. The ADA also protects employees with disabilities. In 2017, Maryland unanimously passed HB 1061, requiring school systems to update their emergency plans to evacuate students, staff, and visitors with disabilities. Schools were required to comply by July 1, 2018, but as of today, Montgomery County’s school fire safety plan still prohibits the movement of disabled children down stairs except by firefighters and rescue squad personnel. In August 2020, all Maryland schools will be required to submit a report showing how they have complied with HB 1061. Will MCPS be ready?

BOE and Circuit Court Judge Candidates Forum Online, May 5, 5:50pm

You are invited to participate in an online candidates forum "Meet the Candidates for Board of Education and Montgomery County Circuit Court Judges and Special Guest, Dr. Gilberto A. Zelaya ll, Board of Elections and more. 

 

When: Tuesday, May 5, 2020

05:50 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada), Dr. Gilberto Zelaya

06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada), Board of Education

08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada), Montgomery County Circuit Court Judges

Topic: Meet the Special Guest and Candidates.

You will be able to access these forums on the Facebook page and YouTube page, May 5.

Fb.me/mtcalvarybaptistrockville

https://www.youtube.com/c/mountcalvarybaptistchurch

Please share with others and post on your social media.

COVID-19 Outbreak at Another MCPS Elementary School - Great Seneca Creek ES. Lady of Lourdes and The Heights again on list.

Previous weekly reports at this link.

 Beall Elementary School Allegany County 5 04/13/21

St. John the Evangelist School Anne Arundel County 6 04/13/21

Archbishop Curley High School Baltimore City 2 04/13/21

Boys' Latin School of Maryland Baltimore City 4 04/13/21

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Baltimore City 2 04/13/21

Bais Yaakov Eva Winer High School Baltimore County 9 04/13/21

Calvert Hall College High School Baltimore County 6 04/13/21

Catonsville High School Baltimore County 2 04/13/21

Concordia Preparatory School Baltimore County 4 04/13/21

Eastern Technical High School Baltimore County 3 04/13/21

McDonogh School Baltimore County 3 04/13/21

Talmudical Academy Elementary School Baltimore County 7 04/13/21

The Odyssey School Baltimore County 5 04/13/21

North Caroline High School Caroline County 3 04/13/21

Century High School Carroll County 3 04/13/21

Rising Sun High School Cecil County 2 04/13/21

Mace's Lane Middle School Dorchester County 3 04/13/21

North Dorchester Middle School Dorchester County 2 04/13/21

Walkersville High School Frederick County 6 04/13/21

Forest Lakes Elementary School Harford County 3 04/13/21

Patterson Mill Middle High School Harford County 3 04/13/21

Bellows Spring Elementary School Howard County 3 04/13/21

Fulton Elementary School Howard County 5 04/13/21

Howard High School Howard County 2 04/13/21

Marriotts Ridge High School Howard County 2 04/13/21

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School Howard County 2 04/13/21

Talbott Springs Elementary School Howard County 4 04/13/21

Great Seneca Creek Elementary School Montgomery County 2 04/13/21

Our Lady of Lourdes School Montgomery County 3 04/13/21

The Heights School Montgomery County 2 04/13/21

Somerset Intermediate School Somerset County 2 04/13/21

Chopticon High School St. Mary's County 2 04/13/21

Great Mills High School St. Mary's County 2 04/13/21

Boonsboro High School Washington County 14 04/13/21

Eastern Elementary School Washington County 3 04/13/21

Laurel Hall School Washington County 2 04/13/21

Smithsburg High School Washington County 2 04/13/21

Springfield Middle School Washington County 2 04/13/21

St. Mary School Washington County 2 04/13/21

Williamsport High School Washington County 18 04/13/21

Stephen Decatur High School Worcester County 5 04/13/21

As a reminder, the Maryland Dashboard uses the following criteria for reporting COVID-19 cases.  Not all cases are reported, only those that satisfy the following criteria.

  Note: This dataset reflects public and non-public K-12 schools in Maryland that have COVID-19 outbreaks. Data are based on local health department reports to MDH, which may be revised if additional information becomes available. This list does not include child care facilities or institutes of higher education.

Schools listed meet 1 or more of the following criteria:

    1) At least two confirmed COVID-19 cases among students/teachers/staff within a 14-day period and who are epidemiologically linked, but not household contacts; or

    2) Three or more classrooms or cohorts with cases from separate households that meet the classroom/cohort outbreak definition that occurs within 14 days; or

    3) Five percent or more unrelated students/teachers/staff have confirmed COVID-19 within a 14 day period (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff).

Cases reported reflect the current total number of cases. Schools are removed from the list when health officials determine 14 days have passed with no new cases and no tests pending. Archival data is available through the COVID-19 open data catalogue.

These data are updated weekly on Wednesdays during the 10 a.m. hour. MDH is continuously evaluating its data and reporting systems and will make updates as more data becomes available.

 https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/school-resources

COVID-19 Outbreak at Another MCPS Elementary School - Rachel Carson ES. Great Seneca Creek ES and The Heights again on list.

 Previous weekly reports at this link.

Beall Elementary School Allegany County 5 04/21/21

Bnos Yisroel of Baltimore Baltimore City 10 04/21/21

Mount St. Joseph High School Baltimore City 2 04/21/21

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Baltimore City 4 04/21/21

Concordia Preparatory School Baltimore County 9 04/21/21

Eastern Technical High School Baltimore County 5 04/21/21

Golden Ring Middle School Baltimore County 2 04/21/21

Honey Go Elementary School Baltimore County 2 04/21/21

Redeemer Classical Christian School Baltimore County 4 04/21/21

Rosedale Baptist School Baltimore County 3 04/21/21

Sparrow's Point High School Baltimore County 4 04/21/21

St. Paul School for Girls Baltimore County 4 04/21/21

St. Paul's School Baltimore County 3 04/21/21

Talmudical Academy Elementary School Baltimore County 8 04/21/21

The Jemicy School Baltimore County 2 04/21/21

The Odyssey School Baltimore County 5 04/21/21

Towson High School Baltimore County 7 04/21/21

North Caroline High School Caroline County 3 04/21/21

Rising Sun High School Cecil County 2 04/21/21

Mace's Lane Middle School Dorchester County 5 04/21/21

New Market Middle School Frederick County 5 04/21/21

Bel Air Elementary School Harford County 2 04/21/21

Forest Lakes Elementary School Harford County 3 04/21/21

Patterson Mill Middle High School Harford County 3 04/21/21

Fulton Elementary School Howard County 6 04/21/21

Marriotts Ridge High School Howard County 2 04/21/21

River Hill High School Howard County 4 04/21/21

Great Seneca Creek Elementary School Montgomery County 2 04/21/21

Rachel Carson Elementary School Montgomery County 2 04/21/21

The Heights School Montgomery County 3 04/21/21

Centreville Middle School Queen Anne's County 3 04/21/21

Somerset Intermediate School Somerset County 2 04/21/21

Chopticon High School St. Mary's County 3 04/21/21

Boonsboro High School Washington County 16 04/21/21

Broadfording Christian Academy Washington County 2 04/21/21

Eastern Elementary School Washington County 3 04/21/21

Lincolnshire Elementary School Washington County 3 04/21/21

Northern Middle School Washington County 2 04/21/21

Smithsburg High School Washington County 4 04/21/21

South Hagerstown High School Washington County 2 04/21/21

St. Mary Catholic School Washington County 2 04/21/21

Williamsport High School Washington County 22 04/21/21

Stephen Decatur High School Worcester County 24 04/21/21

As a reminder, the Maryland Dashboard uses the following criteria for reporting COVID-19 cases.  Not all cases are reported, only those that satisfy the following criteria.

  Note: This dataset reflects public and non-public K-12 schools in Maryland that have COVID-19 outbreaks. Data are based on local health department reports to MDH, which may be revised if additional information becomes available. This list does not include child care facilities or institutes of higher education.

Schools listed meet 1 or more of the following criteria:

    1) At least two confirmed COVID-19 cases among students/teachers/staff within a 14-day period and who are epidemiologically linked, but not household contacts; or

    2) Three or more classrooms or cohorts with cases from separate households that meet the classroom/cohort outbreak definition that occurs within 14 days; or

    3) Five percent or more unrelated students/teachers/staff have confirmed COVID-19 within a 14 day period (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff).

Cases reported reflect the current total number of cases. Schools are removed from the list when health officials determine 14 days have passed with no new cases and no tests pending. Archival data is available through the COVID-19 open data catalogue.

These data are updated weekly on Wednesdays during the 10 a.m. hour. MDH is continuously evaluating its data and reporting systems and will make updates as more data becomes available.

 https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/school-resources