A proposed $7.1 billion dollar budget for Montgomery County includes $3.3 billion for MCPS.
That will fund about 98 percent of the school board’s request, but because it doesn’t fully fund MCPS that will mean a reduction or elimination of some programs.
One of those programs is the special needs program at the Darnestown Learning Center which serves children with autism.
Three other programs within MCPS may also see changes in the next school year or be cut completely without funding.
The MCPS Board of Education recently reviewed legal fees paid between July and December.
7News analyzed the numbers and found in Fiscal Year 2023 MCPS paid more than $462,000 in legal fees.
In FY24 that number skyrocketed to more than $1.3 million...
Andrea Ye, who uses the name Alex, was arrested Wednesday and is being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit where he awaits a bond hearing, police said...
#BREAKING 18yo charged with threats of mass destruction. @mcpnews allege Andrea Ye, who prefers the name Alex and identifies as male, planned shootings at Wooten HS and Lakewood ES and detailed them in a manifesto. An 18 page charging doc includes a number of excerpts: pic.twitter.com/CDYEhI0CXJ
— Brad Bell (@Brad7News) April 18, 2024
John F. Kennedy High School went into a Shelter-in-Place today when a trespasser came onto school grounds during lunch. The trespasser had an altercation with one of the students, and when other students approached the scene, the trespasser brandished a knife. #MCPS pic.twitter.com/S7WN4wjITy
— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) April 19, 2024
Police say Andrea Ye, whose preferred name is Alex, was arrested and charged in connection with plans to commit a school shooting at Wootton High School in Rockville.
Police say Ye was taken into custody on Wednesday, April 17 following a joint investigation by Montgomery County police and FBI agents with the Baltimore Field Office...
From ZOA.org:
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has filed a
civil rights complaint against Montgomery County
Public Schools (MCPS), alleging severe, persistent and pervasive antisemitism
in the schools that district officials have failed to address, in violation of
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The complaint, against Maryland’s
largest school district, was filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s
Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today.
The ZOA’s complaint documents years
of antisemitic harassment and intimidation endured by Jewish students and
staff, including the following:
ZOA National President Morton A.
Klein and Director of ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, Susan B. Tuchman, Esq.,
stated, “The ZOA’s complaint is based on horrifying reports from parents and
teachers about the antisemitism that MCPS officials have known about for years
and have failed to address. Their indifference and inaction are a stark
contrast to how vigilantly district officials have responded when other ethnic
and racial groups were targeted.
“Members of the MCPS community have
spent years trying to resolve the antisemitism in their school district.
They’ve asked for district officials to speak out forcefully against
antisemitism, to appropriately discipline perpetrators, and to provide students
and staff with the training they need to understand how antisemitism is
expressed today and how to respond to it effectively. But these community
members have largely been met with indifference and even hostility from
district officials.
“We are grateful to the many
community members who came forward to share their painful experiences with
us. And we are hoping that the Office for Civil Rights will investigate
the ZOA’s complaint promptly and thoroughly. It’s time that MCPS is
finally held accountable under the law for failing to provide a learning
environment that is physically and psychologically safe for Jews.”
ZOAs Title VI Complaint Against MCPS 4-18-24 by freestategal on Scribd
As part of the BOE Candidates Forum on April 15th, organized by Moderately MoCo, one segment of the forum was a series of 'yes/no' questions posed to the candidates. Here are their answers.
Tuesday at 12:24 p.m., Gaithersburg Police Community Engagement Officers were called to the school in the 600 block of Saybrooke Oaks Boulevard for a report of a staff member with a firearm.
William Broadus Coleman, 30, of Washington, D.C. consented to a search of his vehicle, where the officers found a loaded handgun, police reported...
In Montgomery County, for example, Silvestre will likely be asked about the status of an investigation into the social media posts of another teacher who claimed that the Hamas attacks were a hoax.
The county had been grappling with a rise in antisemitism in schools even before Oct. 7. Those included an episode this fall at one high school, where the principal said students filmed themselves “performing an antisemitic salute.”
The district said in a statement that Silvestre was eager to share how schools were tackling antisemitism and intolerance, and creating “a safe and welcoming learning environment that supports all students.”
Mail your taxes and then head to the candidates forum! Easily accessible by metro and bus, parking nearby.
Gaithersburg, MD – Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police - Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) have obtained a composite sketch of a suspect who attempted to abduct a 10-year-old girl in the 18300 Block of Lost Knife Road. Detectives have released the composite sketch of the suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.
On Sunday, March 10, 2024, at approximately 3 p.m., a 10-year-old girl was sitting outside of an apartment building in the 18300 Block of Lost Knife Road. The victim told police that while sitting there, an unknown male grabbed her arm and told her to come with him. The victim believes the suspect ran away when he saw police cars that were in the neighborhood.
The suspect is described as a light complected unknown race male, between twenty-five and thirty-five years old, with a thin build, a tattoo on the left side of the face and a straight piece of blonde hair. The suspect was last seen wearing a black shirt, a black sweatshirt jacket with a hood and black pants.
Anyone with information regarding this case or suspect is asked to call 240-773-5400 or visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org. Click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000. Tips may remain anonymous...
https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail_Pol.aspx?Item_ID=45070
“I'm really pleased with the final product. I think it's the right thing that protects students in schools and makes sure that everybody's rights are protected,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson who promised to get the bill passed.
It took just 72 days for Maryland lawmakers to fulfill that promise.
“It did happen quick,” said Delegate Nino Mangione. “It was a shocking story that you guys did a great job with, and it proves that we can be bipartisan. We can come together and get important things done when need be.”..
In the letter sent April 2, Felder reaffirms the district’s commitment to safety and discipline in schools and aims to address mounting worries regarding student behavior that have been “in the forefront of community discussions, among student and staff and, lately in the news.”
“Comprehensive methods … can foster higher levels of safety and minimize incidents that violate the Student Code of Conduct,” Felder wrote...
