Do We Need a LGBTQ Audit? Park this reality: One in three LGBTQ teenagers attending the Montgomery County Public Schools (@MCPS) have a plan in place to commit suicide. @mocoboe

by Joseph Hawkins

In March, the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will survey students, and others, as part of a systemwide Antiracist Audit. You can find information about the surveys and the audit at this website: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/antiracist/.

After MCPS finishes its Antiracist Audit, and based on data presented below, MCPS might ponder undertaking a systemwide LGBTQ Audit. Data from MCPS LGBTQ teens is both concerning and disturbing. Is it not concerning a third of our LGBTQ have in place a plan to commit suicide and another third have no adult they can turn to for help?

Since the 1990’s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has monitored the health-related behaviors of young people that contribute to causes of death and disability. Monitoring is accomplished through a system of surveys. The official CDC system is referred to as the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). You can read more about this CDC system at this website: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm

Several survey cycles back, CDC started allowing teens to self-identify their sexuality. The two survey questions used to self identify as LGBTQ are:

Which of the following best describes you?

• Heterosexual (straight)

• Gay or lesbian

• Bisexual

• Not sure

Some people describe themselves as transgender when their sex at birth does not match the way they think or feel about their gender. Are you transgender?

• No, I am not transgender

• Yes, I am transgender

• I am not sure if I am transgender

With CDC guidance, Maryland’s Health Department takes this information and generates a “Sexual Identity Report.” You can find the complete report here:

https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/ccdpc/Reports/Documents/2018%20YRBS%20YTS%20Reports/Montgomery/2018MDHS17%20Sexual%20Identity.pdf

From that report, one might notice immediately that MCPS LGBTQ teens are way more likely to be bullied on school property than are straight teen peers—24.7% versus 12.8%. Also, MCPS LGBTQ teens are more likely to have in place a plan to commit suicide than are straight teen peers—34.0% versus 10.7%. Disturbing? Concerning? Perhaps disturbing and concerning enough for a separate MCPS LGBTQ audit?

(Note: The MCPS data below are from 2018. Currently, Maryland is collecting data for the 2021/22 school year.)

Why mask policies in schools are helpful

Thanks @ProfEmilyOster for your question on why mask policies in schools are helpful

We can have good conversations about trade offs if fully review implications

COVID choices are hard:
- Mask mandates & <disease
- Vaccine mandates & <deaths
- No policies & > disease & deaths pic.twitter.com/K2zl4il4BF

— Julia Raifman (@JuliaRaifman) February 22, 2022

 https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1496157186107580417.html

ABC7: A female Springbrook High School student reported she was sexually assaulted in a boy's bathroom on the basement level of the school, per police sources.

STORY: A female Springbrook High School student reported she was sexually assaulted in a boy's bathroom on the basement level of the school, per police sources.

It occurred around 1:15p Tuesday, which is in the middle of Period 6 on regular school days.https://t.co/eP9zXIj8h5

— Kevin Lewis (@KevinLewis7News) February 25, 2022

https://wjla.com/news/local/springbrook-high-school-silver-spring-sexual-assault-rape-bathroom-montgomery-county-public-schools-police-sro-ceo

BREAKING: Dec. '21 US Dist. Court Opinion: Damascus HS Plaintiffs state that Defendant [Principal] Crouse... testified at a grand jury hearing that she never reviewed ---’s file to determine if safeguards were necessary. #DamascusHighSchool #Rape

MEMORANDUM OPINION issued December 23, 2021 in civil litigation regarding 2018 rape of football players in Damascus High School locker room. 

Excerpts: 

This case arises from student-on-student assaults that allegedly occurred in a locker room at Damascus High School (“DHS”), located in Damascus, Maryland. Plaintiffs1 , student victims (“Minor-Plaintiffs”) and their parents (“Parent-Plaintiffs”) bring this civil action against Defendants Montgomery County Board of Education (“Board”) and Jeffrey Sullivan, Casey Crouse, Vincent Colbert, Eric Wallich, and Joseph Doody, in their official and individual capacities (collectively, “Defendants”)2 based on their purported failure to implement appropriate supervisory policies and properly investigate claims of abuse while the Minor-Plaintiffs were members of the DHS junior varsity football team...

...Minor-Plaintiffs include Doe #1M, a then-freshman member of the JV team, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by his teammates with a broom in August 2017, and Does #2M, 3M, 4M, three then-freshman members of the JV team, who were allegedly sexually assaulted by teammates with a broom on October 31, 2018. Plaintiffs submit that Defendants facilitated the assaults by allowing certain student-athletes to have “free reign” in the locker room, despite complaints from teachers and parents about the abusive environment that existed there. One player responsible for the October 2018 attack, known as “---”, was known to have a lengthy disciplinary history, which included physical assaults against teachers and students at other Montgomery County schools, causing him to be suspended from those schools based on his violent acts...

...According to Plaintiffs, prior to 2017, certain incidents of hazing took place in high school locker rooms at Montgomery County Public Schools (“MCPS”) other than DHS. Does #1–3 Am. Compl. ¶ 13. 3 Following those incidents, MCPS circulated written documentation to school administrators and coaches regarding such assaults. Id. ¶¶ 19–20. Despite this written notice, students at two different MCPS high schools (neither DHS) were subsequently assaulted in similar fashion. Id. ¶¶ 13, 16. At that point, in July 2018, Defendant Sullivan issued a memorandum to Montgomery County athletic directors and coaches, stressing the MCPS student-athlete supervision policy, which specifically addressed the matter of hazing. Id. ¶ 22. That same summer, at a meeting of MCPS athletic directors, MCPS emphasized the importance of adequate supervision of school locker rooms...

...Plaintiffs make numerous allegations of sexual abuse committed in the DHS locker room, none of which, they submit, were adequately addressed by authority figures at the school. They cite at least one incident occurring in 2016, in which “Victim 1,” a freshman member of the JV football team, fought off sophomores who attempted to rape, sexually assault, and batter him. Id. ¶ 45. The 2017 football season purportedly brought more incidents of abuse of victims, including brooming incidents with at least six freshman victims, including Doe #1M. Id. ¶¶ 46–47. Allegedly, a report of sexual misconduct in the locker room was made directly to Defendant Crouse, then principal of DHS, by a parent, identified as XX...

...No coaches, athletic directors, or administrators, as of that time, immediately contacted law enforcement. Id. ¶¶ 169–179. Instead, Defendant Colbert asked other JV players to investigate the report. Id. ¶ 170. Additionally, Defendant Crouse and her administration undertook an internal investigation into the incident, which in fact revealed that there had been multiple victims and multiple perpetrators. Id. ¶ 179. A school resource officer, however, instructed Defendant Crouse to terminate her investigation and contacted the Special Victims Unit of the Montgomery County Police Department. Id. ¶¶ 179–80. Despite this instruction, Defendant Crouse and the DHS administration continued investigating the incident reports on their own, including conducting interviews with multiple students. Id...

...Plaintiffs state that Defendant Crouse not only ignored warnings about JCA, but also that she testified at a grand jury hearing that she never reviewed ---’s file to determine if safeguards were necessary. Id. Almost immediately following his arrival at DHS, DHS personnel complained to Defendant Crouse and to the DHS football staff that JCA was exhibiting disruptive, inappropriate, and violent behavior...

JOHN DOE #1, JANE DOE #1 JO... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

Petition: Keep Mr. Maddox (Music Teacher) at Sherwood High School

We are facing a cut of our music classes and music program at Sherwood High School.  Due to low enrollment, the administration is planning to cut Mr. Maddox from the music teaching staff at Sherwood.  Please help us show Sherwood and MCPS that Mr. Maddox and the music program(s) are an important part of the Sherwood curriculum.

Encourage your children to elect to take music classes - guitar, chorus, etc., at Sherwood.  Tell MCPS and Sherwood HS how much you value the role of music in the school and in the community. 

Keep Rock-N-Roll Revival alive!

If enrollments don't increase, Mr. Maddox's position is slated to be eliminated starting this Fall 2022.  Please encourage your kids to enroll in music classes at Sherwood HS.  We must stop the termination to keep music alive at Sherwood HS.

Please sign our petition, write to the school, write to the School Board.

Christophe_Turk@mcpsmd.org

Timothy_D_Britton@mcpsmd.org

https://www.change.org/p/montgomery-county-public-schools-keep-mr-maddox-music-teacher-at-sherwood-high-school?fbclid=IwAR3k8Fr0Sh5yD7g3zL6w6HkSSZFchOSFN9LOPea9clG3TxzKYc5hHN_f7yU

With the desire by many to "return to normal" settings & activities, that many like the WHO, advise us to avoid, CLEANING THE AIR in "3C settings" that are crowded, require close-contact, or are confined & enclosed, would likely have the most impact.

With the desire by many to "return to normal" settings & activities, that many like the WHO, advise us to avoid, CLEANING THE AIR in "3C settings" that are crowded, require close-contact, or are confined & enclosed, would likely have the most impact. @kprather88 pic.twitter.com/QflM7uS62d

— Vanessa Sica Kasabach (@VSicaKasabach) February 24, 2022

Connecticut Town Pays $500K to Settle School Indoor Air Quality Lawsuit

The original report cites ‘poor building conditions,’ including indoor air quality problems responsible for student injuries and declining health.

The town of Wilton, Connecticut has recently agreed to pay a $500,000 settlement following a lawsuit regarding the environmental conditions, namely, the poor indoor air quality at a local school. In the original complaint, parents alleged that their children had been harmed by poor building conditions, though the extent of the injuries are not specified in the lawsuit, according to The Register Citizen...

https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/connecticut-town-pays-500k-to-settle-school-indoor-air-quality-lawsuit/

Mold, Poor Ventilation and Heavy Mold Alleged

Having begun back in 2015, the Lowtherts claimed that “wet building conditions, poor ventilation, mold, high carbon dioxide and poor indoor air quality were well known to the Defendants, their teachers, staff and administrators at the Miller-Driscoll School and throughout the Wilton Public School system for a number of years,” which led to “injuries” to their children, who are also named as plaintiffs.

The top 3 richest counties in America have deployed portable air cleaners in every single classroom. [Not @mcps @mocoboe]

This is relevant because their money gives them access to the world’s best experts in any field - and portable air cleaners are part of their solution.

• Marin County, California, third richest county in America,has HEPA Air Cleaners in every single classroom.

• New York County, New York, second richest county in America, has portable air cleaners.

• Teton County, Wyoming, the richest county in America, has HEPA Air Cleaners in every single classroom.

Many school organizations around the world have rolled out portable air cleaners.  

This is just a sampling.

• Harvard has deployed them in every dormitory bedroom and bathroom and multiple-occupant bathroom.

• Every single classroom in Korea has them.  All 114,000.

• 50,000 in Victoria, Australia.

• 20,000 in Ontario, Canada.

• 20,000 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

• 5,000 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

• Toronto school district.

• 600 in Warwick, Rhode Island, USA

• 175 in the Canadian province, Prince Edward Island.

• Boulder Valley School District, ranked #528 of 10,772 school districts.

Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mYx-UiC-pzFQFr5VaIGwAMvkLSL4H28e6y3YgZZDNK0/edit#

and

THE Corsi/Rosenthal Box FAQ

MCPS prepares for spring break COVID-19 testing

...MCPS says rapid tests are being distributed to all students and staff every three weeks through March. They’ll also give out at home rapid tests before spring break. Students are asked to take the test at the end of break before school starts and use the MCPS COVID-19 reporting tool to communicate positive results...

https://www.localdvm.com/news/maryland/mcps-prepares-for-spring-break-covid-19-testing/

#FlipTheTurf: It’s Time to Swap NFL Stadium Turf for Real Grass

Of the 32 teams in the NFL, 16 teams still play on artificial turf, despite the undeniable risk it poses to both players and the environment. It’s time to play smarter with Pennington.

The numbers don’t lie:

• 28% more non-contact lower body injuries.*
  
  32% more non-contact knee injuries.*
  
  And 69% more non-contact foot and ankle injuries occurred on turf.*
• Turf can get up to 60 degrees hotter than natural grass, increasing the rate at which toxic gases are released and ingested.**
• 90% of NFL players believe artificial turf will shorten their careers.*** 

And the issue is bigger than just football. 

• Currently, turf can’t be recycled in the US, leading to an estimated 330 million pounds of landfill waste each year, and microplastics in our water and irrigation systems.**** 
• On average, one turf field requires over 440,000 pounds of petroleum derivatives. The production of which emits carbon, creates fossil fuels, and contributes to global warming. **** 
• Unlike grass, turf does not cool the environment. It does not filter air and water pollutants. It does not fix carbon dioxide or release oxygen. Turf has zero climate benefits.***** 

As pioneers of the grass industry, Pennington believes in working with nature, not against it. That’s why we’re rallying for change. 

Every signature we get applies pressure to the NFL and its team owners to face the facts and make the flip to a more sustainable field. If they say yes, we’ll bring the grass— no questions asked. And we won’t stop pushing until all 32 NFL teams ditch the turf. Because every game the NFL allows to play out on turf actively puts their own players at risk. And in turn, our planet. 

Sign this petition to join the movement to #FlipTheTurf.

 

 

*Based on NFL injury data collected from 2012 to 2018

**Based on 2007 Columbia University study in New York City

***Based on 2010 NFLPA Survey

****Based on 2017 Synthetic Turf Council data detailing an average 440,000 lbs of turf and infill per sports field and an estimated 750 fields being replaced in 2018 

*****The University of Arkansas, “Turfgrass Science” Study, 2009

https://www.change.org/p/fliptheturf-it-s-time-to-swap-nfl-stadium-turf-for-real-grass?recruiter=1253975818&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=8d90bdb0-90e0-11ec-b99e-0135b59629b9&share_bandit_exp=initial-32289362-en-US

***83 Schools*** on MD COVID-19 Outbreak Dashboard #DontLookUp

Previous weekly reports at this link.

North Hagerstown High School Washington 147

Chopticon High School St. Mary's 100

Easton Middle School Talbot 86

Great Mills High School St. Mary's 84

Leonardtown Middle School St. Mary's 83

Leonardtown High School St. Mary's 81

Boonsboro High School Washington 78

Margaret Brent Middle School St. Mary's 76

Esperanza Middle School St. Mary's 75

Ballenger Creek Middle School Frederick 65

Windsor Farm Elementary School Anne Arundel 57

Spring Ridge Middle School St. Mary's 51

Saints Peter and Paul Parish and School Talbot 44

The Country School Talbot 43

Bishop McNamara High School Prince George's 41

Father Andrew White School St. Mary's 39

Mayo Elementary School Anne Arundel 39

Saint James School Washington 39

St. Jerome Academy Prince George's 37

Captain Walker Francis Duke Elementary School St. Mary's 35

Folger McKinsey Elementary School Anne Arundel 34

Fort Hill High School Allegany 33

Edgewater Elementary School Anne Arundel 31

Hollywood Elementary School St. Mary's 30

Leonardtown Elementary School St. Mary's 30

Windy Hill Elementary School Calvert 30

The Sacred Heart School of Glyndon Baltimore County 29

Centreville Elementary School Queen Anne's 22

DeMatha Catholic High School Prince George's 22

Cradlerock Elementary School Howard 21

continues at link 

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:

Classroom/cohort outbreak definition:

    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

School-wide outbreak definition:

    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

What's up with #masks in schools in Maryland? Friday, 2:30pm Joint Committee AELR to hold hearing on request to rescind mask mandate

What's up with #masks in schools in Maryland? Friday, 2:30pm Joint Committee AELR to hold hearing on request to rescind mask mandate: Witnesses may sign up to testify and submit written testimony through MyMGA on February 24 at 8:00 A.M. through 3:00 P.M.https://t.co/LEI5JrDA7v

— Kate Ryan (@KateRyanWTOP) February 23, 2022

@Theresa_Chapple Tweet: Schools without mask required were 3.5 times more likely to have outbreaks as compared to schools with mask required. Do you need this to happen to your child's school in order to believe it?

Schools without mask required were 3.5 times more likely to have outbreaks as compared to schools with mask required.

Do you need this to happen to your child's school in order to believe it? https://t.co/pUT2D47nQK

— Dr. Theresa Chapple (@Theresa_Chapple) February 23, 2022

Thousands of computers missing from DCPS, hundreds of others from Alexandria Schools. @mcps @mocoboe is still working on its list.

WASHINGTON (7News) — Multiple school districts in the DMV are missing thousands of pieces of school technology.

Property that tax dollars paid for and it’s turned up lost or stolen. Even more concerning, it could open up school districts and students to cyberattacks.

Right now, DC Public Schools has the most lost or stolen equipment out of four school districts 7News investigated in the DMV.

DCPS has had 16,125 items come up missing or stolen over the past four years...

https://wjla.com/features/i-team/thousands-of-laptops-missing-dc-public-schools-computers-equipment-alexandria-city-public-schools

One former Whitman High rower said coach Kirk Shipley dismissed her suicide attempt. Another says he was grooming her.

A high school coach is accused of abusing two teens. More feel victimized.

Maayan Harris was midway through her sophomore year when she injured her back rowing. But even then, she knew she couldn’t miss practice.

She’d joined Walt Whitman High’s crew team in 2017 as a freshman at the Bethesda, Md., school, and it had quickly become a huge part of her identity. She knew the sport was good for her mental health, too. After her parents’ divorce, the teenager struggled with depression, she said in an interview. Rowing helped clear her head.

What didn’t help — or rather, who — was the head coach, Kirk Shipley. A popular social studies teacher at Whitman, he had led the parent-funded club team for nearly two decades and was not a man who could be easily challenged. Despite Harris’s back injury, he pushed her to continue rowing.

“Finish the piece,” Harris recalls him saying, even as she sobbed with each stroke. She managed to get through practice, she said, aggravating her injury and ending her season early...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/11/whitman-rowers-kirk-shipley-abuse/

Maryland Senate Confirms Education Accountability Board Members. 4 out of 9 reside in Montgomery Co. including Ike Leggett and Joshua Starr. .

...But Hershey took issue with the fact that the nominating committee did not reconsider the nominees following letters from various groups — including the Maryland Latino Caucus and Prince George’s County Executive — asking them to do so. “It wasn’t just a few pissed-off rural county legislators,” Hershey said.

“What was the hurry that this could not be addressed?” he continued. “When letters go to the nominating committee about the makeup of this board, and they did absolutely nothing about it, they’re doing that because they say — we are not accountable to the General Assembly.”..

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/02/15/maryland-senate-confirms-education-accountability-board-members-approves-mail-ballot-reforms/

• Mara Doss, the associate vice president for teaching, learning and student success at Prince George’s Community College.
  
• Fagan Harris, chief executive officer of Baltimore Corps, a nonprofit that recruits talented professionals and connects them to leadership opportunities.
  
• William “Brit” Kirwan, the chair of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, whose policy recommendations make up the foundation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
  
• Isiah “Ike” Leggett, former Montgomery County executive and currently a member of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents.
  
• Jennifer Lynch, the director of educational partnerships for Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) and previously an elementary school principal in Baltimore City Public Schools for five years.
  
• Joseph Manko, the education program officer for the Abell Foundation and previously an elementary school principal in Baltimore City Public Schools for ten years.
  
• Harry Preston V, a Baltimore City Public Schools teacher for the last 16 years.
  
• Laura Stapleton, the interim dean of the University of Maryland, College Park College of Education and a professor in human development and quantitative methodology.
  
• Joshua Starr, the chief executive officer of Phi Delta Kappa International, a nonprofit membership organization for K-12 educators, and previously the superintendent of Montgomery County Schools from 2011 to 2015

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/09/01/nominees-to-education-reform-oversight-panel-named/

Sent to the 'warehouse' Baltimore County Schools whistleblower paid to do nothing. [Former @mcps PR Now Working for Balt. County Pub. Schools]

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A Baltimore County Schools whistleblower comes forward, saying the District retaliated against him for trying to make school buses safer.

Monday, November 15, 2021, was a memorable day in the life of Paul Sauer. On that day, two things happened to the former Baltimore County Schools bus mechanic.

First, Project Baltimore aired a report in which Sauer appeared anonymously, blowing the whistle on his own employer, saying school buses with broken parts were passing inspection and carrying students. Second, on November 15, hours before that FOX45 News investigation aired, Sauer received a letter from Baltimore County Schools, saying he had been placed on paid administrative leave for “allegations of misconduct.” The next day, he was sent to the warehouse...

...Project Baltimore, over the years, has interviewed many school employees who have asked to remain anonymous because they fear retaliation for blowing the whistle. Sauer says what happened to him legitimizes those fears. Which is why, he says, he came to FOX45 News, in the first place.

“I did not feel safe, I didn't feel like there was anybody that I could trust to voice my concern without being exiled for that,” Sauer explained.

Baltimore County Schools declined an interview to discuss claims of retaliation or the warehouse. Instead, we received a one-sentence statement that read, “we will not be commenting on personnel matters.”

“How much is BCPS going to get away with?” Sauer asked. “BCPS needs to be held more accountable.”..

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/sent-to-warehouse-baltimore-county-schools-whistleblower-paid-to-do-nothing-bus-investigation-project-baltimore?fbclid=IwAR1wGw6aTb2305s_8CT6Wu0Tr7X2A1nBlIoluB6ByHapD3xn5tv0Z707i7c

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL ("RFP") for Custodian Bank Services for MCPS Retirement System Trust. As of 10/31/2021, the MCPS Retirement System Trust had assets of approximately $2.4 billion.

On behalf of the Board of Education of Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is seeking proposals from qualified master trustee/custodian providers in five different capacities: custody services (stand-alone); benefit payment management (stand-alone); custody services and benefit payment management; custody services and portfolio analytics; lastly, custody services, benefit payment management, and portfolio analytics. The respondents will be evaluated in each capacity separately, with a final determination made after the proposals are received and evaluated. The contract is anticipated to begin in July 2022. MCPS currently utilizes BNY Mellon as master custodian provider for custody services and Aetna Life Insurance Company for benefit payment management.

NEPC, LLC (NEPC) has been retained by MCPS to assist in the process of conducting an evaluation of qualified applicants (Firms, and each a Firm). Representatives from NEPC may contact responders that submit proposals in relation to this Request for Proposal (RFP).

As of October 31, 2021, the MCPS Retirement System Trust (Trust) had assets of approximately $2.4 billion.

RFP inquiries and submissions are due by the deadlines above.  Inquiries must be directed to procurement at Angela_S_Mcintosh-Davis@mcpsmd.org.  Proposals submitted will require a two-step process. Firms must submit one original and one electronic version on a flash drive, and one redacted copy of the full proposal must be sent by mail, courier, or hand-delivery.  Firms will also be required to submit proposals via InHub (www.theinhub.com) to NEPC.  See 7.0 Mandatory Submissions in the RFP for full detail.  Proposals are to be received, as well as submitted via InHub, no later than 2:00 p.m. eastern on February 28, 2022. 

To request access to the online RFP submission platform, please fill out the Request Access form (right).  Additional details, including a copy of the RFP can be found on the MCPS website.

 https://www.erfp.us/inhub-mcps-custodian-rfp/

How to set up an emergency isolation room inside a home or apartment for a suspected infected occupant.

This is a triage approach and by no means implied to substitute the combined advice from a professional engineer and physician with experience in negative pressure rooms. There are many factors to consider in selecting the size of fans, filters and humidifiers. Consult a professional for advice.

When occupying a home with persons quarantined (healthy people living with suspected infected person(s)) wear proper personal protective equipment. I know that might be difficult for some, but it is only for the prescribed time and that is short relative to a death or a lifetime of challenges (see resources at bottom of this page)...

http://www.healthyheating.com/2021.COVID.Residential.Isolation.Rooms/2021.Residential.Isolation.Room.htm#.YhU5g-jMJnL

145 Baltimore County school buses fail inspection, following Project Baltimore report

Baltimore County, MD (WBFF) — Project Baltimore has learned of more Baltimore County school buses that had bad parts. Fox45 News initially reported on fives buses with issues, but that number is now nearly 150 buses, according to inspections conducted by the Maryland Department of Transportation...

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/145-baltimore-county-school-buses-fail-inspection-following-project-baltimore-report

‘You Have to Give Us Respect’: How Asian Americans Fueled the San Francisco Recall

The landslide vote to remove three school board members cut across ethnicities and income levels. But Chinese American voters and volunteers were crucial to victory, organizers say.

SAN FRANCISCO — As Election Day approached, a flurry of messages flashed across the phones of San Francisco’s Chinese American community. “Remember to vote,” said one message in Chinese from a campaign organizer, Selena Chu. “And throw out the commissioners who are discriminating against us and disrespecting our community.”

The lopsided victory in a recall election on Tuesday that ousted three members of the San Francisco school board shook the city’s liberal establishment and was a resounding alarm of parental anger over the way the public school system handled the coronavirus pandemic...

...In Tuesday’s election, two issues in particular motivated Chinese American voters. The Board of Education had voted to put in place a lottery admission system at the highly selective Lowell High School, replacing an admission process that primarily selected students with the highest grades and test scores. Lowell, whose long list of notable alumni includes Justice Stephen G. Breyer, for decades had represented what one community member described as the “gateway to the American dream.” The introduction of the lottery system has reduced the number of Asian and white ninth graders at Lowell by around one-quarter and increased Black and Latino ninth graders by more than 40 percent.

Chinese voters were also upset by tweets by Alison Collins, one of the recalled school board members, that were unearthed during the campaign. Ms. Collins said Asian Americans used “white supremacist thinking to assimilate and ‘get ahead.’” She went on to compare Asian Americans to slaves who had the advantage of working inside a slave owner’s home instead of doing more grueling labor in the fields, using asterisks to mask an anti-Black racial slur. The tweets reinforced a sentiment among many Chinese voters of being taken for granted, underrepresented and insulted, people involved in the recall campaign said.

Asian American voters also said they were motivated by issues beyond the actions of the board: The number of high-profile attacks against Asian Americans, many of them older, has traumatized the community. And many Chinese-owned businesses were suffering the effects of pandemic closures, especially in Chinatown...

...San Francisco had a very particular set of issues that pushed parents over the edge, he said.

“People have been trying to make extrapolations: What does this mean for school board elections in Ohio or Virginia?” he said.

“We had this very particular instance,” he continued. “We had very visible examples of incompetence, bad governance and malfeasance. Most people could objectively observe the decisions that were happening last year and think, ‘This is really messed up.’”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/us/san-francisco-school-board-parents.html?

Do masks really harm kids? Here's what the science says.

As more states drop mask mandates, experts explain why keeping them on in schools is still a smart move for families and teachers.

“But we do have this human experiment that’s been going on with kids wearing masks at school, and we know that we haven’t seen those fears of health risks realized,” says Theresa Guilbert, a pediatric pulmonologist who is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine.

She and other experts say most evidence suggests that masking doesn’t harm children—and that it benefits them in more ways than one. Not only do masks protect kids from COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, but studies show that schools with mask policies in place are more likely to stay open, which decades of research show is particularly critical for kids’ mental health and development.

Here’s what the science says about kids and masks.

How masks affect breathing

One of the earliest concerns that parents had about kids wearing masks all day was how it might affect their breathing—whether masks would allow them to get enough oxygen or trap in too much carbon dioxide. Guilbert says this was raised as a concern for kids since they breathe more rapidly than adults.

But there’s no evidence that masking significantly impairs breathing. In fact, one study showing unacceptable levels of carbon dioxide in kids ages six to 17 who wore masks was widely discredited last summer—and ultimately retracted by the journal JAMA Pediatrics—because of concerns over the accuracy of its measurements and validity of its conclusions.

Instead, Guilbert points to a meta-analysis of 10 studies, showing that the fluctuation of carbon dioxide and oxygen levels among adults and children wearing masks was “well within normal range.”..

...But Walter Gilliam, a child psychiatry and psychology professor at the Yale Child Study Center, says this study and others like it are limited by their reliance on still photographs. “I’m more than just my eyeballs,” he says. Children also pick up on cues like how people walk through spaces, the tone of their voices, and the hand gestures they make. “All of that is stripped away from those studies.” He points to another study showing that children have no more difficulty reading the emotions of a person wearing a face mask than they do a person wearing sunglasses...

...Gilliam says blaming masks for the depression and anxiety in kids stems from a natural desire to protect them. But he suspects it’s not the masking that causes stress in classrooms. “It’s the trauma of COVID that the masks were intended to prevent,” he says. “When you have an ache and a pain, it’s the cut on your arm not the Band-Aid that went over it that’s causing the problem. The purpose of the mask is to reduce all the other traumas—traumas that we know for an absolute fact harm children.”..

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/do-masks-really-harm-kids-heres-what-the-science-says