Friday, April 29, 2022

Montgomery County 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election Local Candidates List - Board of Education

Board of Education At Large

Mike Erickson

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -04/15/2022

Email mikeerickson4md@gmail.com

Phone (301) 355-6151

Contact Information

17409 Applewood Ln

Derwood, MD 20855-0000

Michael Fryar

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -03/09/2022

Email michaeljfryar@gmail.com

Website anewdawn4boe.com

Phone (240) 233-4184

Contact Information

238 Gold Kettle Dr

Gaithersburg, MD 20878-

J. "Domenic" Giandomenico

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -02/11/2022

Email dg@domformoco.com

Website www.domformoco.com

Facebook @domformoco

Twitter @domformoco

Phone (301) 366-6962

Contact Information

10705 Francis Dr

Silver Spring, MD 20902-

Karla Silvestre

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -10/14/2021

Email karlasilvestre2018@gmail.com

Website www.karlasilvestre.com

Facebook facebook.com/karlasilvestre4BOE

Twitter @KarlaSilves_BOE

Phone (240) 464-5525

Contact Information

1615 N. Springwood Dr

Silver Spring, MD 20910-

Board of Education District 1

Alexander Fahmy

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -04/15/2022

Facebook www.facebook.com/alexforboe

Twitter www.twitter.com/alexforboe

Other www.instagram.com/alexforboe

Phone (240) 988-0632

Contact Information

24028 Glade Valley Terrace

Damascus, MD 20872-

Jay Guan

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -02/02/2022

Email JG@jayguan4boe.com

Website jayguan4boe.com

Facebook facebook.com/JG4boe

Phone (240) 618-7053

Contact Information

P.O. Box 1896

Clarksburg, MD 20871-

Grace Rivera Oven

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -03/11/2022

Email grace.rivera@comcast.net

Website www.gracielariveraoven.com

Contact Information

21210 Blunt Rd

Germantown, MD 20876-

Esther L. Wells

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -04/08/2022

Facebook www.facebook.com/Esther4BOE

Contact Information

7627 Augustine Way

Gaithersburg, MD 20879-

Board of Education District 3

Marcus Alzona

Non-Partisan

Jurisdiction Montgomery County

Status Active

Filed Regular -04/15/2022

Email vote@MarcusAlzona.com

Website MarcusAlzona.com

Facebook facebook.com/MarcusAlzona

Twitter twitter.com/MarcusAlzona

TikTok CSAM investigation underway by Dept. of Homeland Security; privacy feature exploited

The Department of Homeland Security has opened a TikTok CSAM investigation, after child sexual abuse material was posted both publicly and privately on the video sharing network.

Additionally, the platform is being heavily used by abusers for grooming – the practice of befriending a child online with the intention of later abusing them, either online or offline.

The Financial Times reports that TikTok moderators have been unable to keep up with the volume of videos being posted, meaning that abusive material has been posted to the public feed.

Additionally, abusers have been exploiting a privacy feature offered by TikTok...

https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/15/tiktok-csam-investigation-underway-by-dhs/?fbclid=IwAR2gSIAIA6vOzTLWj5L0-T6d8DyehklenTDtsOW7WV9A5d4TjT__PXUlybM

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Police Won’t Patrol Inside Schools But Will Be Involved in School Safety

Under a newly-signed memorandum of understanding between Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery County Police Department, community police officers will have a designated space inside schools where they can speak with students, but they will not patrol hallways and outside grounds.

Under the new Community Engagement Officers 2.0, police officers will check into the high school, middle schools and elementary schools in their assigned cluster daily to speak with the principals. However, they will not be inside the building most of the school day...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/police-wont-patrol-inside-schools-but-will-be-involved-in-school-safety/

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Former Montgomery Co. high school football coach pleads guilty to sex abuse

A former football coach at Wootton High School, in Rockville, Maryland, who was charged in 2020 with sexually abusing two players, has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced to 18 months behind bars this July.

Twenty-six-year-old Christopher Papadopoulos was arrested in 2020 and charged with convincing two players to come to his Potomac home, under the guise of helping them be prepared to play college football. Papadopoulos was an assistant varsity football coach at Wootton from 2016 to 2020...

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2022/04/former-montgomery-co-high-school-football-coach-pleads-guilty-to-sex-abuse/?fbclid=IwAR2qITtuv5gXOh7CFpZUwNFkOKiboH_kHAHYrBtt8WLPqGNJb_2_oUFfDlE

Tutorial para armar un PURIFICADOR DE AIRE ARTESANAL

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

An hour before Montgomery County Council meeting on police in public schools, @mcps @mocoboe sends out e-mail to parents/guardians.

Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2022, 01:34:59 PM EDT

Subject: Community Message: New Agreement Signed Guiding Community Engagement Officer Program

logo

Dear MCPS Community

The following email shares a message about the new agreement guiding the Community Engagement Officer program between county police and Montgomery County Public Schools.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2021-2022/Community-Update-20220426-final.html

Montgomery County Public Schools

Monday, April 25, 2022

MD Inspector General for Education finds taxpayers paid nearly $24 million to educate hundreds of no-show students

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A bombshell report confirms millions of tax dollars are being misallocated statewide to educate students who aren’t even in school.

An audit by the Inspector General for Education found many Maryland schools have been miscalculating attendance and enrollment, costing taxpayers at least $23 million.

This audit follows a FOX45 investigation into so-called ghost students. Ghost students are kept on the rolls to increase the amount of funding a school receives. According to this new IG report, it’s an issue that’s been costing taxpayers millions across the state for years...

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/taxpayers-paid-nearly-24-million-dollars-to-educate-hundreds-of-no-show-students-maryland?fbclid=IwAR3RWwXqoAi9eOd-4zMnKQX0e3qsjATwBMUYlMinoQy51HXkKONt81DuTtU

https://www.scribd.com/document/570988619/IG-Audit-to-City-Schools

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Affidavit: BOE President Wolff Swears COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team is NOT part of Board of Education Strategic Plan

Remember in September of 2021, when Interim Superintendent Monifa McKnight Unveiled her Five-Point Plan for Further COVID Safety, Mitigation? Remember that her "plan" included this:

What exactly happened to that COVID-19 operations advisory committee? Who is on the committee? Have they met? Do they have recommendations?

MCPS parents have asked those questions and the answer from Superintendent McKnight is that the answers are a secret.

And to back up Superintendent McKnight's secrecy around the COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team, Board of Education Brenda Wolff has signed an affidavit that the Board of Education has nothing to do with the COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team.

Nonetheless, Superintendent McKnight continues to use the COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team as a component of her discussions of the Board of Education's Strategic Plan.

October 5, 2021 see page 13: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/C7JHTU46C420/$file/BOE%20Strategic%20Plan%20211005%20PPT.pdf

February 14, 2022 see Page 4:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/boe/03.01%20Proposed%20Amends%20FY2023%20Rec%20Op%20Bdgt%20220214%20PPT%20AC.pdf

What does this mean? It means that the COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team is an imaginary group as far as teachers and parents are concerned. The "team" can meet in private, does not post any publicly available minutes or reports, and any recommendations can be kept completely secret from the public. No transparency, no accountability, means this "team" is effectively non-existent.

That's the way Superintendent Monifa McKnight wants it. Secrecy during a global pandemic is part of her Five Point Plan for COVID Mitigation and Safety.

Montgomery County Public Schools by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Friday, April 22, 2022

Baltimore City Schools CEO earnings soars to $375,688 as student performance drops

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The head of Baltimore City Schools, Sonja Santelises, is now the highest-paid school leader in Maryland. Project Baltimore found as Santelises’ salary rose, student performance decreased.

July 1, 2016, was day one for Baltimore City Schools new CEO, Sonja Santelises...

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/baltimore-city-schools-ceo-earnings-soars-to-375688-as-student-performance-drops?fbclid=IwAR18BAicqCM8SFlqVrhtHeSJck9h6SqpDOzXT0lDhdUHoxQ7HScinLYONAc

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Baltimore City set to OK $345,000 settlement after football player's death [artificial turf]

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The City of Baltimore is expected to reach a settlement with the family of a Mergenthaler High School football player who died after he was seriously injured in a game.

During a football against Dunbar High School on Sept. 18, 2021, senior Elijah Gorham was attempting to catch a pass in the endzone when he fell head-first onto the field. A Dunbar player who also trying to catch the pass landed on top of Gorham. The game was played at Baltimore Polytechnic High School's football field...

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/baltimore-city-set-to-ok-345000-settlement-after-football-players-death?fbclid=IwAR0xWkYGnd6jish8Uy31K_GjkmQ6m0PiB9qBcczs4p6Z3cX5O13gTNUwWKU

@Poppendieck Just a friendly reminder that increased ventilation in classrooms can result in improved test scores, reduced absenteeism, and reduced illness.

Just a friendly reminder that increased ventilation in classrooms can result in improved test scores, reduced absenteeism, and reduced illness. https://t.co/kMNVL57DC0
— Dustin Poppendieck (@Poppendieck) April 20, 2022

Judge rules against effort to force release of Loudoun Co. school sex-assault probe

A judge in Loudoun County, Virginia, ruled Tuesday that the school board does not have to release an independent review of how the school system handled two sexual assaults by a high school student last year.

The advocacy group Fight for Schools filed a petition in court last month to force the school system to release the review to the public. The group had argued that, since Superintendent Scott Ziegler in November heralded the probe as an independent investigation and intended it to soothe public anxiety over the incidents, it should be made public...

https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2022/04/judge-rules-against-effort-to-force-release-of-loudoun-co-school-sex-assault-probe/?fbclid=IwAR0d7xuk-FL1FDaw2sfZeYGjbLv-5YaDge4iL9o9F0casznI-7y8BLNvZoM

Opinion: Now’s not the time to dispense with covid-19 precautions

Too many Americans seem to believe the covid-19 pandemic is over — or at least that conditions have improved to such an extent that they can forgo precautions. This is most evident in the knee-jerk response to the court order this week lifting mask mandates in transportation settings, with many transportation agencies and corporations immediately dispensing with their requirements.

This is misguided. In reality, the United States has experienced a concerning rise in cases in recent weeks because of the spread of new omicron subvariants. Failing to take this seriously could put vulnerable Americans at risk...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/20/covid-pandemic-mask-mandate-flights-not-the-time-to-lift-precautions/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=wp_opinions

Ethics panel resigns after report falsely accuses Prince George's school board members

PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (7News) — For much of last year the Prince George’s County School board was crippled by bickering and political infighting. It’s virtual meetings were often interrupted by arguments.

The source of much of the anger, a supposedly confidential school board ethics panel report leaked to politicians and reporters including 7 News.

The report falsely accused certain board members of easily disproven wrongdoing...

https://wjla.com/news/local/ethics-panel-resigns-after-report-falsely-accuses-prince-georges-school-board-members-gregory-morton-marylandmatters-raheela-ahmed?fbclid=IwAR0p2QnYOaM4c6R4DWUkq2dKaBUOdxXidvKP9em1kJ443CDUMW86XHfQk1c

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

In one day .@mcps COVID-19+ cases double, WJHS cases triple, Gaithersburg & BCC HS cases double.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/coronavirus/dashboard/

Note MCPS case counts change, even when the date on the dashboard remains the same. MCPS seems to be using a method of changing case numbers without changing dates. The dashboard should come with a caution that numbers can change without explanation.

Many Parents Express Support for Return of School Resource Officers

The subject of School Resource Officers (SRO) remains a hot topic in Montgomery County.

When MyMCM asked parents on our Facebook page how they would feel if SROs returned into the schools, we received more than 104 comments, many expressing strong support for returning these police officers back into Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/many-parents-express-support-for-return-of-school-resource-officers/

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

18-year-old Wootton High School Junior charged with raping 16-year-old girl near elementary school in Rockville, police say

Montgomery Co. student accused of raping teen girl

Authorities say an 18-year-old Montgomery Co. student has been arrested and charged with rape after they say he attacked a 16-year-old girl in Rockville.

Montgomery Co. student accused of raping teen girl (fox5dc.com)

April 18, 2022 @mcps Reports Jump in Student and Staff COVID-19 + Cases @mocoboe [April 18th was a no school day.]

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/coronavirus/dashboard/

Monday, April 18, 2022

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) event on clean indoor air was held on March 29, 2022

We’re pleased to share that the recording of the event is now available here and the transcript is available here. You can find these links and more information under “Let’s Clear the Air on COVID: An OSTP Discussion on Clean Indoor Air” on OSTP’s past events page.

Friday, April 15, 2022

Police May Return to MCPS Schools, Students at Gaithersburg HS React

Don’t throw away that mask yet — COVID is airborne

Despite the lifting of mandates, I will be wearing my N95 for the foreseeable future, especially in crowded indoor spaces. I hope you will join me.

In November 2021, after a Christmas party in Oslo, Norway, approximately 70 per cent of the 111 interviewed guests were diagnosed with COVID-19. This and many other super-spreader events supported what some scientists had been saying since the start of the pandemic: COVID is airborne.

When an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks or simply breathes, they release saliva droplets of various sizes containing infectious particles. Droplets larger than 100 microns fall down in seconds, typically within a two-meter radius. Another person can then contract the infection either by allowing droplets to land on their mucous membranes or by transferring the virus from their hands to the mucous membranes after touching a contaminated surface. In the first year of the pandemic, the World Health Organization and other public health agencies focused on this sort of large-droplet transmission. Thus, their messaging emphasized sanitizing hands and surfaces, physical distancing, installing Plexiglas, wearing cloth masks and avoiding touching the face.

By mid-2021, however, mounting evidence showed that COVID-19 was primarily spreading through aerosol transmission, which means it can transmit through the air via suspended respiratory fluid droplets smaller than 100 microns. These aerosols are light enough to remain suspended for hours, and can travel more than six feet.

By December 2021, the WHO finally conceded that the COVID-19 virus is airborne. This meant that guidelines based on droplet transmission — such as standing six feet apart and wearing cloth masks — were inadequate infection prevention strategies. In spaces with poor ventilation and minimal air filtration, aerosols build up and persist over time, similar to cigarette smoke. They are then easily inhaled through gaps in face masks...

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/04/10/dont-throw-away-that-mask-yet-covid-is-airborne.html

Brenda Lewis left MCPS for North Dakota position as Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Ed. at salary of $159,000.

...Appointment of Assistant Superintendent of

Elementary Education. Dr. Brenner explained

the interview process and the administration’s

recommendation to appoint Dr. Brenda Lewis as

the assistant superintendent of elementary

education.

It was moved by Carpenter and seconded by

Hassett to appoint Dr. Brenda Lewis as the

Assistant Superintendent of Elementary

Education at a salary of $159,000 effective July 1,

2021. Shabb explained that she could not

support the replacement of this administrative

position in light of the district’s current financial

situation and the recent cut of the Artist in the

Classroom program. Motion carried on roll call

vote as follows: Aye: Carpenter, Douthit, Hassett,

Lunn, Manley, Mikula, Palmiscno, and Flynn. Nay:

Shabb

filedownload.ashx (gfschools.org)

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Sound familiar? Superintendent appears to avoid Project Baltimore questions on school violence [Superintendent & Communications Both former @mcps]

TOWSON, Md. (WBFF) — Project Baltimore, for more than five years, has exposed alarming instances of violence in Baltimore County Public Schools. Reports of out-of-control fighting, repeated bullying and even a student thrown out of a moving school bus, have captured headlines.

Despite all that, the superintendent will not agree to an interview with Project Baltimore concerning student safety, which some believe is the biggest issue in the district...

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/project-baltimore/superintendent-appears-to-avoid-project-baltimore-questions-on-school-violence?fbclid=IwAR0Oc6s5ItkpqPnB-2P6ZyHC6Bm-MsNkmQKzBvCDu_Ej8gcjReCwvZviDkA

MCPS Procurement Manual - Does anyone in @mcps or @mocoboe read this document?

FYI: MCPS Procurement Manual: Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Fairfax Co. high school bans cellphones during class after usage found at ‘all time high’

A high school in Fairfax County, Virginia, is banning cellphone use after school leaders noticed an uptick in students using them during class.

In an email to the Herndon High School community, Principal Liz Noto said that beginning this week, the school will “be implementing a schoolwide policy to stop cellphone and headphone use in all classes.”

The announcement comes after what Noto said is an observation of cellphone use “at an all time high.”..

https://wtop.com/fairfax-county/2022/04/fairfax-co-high-school-bans-cellphones-during-class-after-usage-found-at-all-time-high/?fbclid=IwAR0AcCp0_RWI7JutDl0_v8jmDegyKXxufMZUcWdsuphlPMJfMT8A81lFiFc

Maryland passes bill that bans seclusion in public schools. It takes effect July 1

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (7News) — Sebastian Hancock was just 8 years old and suffering from ADHD when his mother said educators at his Maryland school used seclusion to control his behavior.

"He was secluded four times in the span of two hours and each time he was secluded, his behavior in seclusion escalated," Beth Ann Hancock told 7News.

The practice of restraining special education students or isolating them in a closed room happens in school districts across the country...

https://wjla.com/news/crisis-in-the-classrooms/maryland-bill-legislation-seclusion-special-needs-adhd-schools-governor-larry-hogan-ban-july-1?fbclid=IwAR2hwUSjZiOcDZTLjmL5rIwB2t1arier2_0--8L4uSU66eYoVn9Hhe6s6ZE

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

BOE Member Judy Docca Not Running For Re-Election

The Parents' Coalition has heard that current District 1 Board of Education member Judith Docca will not be running for another term on the Montgomery County Board of Education.

The filing deadline is Friday.

3 candidates have filed to date. The current list of candidates for all Board of Education positions can be found at the Maryland Board of Elections website.

Guest Post: Please Name Gaithersburg Elementary School #8 "Dutch" Kelley Elementary School

March 30, 2022

Good afternoon members of the Board of Education

Thank you for recognizing the needs of the five communities surrounding Kelley Park, by making both Gaithersburg Elementary School as well as Forest Oak Middle School accessible to our children. You listened to us when evaluating the competing border boundaries!

We welcome Dr. Cavena J. Griffeth in her new role as Principal. I look forward to personally meeting with her.

I am writing as a homeowner, and as a Friend of Kelley Park to ask that you consider naming the new school ‘Dutch’ Kelley Elementary School. While I know that the name “Kelley Park Elementary School” is under consideration as well as the names of two minority cultural heroes, I believe that the five neighborhoods surrounding the Park would be better served by naming the school for the local hero that made the park a place for children and families to grow, play and enjoy.

Kelley Park was designed by George R. “Dutch” Kelley, the former civil engineer for the City of Gaithersburg. He did so with two important commitments in mind—maintaining available open space and his reverence of nature. His ultimate goal was ensuring that the residents of our growing city enjoyed the highest possible quality of life while reflecting the needs of the families surrounding the Park. The Park was named for Mr. Kelley after his death in October 1986. People from across the region came to use the ball and soccer fields; volleyball, basketball, and tennis courts; children’s play equipment; as well as enjoy the opportunity to commune with nature and meet new friends.

Dutch Kelley made a measurable impact on the local community. What better way to recognize his contributions than name the school in “his” park “Dutch” Kelley Elementary School? Our children need local heroes who exemplify positive behaviors which benefit the community around them as well as hope. Dutch Kelley gave Gaithersburg residents both.

Please name the school “Dutch” Kelley Elementary School.

Lynn A. Nash

Gaithersburg, MD

Lynn A. Nash, PhD, RN, PHCNS-BC, FAAN

6 Montgomery County Schools on Maryland Outbreak-Associated Cases in Schools for 4/13/22

Previous weekly reports at this link.

Little Flowers School Montgomery 28 4/13/2022

Greenwood Elementary School Montgomery 7 4/13/2022

Bullis School Montgomery 6 4/13/2022

Sligo Creek Elementary Montgomery 6 4/13/2022

Carderock Springs Elementary School Montgomery 5 4/13/2022

William Farquhar Middle School Montgomery 4 4/13/2022

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

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Walgreens COVID-19 Index

https://www.walgreens.com/businesssolutions/covid-19-index.jsp

Philadelphia moves to reinstate indoor mask mandate, first major U.S. city to do so

Philadelphia on Monday announced it will reimpose its indoor mask mandate in an attempt to beat back yet another pandemic surge in hospitalizations and deaths.

It’s the first major U.S. city to bring back a mask requirement as the BA.2 Omicron subvariant fuels a rise in cases in Philadelphia and across the Northeast. The mandate goes into effect on April 18...

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/11/philadelphia-reinstate-indoor-mask-mandate-00024502

Finalist for Fairfax Co. Public Schools superintendent withdraws

https://wtop.com/fairfax-county/2022/04/finalist-for-fairfax-co-public-schools-superintendent-withdraws/?fbclid=IwAR1QERFFz_KUb_d9zvocGBUnmzG0wBLX6gSRRV2oAtTeS_2swr5JiAgzlMc

Monday, April 11, 2022

Are large indoor events safe? It’s impossible to know, making “personal choice” a false one.

The math on events like the D.C. Gridiron dinner is variable and complicated, especially without testing or masks.

...The problem I’m having is that “individual risk tolerance” is doing a lot of work here, work it can't do. In some sense, shrugging off all the complexities might be fine in theory. That is, if anyone had a reasonable idea of what their risks truly are. Unfortunately, they do not...

https://insidemedicine.bulletin.com/are-large-indoor-events-safe-it-s-impossible-to-know-making-personal-choice-a-false-one/

Italian study shows ventilation can cut school COVID cases by 82%

ROME, March 22 (Reuters) - An Italian study published on Tuesday suggests that efficient ventilation systems can reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in schools by more than 80%.

An experiment overseen by the Hume foundation think-tank compared coronavirus contagion in 10,441 classrooms in Italy's central Marche region.

COVID infections were steeply lower in the 316 classrooms that had mechanical ventilation systems, with the reduction in cases more marked according to the strength of the systems...

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italian-study-shows-ventilation-can-cut-school-covid-cases-by-82-2022-03-22/

Friday, April 8, 2022

Clarksburg teen faces assault, handgun charges after school lockdowns

A Montgomery County teenager faces assault and handgun charges after an incident that led to three Maryland schools being placed on lockdown early Wednesday.

Nafees Muhammad, 16, will be tried as an adult, the Montgomery County Police Department said, on claims he pointed a privately-made handgun at another person during a dispute near his Clarksburg home...

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2022/04/clarksburg-teen-faces-assault-handgun-charges-after-school-lockdowns/?fbclid=IwAR2vaywiykx4q_NQPfMp8qeWtD1abpXS8Uu7LjbPwhYJb0d5CKbxVU8aYNg