Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Student-made App Offers Students Way To Voice Concerns

Closed bathrooms are no strange sight to Sherwood students, but rounding the corner at the start of the 2024-25 year, a team of student software developers is making an app to counteract issues like these, enabling students to report school-wide issues across MCPS. Ripple is an app for students to report problems in their individual schools.

The hope for Ripple is to give students a voice and hold MCPS accountable for providing the best schools it can. “I think it could help bridge the communication gap between students and admin, and help improve student experiences by providing data on the small issues that students have,” said new SMOB Praneel Suvarna.

Once opened on either chromebooks or phones, Ripple gives students a map of the county and a list of reports they can make. These reports are customized for each school to better reflect issues that may be specific to each school. The possible reports can include anything from locked bathrooms, missing menstrual products, nonfunctional water fountains, broken infrastructure, and anything else staff members see as an issue.

If a student hypothetically spots a locked bathroom, they may select their MCPS school, click on the “Closed Bathrooms” issue, and then type in the room number nearest to the problem and voilá. Their anonymous report is submitted and may be seen by teachers, staff, and even the principal. The map is also updated to show the issue in that particular school...

Student-made App Offers Students Way To Voice Concerns | The Warrior Online


Saturday, November 9, 2024

WSJ: How ChatGPT Brought Down an Online Education Giant [Chegg]

Chegg’s stock is down 99%, and students looking for homework help are defecting to ChatGPT

Most companies are starting to figure out how artificial intelligence will change the way they do business. Chegg is trying to avoid becoming its first major victim.

The online education company was for many years the go-to source for students who wanted help with their homework, or a potential tool for plagiarism. The shift to virtual learning during the pandemic sent subscriptions and its stock price to record highs.

Then came ChatGPT. Suddenly students had a free alternative to the answers Chegg spent years developing with thousands of contractors in India. Instead of “Chegging” the solution, they began canceling their subscriptions and plugging questions into chatbots.

Full story at:

https://archive.ph/20241109111325/https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/how-chatgpt-brought-down-an-online-education-giant-200b4ff2

Friday, November 8, 2024

MCPS projecting $5 million deficit this fiscal year

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) plans to implement some hiring and spending restrictions and to use leftover funding to address a projected $5 million deficit in the district’s fiscal year 2025 operating budget, Superintendent Thomas Taylor told the school board Thursday. 

“The commitments that I made coming in as your new superintendent was to offer a level of transparency to our financial operations and to make sure that the public was aware of the good, bad and the indifferent,” Taylor said during the board meeting at MCPS headquarters in Rockville. “And this is one of those times where things are not going well.” 

The school district has been facing significant budget constraints after receiving roughly $30 million less than the county school board requested after the County Council allotted S3.3 billion in spending for fiscal year 2025, which began July 1...

https://moco360.media/2024/11/07/mcps-projecting-5-million-deficit/

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Biden-Harris Administration to End Online Junk Fees for Low-Income Families Paying for School Meals


WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2024
 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that students eligible for free and reduced price school meals must not be charged junk fees along with the cost of a meal served through the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program. This policy, effective school year 2027-2028, will lower costs for families with income under 185% of federal poverty guidelines – equal to $57,720 for a family of four – by ensuring they are not burdened by processing fees when purchasing school meals for their children.  Today’s action is a first step. USDA will examine fees charged to families with a goal of eliminating online junk fees for all families regardless of income level to further remove barriers to access healthy meals. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service issued a memo today to schools across the country about this policy. The school year 2027-2028 implementation date gives schools ample time to modify current systems or establish new contracts; however, USDA is encouraging schools to implement this requirement as soon as possible. The memo also reiterated USDA’s longstanding policy that schools must offer all families a free and accessible method for making deposits to school meal accounts – and that schools must ensure families know about this option.  

“USDA and schools across America share the common goal of nourishing schoolchildren and giving them the fuel they need to learn, grown and thrive,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “While today’s action to eliminate extra fees for lower income households is a major step in the right direction, the most equitable path forward is to offer every child access to healthy school meals at no cost. We will continue to work with Congress to move toward that goal so all kids have the nutrition they need to reach their full potential.” 

“Today’s announcement reflects the President and Vice President’s broader efforts to lower food costs and eliminate junk fees,” said National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard. “The Department of Agriculture’s action applies to the 1 million children who receive reduced priced meals and lays the foundation to eliminate these junk fees for all 30 million children that receive healthy meals at school every day.” 

Last year, the Administration committed to bring down costs for Americans by cracking down on junk fees, which are hidden fees that increase costs for customers and bring financial stress on low-income families. And this year, USDA promised to bring relief to families of children who eat school meals, in response to a report from the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau which found that online school meal payments are raising costs for them. 

K-12 schools serve nutritious meals to about 30 million children every school day. While this policy applies to all students eligible for free or reduced lunch, it will most directly benefit the more than 1 million students who received reduced price school meals. By law, students who are eligible for reduced price meals cannot be charged more than $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch. But some families end up paying more than that, by way of processing fees they’re charged when depositing money into their student’s school meals account using an online method. The policy announced today will ensure fairness for all students receiving meals at a reduced price, even when paying online. Schools may choose to use their own funds to cover the processing fees associated with online payment systems.  

The memo also includes best practices schools can use to inform families of the payment methods available that do not add fees.  

Healthy School Meals for All  

Advancing a pathway to free healthy school meals for all is a priority set forth in the Biden-Harris Administration’s White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.   

Eight states have taken permanent actions to provide healthy school meals at no cost to all their students: California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont.   

Meanwhile, in other states, many schools in high-need areas provide free meals to all their students through the Community Eligibility Provision, commonly known as CEP. Last year, USDA gave an estimated 3,000 more school districts the option to serve breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost by expanding the availability of CEP.  

Support for Healthy Kids  

USDA is committed to helping kids lead healthy lives. The Department has taken several actions to bolster programs that provide critical nutrition to infants and children. Specific to the school meal programs, USDA has provided a total of nearly $13.2 billion in extra financial support for schools across the country since 2021.  

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.   

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https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/11/01/biden-harris-administration-end-online-junk-fees-low-income

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

School Board Candidates Backed by Teachers’ Union Sweep in Unofficial Results

Three new faces will grace the Montgomery County Board of Education, according to the unofficial results of Tuesday’s election. The candidates appearing headed for victory were all supported by the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA).

All Apple Ballot candidates appeared headed for victory, according to unofficial returns from the Montgomery County Board of Elections. They are Natalie Zimmerman, Laura Stewart and Rita Montoya...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/school-board-candidates-backed-by-teachers-union-sweep-in-unofficial-results/

Monday, November 4, 2024

Maryland Center for School Safety publishes updated guidelines for active shooter drills

A Maryland law passed earlier this year requires the Maryland Center for School Safety to study the effectiveness and the mental health impacts of active shooter drills and trainings on students and staff.

Kim Buckheit, director of strategic initiatives at the Maryland Center for School Safety, explained that simulated sounds of gunfire or explosions, banging on classroom doors and having individuals posing as assailants or victims are banned under the guidelines for drills carried out during the school day: “All of those types of simulations are not allowed in Maryland.”

That decision comes as a result of legislation that highlighted concerns over the potential for generating trauma on the students and staff exposed to those training strategies...

Maryland Center for School Safety publishes updated guidelines for active shooter drills - WTOP News

Friday, November 1, 2024

Former First Grade Teacher Indicted on Felony Drug Charges

Sarah Katherine Magid, a former first-grade teacher at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), was indicted Thursday on felony drug charges and ordered held without bond.

Magid, 34, of Burtonsville, was arrested in August following the March 23 death of a Washington, D.C. man from fentanyl toxicity. She is not charged in the man’s death.

She is charged with distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, which is a felony, as well as five other drug charges. A scheduling hearing is set for Oct. 18.

Magid was taken into custody without incident following a search of her home by Montgomery County Police and special agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA).

According to a previous police report, Montgomery County police detectives and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration specialists learned that the victim was in Montgomery County “in the days leading up to their death” and that a person identified as Sarah had been in contact with him.

Magid remains on leave from the school district, according to a spokesperson. She is listed in the staff director as unassigned in human resources and development...

Former First Grade Teacher Indicted on Felony Drug Charges - Montgomery Community Media

Natali Fani-González on WAMU: "We need more transparency from MCPS."

 WAMU link Go to minute 46 of the broadcast for Councilmember Natali Fani-Gonzalez's response

to a question about the announcement that MCPS was owed $1.5 million dollars from Highland Electric Fleets

and/or HET MCPS, LLC their electric school bus vendor.

Latest revelation over electric bus contract at Montgomery Co. schools provides a jolt at hearing

Montgomery County, Maryland, school officials were already in the hot seat over the school system’s management of a $160 million contract for a fleet of 326 electric school buses when they shocked members of a county audit committee at a hearing this week.

A July Montgomery County Inspector General’s report found that the school district failed to assess $372,000 in performance fees it could have assessed to its vendor, Highland Electric Fleets, for failures to live up to terms of its contract. Issues cited included the late delivery of buses and periods when buses were inoperable due to charging or other issues.

On Monday, Dana Edwards, chief of district operations for Montgomery County Public Schools, told the members of the county council audit committee that MCPS had “invoiced the contractor” to the tune of $1.5 million.

Montgomery County Inspector General Megan Limarzi didn’t hide her surprise: “I’m only hearing today that the number that has been invoiced is $1.5 million,” and she said an “enormous concern” for her office would be to learn more about the details of the terms. Making sure that the contract is enforced mattered, explained Limarzi, “because the vendor is supposed to make sure MCPS has the buses they need to get the children to school.”..

Latest revelation over electric bus contract at Montgomery Co. schools provides a jolt at hearing - WTOP News

New Maryland education policy aims to address literacy scores, could hold back third-grade students

MARYLAND (DC News Now) — This week, a new Maryland education policy was passed that allows third graders performing poorly in reading to be held back or get additional help.

This policy comes after Maryland went from ranking No. 4 to No. 41 in the country regarding fourth-grade literacy scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment.

“It’s important, it’s extremely important that we help build a society where we help our students become quality [students] and ready to perform in the 21st century.”..

New Maryland education policy aims to address literacy scores, could hold back third-grade students | DC News Now