Silence from the MCPS/Montgomery County Board of Education COVID-19 Advisory Team as Montgomery County Public Schools are in another COVID-19 surge. No advice, no guidance, no updates, no information whatsoever from this super secret advisory team.
But one member of the team took to Twitter to Tweet advice:
Establish a COVID-19 operations advisory committee
The committee will comprise MCPS staff and students, representatives from the employee associations, MCCPTA and community organizations. We will request a DHHS representative to also serve on the committee. Committee feedback will help guide the district’s work in responding to COVID-19 throughout the year.
But what happened to the COVID-19 Operations Advisory Committee? First, they were renamed the Team instead of Committee to allow for the cool acronym of COAT.
COAT began meeting on Thursdays with the first meeting on October 7, 2021.
Then what happened? Nothing.
COAT has never issued any reports, they have never presented to the Board of Education, they have never been heard from ever. Further, Board of Education President Brenda Wolff disavowed interest in COAT.
What we now know is that as soon as COAT began meeting attendees were told that meetings were CONFIDENTIAL.
Apparently the COVID-19 Pandemic is a secret that MCPS administrators and the Board of Education think can be hidden from teachers, staff, students and parents.
The Parents' Coalition has obtained the list of COAT members. 50 members are adults and 6 are students.
27 members of COAT are MCPS employees
10 members are from groups outside MCPS, but with MCPS connections (MCCPTA/PTA etc...)
8 members are from Montgomery County Government
5 members are labeled as medical related
6 members are students - student names are not listed
Meet the Team that isn't telling you what they are doing or recommending during the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Lisa Adkins MCPS
Nicole Allain MCPS
Aggie Alvez MCPS
Kea Anderson
Olivia Bailey MCPS
Gary Bartee MCPS
James Bridgers
Nicole Brown
Anita Chan MCPS
Kate Chance
Wylea Chase
Sonya Chawla Medical - internal medicine
Chris Cram MCPS
Jimmy D'Andrea MCPS
Val DaSilva MCPS
Jeanie Dawson MCPS
Ashwin Dharmadhikari
Robbie Dodd MCPS
Heather Dublinske MCPS
Dana Edwards MCPS
Shawn Ellis
Jane Ennis MCPS
Linda Ferrell MCPS
Joanie Glick
Nina Hagan MCPS
Darlene Harris MCPS
Christi Hay Medical - Pediatrics
Mark Hodge
Stephanie Iszard MCPS
Henrietta Jenkins MCPS
Byron Johns
John Landesman MCPS
Jenny Lazo
Michael Lewis MCPS
Sean O’Donnell
Jackie Quan
Dourakine Rosarion
Claire Rosche Matzzie
Oriole Saah MCPS
Mariana Serrani
Stephanie Sheron MCPS
Cynthia Simonson
Jeff Sullivan MCPS
Crystal Townsend Medical - Healthcare
Melanie Travers MCPS
Prabha Viswanathan Reddy Medical - Pediatrics
Diane Vu
Travis Wiebe MCPS
Kathleen Williams Medical - Healthy Communities
Julie Yang MCPS
The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD has obtained the dates for MCPS Superintendent Monifa McKnight's COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team meetings.
But what does this Team do? They don't take minutes, so are these meetings just a social gathering?
Who is on the Team? Do any parents or community members ever hear from the Team members? Do they put out any reports or recommendations with regard to COVID-19 in schools?
COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team Meetings
Thursdays, 4:15-5:45 p.m
October 7, 2021
October 14, 2021
October 21, 2021
October 28, 2021
November 4, 2021
November 11, 2021 CANCELED
November 18, 2021
November 25, 2021 No Meeting - HOLIDAY
December 2, 2021 CANCELED
December 9, 2021
December 16, 2021
December 23, 2021 No Meeting - Winter Break
December 30, 2021 No Meeting - Winter Break
January 6, 2022
January 13, 2022
January 20, 2022
January 27, 2022
February 3, 2022
February 10, 2022
February 17, 2022
February 24, 2022
March 3, 2022
March 10, 2022
March 17, 2022
March 24, 2022
March 31, 2022
April 7, 2022
April 14, 2022
April 21, 2022
April 28, 2022
May 5, 2022
Prince George’s County Schools CEO Monica Goldson announced Wednesday that the school system will require students to get tested for COVID and upload their results online before they return from spring break on Tuesday, April 19. All students were set to receive at-home test kits by Friday, Goldson said in a letter to parents.
Neighboring Montgomery County is asking that parents get their children tested, but it's not required...
