Other students who witnessed the shooting didn’t alert school officials or call 911, Jones said.

The Montgomery County teenager charged with critically wounding a classmate with an untraceable ghost gun told authorities he purchased the components online and a friend helped him assemble the weapon, a prosecutor said in court Monday.

“Three different parts were literally delivered to his home,” Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones added at a news conference after the hearing.

The details of the Friday shooting that put Magruder High School in lockdown emerged as Steven Alston Jr., 17, was ordered held without bond pending trial.

The 15-year-old victim “is currently fighting for his life" at a local hospital, said Carlotta Woodward,a prosecutor in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/01/24/magruder-shooting-teen-jailed/

Twitter Handles for Montgomery County Board of Education Members @mocoboe @mcps

 

All but one Montgomery County Board of Education member is on Twitter.

Parents/Guardians/Staff/Students you can Tweet to your elected Board of Education 

@mocoboe members. Here you go:  

@brendawolff1

@KarlaSilves_BOE

@Lynne4Students

@ShebraEvans

@ScottJoftus

@RebeccaOnBoard

@hanaolooney

Two families in @MCPS @mocoboe allege their children were extensively exposed to pornography as they used their school-issued laptops amid the pandemic

...The families are unacquainted and live in different areas of the sprawling county...

 ...The younger child, 9 years old, accessed hundreds of pornographic sites through Twitter, which his parents discovered Nov. 11 in the Web browser history of his school account, according to the five-page letter of complaint filed on the families’ behalf by attorney Timothy F. Maloney...

...The older student, age 11, used the search engine Ecosia to get to sites with pornographic images, according to the letter. His parents said that he accessed the materials for more than six weeks and that at least one website asked for his name and other personal details. They discovered the problem last week when they examined his browser history...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/complaint-alleges-children-discovered-pornography-while-browsing-on-school-issued-laptops/2020/11/24/8e9c7cac-2dc8-11eb-860d-f7999599cbc2_story.html

Delegate Eric Luedtke blocks on Twitter, but "Legislator files open meetings complaint against Maryland State Board of Education for private vote on superintendent raise"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legislator files open meetings complaint against Maryland State Board of Education for private vote on superintendent raise

A state delegate says the Maryland State Board of Education violated open meetings law when it failed to give the public notice that it was meeting in private in June to vote on the superintendent’s contract and pay raise, according to a complaint filed by the lawmaker.

Del. Eric Luedtke, a Democrat representing Montgomery County, has filed a complaint with the state board that oversees Open Meetings Act compliance, saying the board has repeatedly violated the act by failing to tell the public the subject of closed door meetings.

He particularly focused on the awarding of a new contract to Karen Salmon, who had held the job for four years, and recently got another one year contract that pays her $275,000, a $40,000 or 17 percent raise.

“The board’s handling of this situation was entirely inappropriate,” Luedtke said. “Leave aside how grotesque it is to increase the salary of the superintendent when Marylanders are losing their homes and school systems are in hiring freezes, it’s clear that all of these discussions were intentionally hidden from the public.”..

https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-maryland-school-board-complaint-20200824-yyo3q7trafgmnjf2qfx6xwgfoi-story.html

“I think we’re better off when we can all sort of listen to each other,” he said. But Del. Luedtke Blocks on Twitter and Facebook. @EricLuedtke

October 14, 2019

“Two careers that I love”: This UMD professor teaches public policy and creates it

When Eric Luedtke graduated in 2002 from the University of Maryland after studying government and politics and history, he didn’t know what he wanted to do.

He first got a job running a county council race, and eventually returned to Maryland for his masters in education. From there, he taught social studies in Montgomery County Public Schools for a while. And he said it was at this job that he was sucked into another world altogether: the world of policy.

Today, Luedtke goes from the corridors of Tawes Hall to the chambers of the Maryland House of Delegates — splitting his time between teaching public policy and creating it.

In the fall, Luedtke teaches classes with an average of about 35 students, but in the spring, he represents more than 120,000 constituents stretching from Olney to Damascus as a representative for District 14 in the Maryland General Assembly, a position he’s held since 2011.

“I happen to have found two careers that I love,” Luedtke said. “When it’s the spring and I’m fully in session and I don’t normally teach, I miss teaching. When it’s the fall and I’m teaching, I miss session.”..

https://dbknews.com/2019/09/13/umd-public-policy-state-house-of-delegates-speaker-majority-leader/

Appeals court rules Trump can't block people on Twitter

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that President Trump cannot block Twitter users from his official account, finding that the practice is discriminatory.

The ruling upholds a lower court ruling that also found Trump cannot block the Twitter users.

The president uses his Twitter account to make announcements, from personnel changes within his administration to the implementation of new policies.

The judges wrote "that the First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise-open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees."

The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University had brought forward the lawsuit on behalf of seven people who had been blocked by Trump on Twitter.

The judges wrote in the opinion that Trump’s Twitter account shows “all the trappings of an official, state‐run account,” and that Trump and his aides have described his tweets as “official statements.”

And they noted that the National Archives, “the agency of government responsible for maintaining the government’s records, has concluded that the President’s tweets are official records.”

The judges sided with the blocked Twitter users, who argued that the other options for viewing Trump’s tweets are too burdensome. And they noted that the individuals were blocked after they posted tweets critical of the president...

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/452160-appeals-court-rules-trump-cant-block-people-on-twitter?fbclid=IwAR0csE4tf_cG_hiTUI7nYMbrl3ZbcZAtvwceM4fUhhaf7Q3_HVZGh7HS91Q

Why Social Media is Not Smart for Middle School Kids

...2. Social media is an entertainment technology. It does not make your child smarter or more prepared for real life or a future job; nor is it necessary for healthy social development. It is pure entertainment attached to a marketing platform extracting bits and pieces of personal information and preferences from your child every time they use it, not to mention hours of their time and attention...

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201703/why-social-media-is-not-smart-middle-school-kids#_=_

Pediatricians may start asking parents what they're posting on social media

SEATTLE - The next time your child has a check-up, the pediatrician might have some new questions for you. Don't be surprised if the doctor wants to know what you're posting on Facebook.
The journal Pediatrics just published a commentary offering guidelines for pediatricians to talk to parents about social media...

http://wjla.com/news/nation-world/pediatricians-may-start-asking-parents-what-theyre-posting-on-social-media?utm_content=buffer318d6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Baltimore County teacher faces discipline over social media post

A teacher at Deer Park Elementary School in Baltimore County faces disciplinary action after she posted a picture of herself with a class of students on school grounds and described them using an expletive, a county schools spokesman said Tuesday...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-co-teacher-instagram-20161004-story.html

Chevy Chase Elementary School principal calls for stop to cyberbullying

https://wjla.com/embed/news/local/md-elementary-school-principal-calls-for-stop-to-cyberbullying

*Former Superintendent Joshua Starr put elementary school students on Twitter.  Now, parents are being told to keep their elementary school students off of Twitter.

Students Call out Principal for Possible Violation of Code of Conduct #bcc

See Page 7:
http://tattlerextra.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/OCTOBER-EDITION-final-2.pdf

MCPS Parent on Movies During Classtime @joshuapstarr

From the Official MCPS Twitter Feed

An announcement that MCPS has finally updated their Child Abuse Policy after 26 years?
No.
From 12:57 AM December 7th we learn that the person running the MCPS Official Twitter feed just scored 1,206 on a game.

The BOE is at the Beach! #lobster #surfandturf #expenseaccount

From Board of Education member Christopher Barclay's Twitter feed confirmation that Montgomery County
Board of Education members and staff are in Ocean City this week at the annual BOE party.  This event was
the reason for the lobster and steak dinners revealed in the BOE credit card records.

Why a leading professor of new media just banned technology use in class

...This problem is especially acute with social media, because on top of the general incentive for any service to be verbose about its value, social information is immediately and emotionally engaging. Both the form and the content of a Facebook update are almost irresistibly distracting, especially compared with the hard slog of coursework. (“Your former lover tagged a photo you are in” vs. “The Crimean War was the first conflict significantly affected by use of the telegraph.” Spot the difference?)
Worse, the designers of operating systems have every incentive to be arms dealers to the social media firms. Beeps and pings and pop-ups and icons, contemporary interfaces provide an extraordinary array of attention-getting devices, emphasis on “getting.” Humans are incapable of ignoring surprising new information in our visual field, an effect that is strongest when the visual cue is slightly above and beside the area we’re focusing on. (Does that sound like the upper-right corner of a screen near you?)...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/25/why-a-leading-professor-of-new-media-just-banned-technology-use-in-class/?tid=sm_fb

School Discipline - Hot Off the Presses from our friends at the Ed Department

The US Department of Education just (really) announced its new initiative to address racial disparities in discipline proceedings.


Here is the press release - read the documents and see what is happening elsewhere and what Arnie and friends think will help fix the problem.


http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-departments-education-and-justice-release-school-discipline-guidance-package-


I love the following quote from Eric Holder - our Attorney General.

"A routine school disciplinary infraction should land a student in the principal’s office, not in a police precinct," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "This guidance will promote fair and effective disciplinary practices that will make schools safe, supportive and inclusive for all students. By ensuring federal civil rights protections, offering alternatives to exclusionary discipline and providing useful information to school resource officers, we can keep America’s young people safe and on the right path."

So - how would Mr. Holder view the latest Twitter escapades in MoCo?


Big question - will it work?  What do the feds know that we don't know out in the trenches?

Bigger question - now that Arne and friends have said publicly that they won't back Josh for a new job in NYC, will that impact Montgomery County's implementation of the initiative?  Will our kids now be pawns in the Josh "I want a new job" quest?

To view the resource documents, visit www.ed.gov/school-discipline. State Education Agencies, Local Education Agencies and schools may also request a copy of the package by calling Education Publications at (877) 433-7827.

Starr puts kids ON Twitter, now wants Parents to get them OFF

http://aasa.org/content.aspx?id=30556

Superintendent Joshua Starr has pushed the use of Twitter by MCPS staff, students and community since he arrived in MCPS.  

Twitter has even been introduced to the MCPS elementary school curriculum.  Images of Tweets by students have gone out on Twitter and elementary students are now using Twitter to chronicle their school day.  

Here's a blog describing how one MCPS elementary school uses Twitter.

http://www.dacha.com/?p=1750

CV: I’m looking forward to making use of our class Twitter account. The 5th grade team has made it a job in our classrooms for kids to create tweets throughout the day... 

Yet, in Superintendent Starr's recent letter on Twitter usage he states:

"Also, remember, if your child is under 13, do not allow them to use social media—they aren’t ready for it and it is a violation of the user agreements or guidelines for nearly all major social media sites. If your child is 13 or older, please consider whether they are ready to use social media."

We are pretty sure that the vast majority of elementary school students are, in fact, under 13. 

How does Superintendent Starr reconcile what he is permitting in MCPS classrooms with what he is telling parents?

Twittering Sup Just Doesn't Get it

This weekend's twitter advice from Josh?  Only happy posts, please.  Post all you want, just be sure a happy face comes with the post.

More of the same old MCPS mantra - good news only.  Even if its not from our school system.

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2. Joshua Starr ‏@mcpssuper14 Dec

   High School Football Captain Fights Cyberbullying With A Super Nice Twitter Account http://huff.to/RXjR0o  via @HPGoodNews. #cyberccivility

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Joshua Starr and Leading by Example

Clearly, our Montgomery County Superintendent of Schools, Joshua Starr, follows the leadership model of extraordinary contradictions. 

His latest?  Josh has been cyberbullied about his decision whether to close schools earlier this week. 

He READ all the tweets, some were cute, some were offensive, and some - well, he may have referred them because they appeared to be threatening to him personally and his family.  According to News 4, MCPS staff tracked down all the tweets, referred them to the schools and perhaps law enforcement officials.  And he sent out a letter to the families of all 150,000 plus MPCS students.

You can read for yourself in the NBC4 story, with video.

The Superintendent's Letter is here

Remember, this is from the Superintendent of Twitter.  Josh is known for his twittering habits, and frequently twitters from Board Meetings and on his travels.    At the end of his letter, he encourages people to contact him on his (gasp) twitter account (@mcpssuper).

This mom of the MCPS educated and tech savvy generation has some advice to Josh.

1.  Lead by example.  Stop encouraging folks to contact you by twitter.  You can't control the message but you can control how you communicate.  Twitter unfortunately, has become your preferred mode of communication.  Do the taxpayers of MoCo get information about your travels from other media?  Nope, not from the BOE, from public disclosures of your travels, or any type of report of what occurred when you meet with folks, both in MoCo and outside of Maryland.  Can we get some information about common core and math standards? Many of us feel like cybersleuths trying to track down how you spend our money.  

2.  Turn off your device.  Do not use it in meetings, especially MoCo Board of Education meetings and other meetings with county officials.  This is simply rude, and shows you are not paying attention. 

3.  Be realistic about kids using technology.   Yes, parents and teachers will have discussions about the proper use of technology, but saying that younger kids will not use twitter just because their parents don't allow it in their homes is unrealistic.  I bet your kids know more about tech than you do, I know my children did when they were very young.  Asking parents to know their kids passwords and keep the computer in a public place in the home doesn't insure that everything will be parent approved and safe.  Parents need to work continuously to instill their values in their children - and these values may not always be yours.  Banning something at home doesn't mean that they won't see it elsewhere - at school or at friends homes.  Some elementary schools and teachers use twitter as a classroom add on.  Really? 

4.  Be the grownup here.  Did you really feel threatened by these kids with twitter messages?  We have bigger problems in MoCo, and need better solutions.  How many teachers in the past few weeks have been subject to charges of molesting minors?  What about Rock Terrace and the theft of moneys from special ed kids?  Those are real problems in need of real solutions. 

and finally.

5.  Use taxpayer resources wisely.  I admit that I sometimes look at twitter, but I don't post or tweet and generally find this particular tool of social media not worth my time.  Is this worth your time personally and professionally?  How much time and money do you spend on Twitter and social media?  How much time and money did you spend on your "investigation" of this one cyberbullying episode?  How much is the task force going to cost?  Is this worthwhile?  Do you think this solved the problem?

MCEA Secretary Blocks Parents' Coalition