ACLU Slams Montgomery County Schools For Refusing to Discuss How to Stop Pledge of Allegiance Harassment

Now here's a shock. The ACLU got a dismissive response from the lawyer for MCPS.  Well, ACLU, join the club.  The BOE pays top dollar for outside counsel to write those dismissive responses that get the BOE in more trouble than when the issue started.  

DAMASCUS, Md. – Troubled by a dismissive response from the lawyer for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to the ACLU’s April 9, 2013 letter concerning a pattern of harassment experienced by MCPS students who decline to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance (Pledge), the ACLU renewed its call for a meaningful dialogue with the school system to discuss how to ensure that students’ First Amendment rights are honored by teachers and administrators. The letter sent today to the Superintendent follows up on the call for a meeting prompted by the latest such incident, brought to MCPS’s attention last month, which involved intimidation and harassment directed at a Damascus High 10th grader who declined to participate in the Pledge as a way of expressing her opposition to U.S. government policies concerning Puerto Rico, where her family is from...

...On behalf of the school system, attorney Judith Bresler asserts that school officials did nothing wrong in confronting Ms. Siurano-Rodriguez, denies that there is any systemic problem, and has refused to respond to our request for a meeting with MCPS staff to discuss our larger concerns, or to detail what steps have been or will be taken to meaningfully address the repeated complaints...

 http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/aclu-slams-montgomery-county-schools-refusing-discuss-how-stop-pledge-allegiance

NYT: The Michael Moore of the Grade-School Lunchroom

...Like many things in the life of a fourth grader, Zachary’s movie started as a dispute with his parents. He told them that he wanted to start packing his own lunch, but they were skeptical. Lunch is free at his school, P.S. 130 Hernando De Soto in Little Italy, and his parents liked the look of the Department of Education’s online menus, which describe delicious meals, full of whole grains and fresh vegetables, some even designed by celebrity chefs...

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-michael-moore-of-the-grade-school-lunchroom/?smid=fb-share

Pearson agrees $75 million settlement in U.S. e-books case

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-pearson-ebookbre94l0kh-20130522,0,1068164.story

Cell Tower Compound Built Where School Needs to Go

Parents fear overcrowding at Gaithersburg elementary schools

School district data show several over capacity

A coalition of Gaithersburg parents is pushing for the construction of a new elementary school to relieve overcrowding at four Montgomery County public schools. 

Cory Siansky, a city resident with two children at Gaithersburg Elementary School, said overcrowding is affecting the school’s students. 

“They’re over capacity in every measurable way,” he said. “What we’re seeing now is that the core functions of the school are strained.”
Siansky said long lines to buy lunch at Gaithersburg Elementary School are consuming the scheduled lunch period, keeping students from having enough time to eat. Multiple classes use the school gym simultaneously, he said, and an additional kindergarten class will be added in the fall...

Siansky testified at a Montgomery County Public Schools board meeting on April 23 that four overpopulated schools — Gaithersburg, Strawberry Knoll, Flower Hill and Judith Resnik Elementary schools — would benefit from the construction of a fifth school on a piece of land owned by Montgomery County Public Schools. The space, known to the school district as the Woodwards Road site, is located near 8700 Emory Grove Road, outside the boundaries of the City of Gaithersburg.

 http://www.gazette.net/article/20130522/NEWS/130529732/1022/parents-fear-overcrowding-at-gaithersburg-elementary-schools&template=gazette

Gazette: Montgomery’s first charter school operates under the school board’s radar

Contract requirements not yet met, board has yet to be updated

Community Montessori Charter School faced an initial rejection and then much scrutiny from Montgomery County school board members two years ago when applying to be the first public charter school in the county. 

Yet in its first school year, the school has had little oversight by school board members. It lacks a certified principal. And the building does not meet all federal and local building and health codes...

 http://www.gazette.net/article/20130522/NEWS/130529725/1124/montgomery-x2019-s-first-charter-school-operates-under-the-school&template=gazette

Soon to be a movie..."The Unions in Montgomery County Public Schools"

Find out what goes on behind closed doors in Montgomery County Public Schools.  Remember, union negotiations with MCPS are held in secret budget meetings, not at the BOE table under the Maryland Open Meetings Act.  But, Harvard has the inside story.  Don't miss the stunning conclusion.

The case, “The Unions in Montgomery County Public Schools,” recounts one large, urban-suburban district’s successful efforts to partner with its three labor unions in order to increase student learning. This case follows the evolution of district-union relations as the parties representing each of the three employee groups negotiated contracts. It recounts a bitter fight about the education budget, which pitted the district and its unions against the county government. The case can be used with current and aspiring school, district, and union leaders.

http://hepg.org/hep/case/85/TheUnionsInMontgomeryCountyPublicSchools

Serious Pedestrian Collision in Rockville Involved a School Bus

http://www.mymcpnews.com/2013/05/21/serious-pedestrian-collision-in-rockville-involved-a-school-bus/

WBAL: Board of Ed. approves new concussion regulations | Education Alert - WBAL Home

Board of Ed. approves new concussion regulations | Education Alert - WBAL Home

Fox 5: Math exam failure rates

Math exam failure rates: A high percentage of high school students in Montgomery County are failing their math final exams. Dr. Joshua Starr, Superintendent of Montgomery County schools, joined us with more.

DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Piney Orchard cell tower plan on hold - : News

Piney Orchard cell tower plan on hold - : News

The Daily Record: Parents fight plans for disguised wireless tower at elementary school

More than 100 parents and other community residents are fighting plans for a wireless tower to be constructed on the grounds of a public elementary school, one of the first to stem from a master agreement signed last year by the Anne Arundel County Board of Education...

http://thedailyrecord.com/2013/05/20/parents-fight-plans-for-disguised-99-foot-pole-at-elementary-school/

Breaking News: State BOE Unanimously Adopts Concussion Regulations

...Thomas Hearn, the parent of a Montgomery County football player who sustained a concussion and has lobbied the state board to strengthen its regulations, called the new regulations "a positive step forward."
Hearn said that while he doesn't believe Montgomery County is as receptive to sports safety measures, he was happy the state took action.
"That puts them on a collision course with the state board of education, so we'll see," Hearn said. "But definitely a step forward."
Board members agreed and urged the state to now begin looking at preventive measures...

 The Baltimore Sun:  http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/822/article/p2p-76005736/

The Washington Post:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-board-adopts-regulations-to-better-protect-student-athletes-from-concussions/2013/05/21/6677ad16-c258-11e2-914f-a7aba60512a7_story.html

Doug Duncan's "no brainer" Cell Tower Deal is Opposed by Parents and Neighbors

We have previously reported that former Montgomery County Executive and current candidate for re-election Doug Duncan was promoting what he called a "no brainer" deal for placing cell tower compounds on public school playgrounds.    The company that Mr. Duncan was promoting was Virginia based Milestone Communications.  

Anne Arundel County's Board of Education signed the "no brainer" deal with Milestone Communications last year, and last night the first elementary school in the County to be slated for a 2-3 cell tower compound on its playground responded to the "deal".  

Odenton-Severn Patch: Residents Speak Out Against Cell Phone Tower 

About 100 people gather at the library, largely in opposition to the plan to put a tower on the grounds of Piney Orchard Elementary School 

Many residents of Piney Orchard said they opposed a plan to place a wireless communications tower at the community's elementary school, raising concerns about property values and health.
About 100 packed into a room at the West County Area Library on Monday evening and heard from officials from Milestone Communications and Verizon, who have proposed building a 99-foot monopole behind the school...

 http://odenton.patch.com/articles/residents-speak-out-against-cell-phone-tower

Starr's MCBRE Blocks Parents' Coalition from Twitter Feed

When the Parents' Coalition Twitter Account tries to Follow MCBRE's Twitter feed, this is the message we get. We have been blocked.

 How much MCPS Operating Budget funding is going to MCBRE? Anyone know?

The Washington Post: Montgomery considers multiple factors in math exam failure rates

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/montgomery-considers-multiple-factors-in-math-exam-failure-rates/2013/05/19/3a8af27a-be4e-11e2-9b09-1638acc3942e_story.html

"Child loves math, but way teacher teaches doesn't apply to him."

Transcript:

"Thank you Dr Starr, I'm the parent of a high school student in Montgomery Public Schools. 

The way teachers teach and educate our students is very closely related and I think this is very important.

My child loves math but the way the teacher teaches does not apply to him so he is having a very hard time.


But my child is very shy so he couldn't stand up and ask for help or ask for any other support.


I'm Oriental / Korean and our culture is very... if we ask those kinds of questions to teh teacher, to our culture this is very rude.

He is very shy so he couldn't even ask the counselors.

So he had a really hard time and he struggled for the whole semester.

I understand a student has idea to change the class but if there is any way that we can get (students and parents) can get written notification regarding class changes or a drop of the class, any kind of information regarding class that would be really appreciated since as a parent I didn't get any idea and I didn't know what to do and how can I help my child?

Thank you, Starr."

WTOP: Montgomery Co. math failure rates spark outrage, plans

http://www.wtop.com/52/3329101/Montgomery-Co-math-failure-rates-spark-outrage-plans

Anne Arundel Residents: Tell Verizon Wireless - We don't want a cell phone tower at Elementary School

Verizon Wireless has proposed to erect a 99 foot tall cell phone tower on Piney Orchard Elementary School property. Many parents whose children attend the elementary school, as well as many residents who live in the surrounding neighborhoods are strongly opposed to installing a cell phone tower in this location...

http://www.change.org/petitions/piney-orchard-residents-tell-verizon-wireless-we-don-t-want-a-cell-phone-tower-at-piney-orchard-elementary-school....

Breaking News! Math Exam Failures have gotten worse over 5 years

  Five Year History District Wide by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Breaking News! Math Exam Grade Data by Race and Special Ed and English as Second Language

  Semester 1 Final Exam and Course by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland