Deny Students a Free Public Education, Then Form Coalition to "Study" #hypocrites #mocoboe #mcpssuper

Merriam-Webster

Let's just start with #hypocrites on this one. 

The exact same people who are responsible for denying Montgomery County students a free public education are now forming a coalition to "study" the problem of an "unmistakable shortage of skilled workers."  As the Parents' Coalition has been investigating and publicizing since 2008, Montgomery County Public Schools and the Board of Education permit schools to charge random fees to students for attending public school classes.

As we have also documented repeatedly, the Maryland Constitution guarantees ALL children a free, public education.  Fees to attend public school classes violate that right and are not permitted in Maryland. 

In our 6 years of investigations of this issue, the most horrendous illegal curricular fees have always been found at Edison High School in Silver Spring, MCPS' only career and technical high school.  Enrollment at Edison High School has dropped year after year and parents have told the Parents' Coalition that they will not even consider the sending their child to Edison because of the class fees.  

Today, a new group is being announced to start an 18 month "study" of the "unmistakable shortage of skilled workers" in Montgomery County.  Included on the Press Release for this new group is Superintendent Joshua Starr, BOE member Shirley Brandman, former MCPS employee Steve Simon, and former MCCPTA Cluster Coordinator Gigi Godwin. 

Note that the Press Release from this group is from Steve Simon, former MCPS public relations employee who back in 2010 said:

MCPS' Steve Simon: "We absolutely are in conformance with state law. We are adamant that we are providing a free public education."

MCPS was not providing all students a free public education back in 2010 and they are still not today. The worst fees were, and still are, found at Edison High School.

Take a look at the Edison High School fees that the Parents' Coaliton exposed in 2008. Edison High School students were being charged curricular fees in 2008 and they are still being charged them today.

Do these fees look like students at Edison High School have been receiving a free public education?  
Do we need to state the obvious?  
If you block students from attending classes by imposing illegal fees is there any surprise that there is now a shortage of skilled workers?

2008-2009 Edison High School curricular fees.

NBC4: Delegate Considering Legislation to Prohibit BOE Credit Cards

UPDATE: Members of the Maryland state legislature are urging the Prince George’s County School District to overhaul the rules for how board members use their taxpayer-funded credit cards, in the wake of an investigation by the News4 I-Team.

Del. Alonzo Washington (D-Hyattsville) said he’ll consider introducing legislation in January to prohibit the district from issuing credit cards to its board members. Washington said the use of those taxpayer-funded credit cards for meals and local hotels, detailed in the I-Team report, is a concern for his constituents. Washington said,

“They want us to do something about it,” Washington said
Washington said he’ll await the completion of an internal audit review of board credit card policy by the district before deciding whether to formally introduce the legislation.

“I’d want to see significant changes,” he said.

Del. Barbara Frush (D-Beltsville) said the district should consider cutting up the credit cards on its own.

“It’s a huge mistake for them to use the cards so freely for meals,” Frush said. “I’m clearly concerned when public money is used for private purposes.”

 http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Prince-Georges-County-School-Board-Members-Spend-Thousands-on-Meals-at-Taxpayers-Expense-278584441.html

WPost: Montgomery to test using public buses for private schools, aiming to reduce traffic

Montgomery County officials are exploring the feasibility of using public school buses to serve private and parochial institutions to reduce traffic congestion in the morning and afternoon rush hours.
County officials disclosed Wednesday that they have asked both religious and non-sectarian schools to participate in a pilot program to test the idea. Four religious schools have agreed so far: St. Jude Regional Catholic School and Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, and St. Francis International School and the Torah School of Greater Washington in Silver Spring.
The county’s transportation department will bill the schools for 22 percent of the cost for buses and driver time — the same proportion that Montgomery Ride On passengers pay in fares for operation of the bus system, officials said. The pilot program is expected to cost between $400,000 and $600,000 in county funds, and a full program would probably cost far more.
County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said he authorized the venture after hearing from educators and parents about traffic tie-ups on the daily drives to and from school. Getting some of the county’s 30,000 non-public school students out of cars and onto buses could relieve some of that congestion.
“We have all these kids on the road,” Leggett said. “It’s something that begs for attention.”...

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/montgomery-to-test-using-public-buses-for-private-schools-aiming-to-reduce-traffic/2014/10/08/40048c74-4e77-11e4-8c24-487e92bc997b_story.html?wprss=rss_local

MD SAT scores plummet as test takers increase

SAT scores plummet as test takers increase

Mon. Oct. 13th: Time and Location Changed on BOE Off Camera Mtg

UPDATE: TIME AND LOCATION CHANGED! 
 
The Monday, October 13, 2014, Board of Education Off Camera meeting is now at the Board of Education main office and the time is now 1 PM.  

Parents and media that wish to attend this off camera meeting may want to call ahead to check on the time and location. 

• Work Session on Board's Self Evaluation-Location changed to CESC, Room 127 

For those that aren't "in the know" the CESC abbreviation on the Board of Education website refers to Carver Educational Services Center located at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville, MD. 

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

The Montgomery County Board of Education will be hiding again on October 13, 2014.  They don't want the public to observe their discussions so they will meet in a room without a camera. 

What will they discuss? Their self-evaluation! 

NOTE:  TIME AND LOCATION ARE INCORRECT ON THE AGENDA:

 

   2014 Oct. 13 Board of Education Agenda - Off Camera Meeting by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Official MCPS App for Android can track location and identity of users

A couple of weeks ago, MCPS announced availability of an app for Android and Apple devices.

What MCPS didn't mention is that the MCPS Android App is capable of tracking the precise locations of users of the app.

In addition, the official MCPS App peeks into your Android phone's (or tablet's) identity database.   This means that when you install and run the official MCPS App, MCPS can record exactly who you are and where you are.  But as an enduser, you can't even find out what the MCPS App knows about you.

But wait -- that's not all.   The official MCPS App is also capable of accessing the microphone and camera in your Android phone (or tablet).  Any time that the official MCPS App is running, MCPS can turn on your phone's (or tablet's) camera and microphone to record what your phone or tablet is seeing and hearing.

There are legitimate reasons that some apps track the precise location of users, query the identity database, or access the camera.  For example, mapping apps use location tracking to display the user's location on the map. Video apps use the camera and microphone to make videos.   The MCPS App, however, does not have mapping or video functions that are accessible to the user.   Any location information, photos or audio that the app collects is accessible to MCPS, but not to the owner of the phone or tablet on which the app is installed.

Why does the MCPS App track the locations of users?   What does the MCPS App do with the location information that it collects?  Why does the MCPS App have access privileges to the camera and microphone in Android phones and tablets?   We don't know.

In contrast, the MCPS Connect App from the Parents' Coalition does not track user locations, does not query the identity database, and does not access the camera or microphone.  Users of the MCPS Connect App from the Parents' Coalition are anonymous.  (The MCPS Connect App does link to the phone dialer to allow parents to call MCPS transportation services, and the phone uses the microphone but the MCPS Connect App itself does not have access to the microphone.)

The official MCPS App uses 11 MB of storage on your Android device.  Why would such a seemingly innocuous app have 11 MB of program code?  In contrast, the Parents' Coalition's MCPS Connect App consists of just 1.5 MB of program code.

You can find out exactly which privileged functions any app uses by clicking on the "View Details" link under "Permissions" for the app in play.google.com.  The list is automatically generated by the Google developers site through detailed inspection of each app's code when it is placed in the Google play store.  Check out the permissions for the official MCPS App and for the Parents' Coalition's MCPS Connect App and decide for yourself which app is safer to use.


Note:  The Parents' Coalition has not analyzed the Apple version of the MCPS app, so we don't know its under-the-covers capabilities at this time.

Breaking News: Deal Requires 60 Cell Towers on PG Public School Playgrounds Now! #mabe #dougduncan #nobrainer

In order for the Prince George's County Board of Education to attempt to meet the 5 year revenue projections that were given in 2010 for the "no-brainer" Milestone cell tower deal 60 cell towers need to be built on public school playgrounds immediately!

The Prince George's County Board of Education was "sold" the Milestone no-bid deal based on a 5 year revenue projection of $2.5 million.  Apparently, no one bothered to mention to the Board of Education that in order to bring in that $2.5 million over a 5 year period they would have to immediately build 60 cell towers on PGCPS playgrounds!

The Prince George's County Board of Education is now into the 4th year of the super Milestone cell tower deal and not one single cell tower has been built.  At best, the 5 year revenue from this deal will be a $25,000 one time site fee and a $12,000 lease payment.  That's a 5 year total of $37,000.  A far cry from the $2.5 million that was projected back in 2010. 

 *********************
Did any Prince George's County Board of Education members actually read the answers to the questions they posed about the FY 2012 PGCPS Operating Budget?  See page 19 of this Questions from the Board document dated February 22, 2011.

The Board Action Summary
–
Telecommunications Leasing Master Agreement with Milestone Communication Management III, Inc., dated November 11, 2010, provided a potential revenue estimate at approximately $2.5 million over a five (5) year period. However, administration was asked by the Board of Education to provide anticipated revenue for the 2011-2012 school year only (Refer to 01.31.11 BOE Part II- Question #40). The response that was provided anticipated generating annual revenue of $1.2 million to $2.1 million during the 2011-2012 school year only. This estimate was based on 60 potential towers being placed on various sites, a site fee of $25,000, per site, and the spread of the estimated revenue as stated in the November 11, 2010 Board Action Summary of $2.5 million over a five (5) year period.

Soccer goalie wonders if synthetic turf poses health risks - KALB-TV News Channel 5 & CBS 2

Soccer goalie wonders if synthetic turf poses health risks - KALB-TV News Channel 5 & CBS 2

WPost Supports BOE Candidates that will Not Protect Children #enoughabuse

The Washington Post has released their list of endorsements for the upcoming Board of Education election on November 4, 2014.
The Washington Post tells voters they should re-elect the current Board members who are on the ballot.

That's great advice if you don't care about the sexual abuse of children by MCPS staff.

If you care about public school children and keeping them safe in MCPS classrooms then you will vote out the current Board of Education members for their failure to take any action to protect students from sexual abuse by MCPS staff. 

What have the current Board members done on this issue?  Absolutely nothing. 

The current Board of Education Policy on child abuse is 26 YEARS out of date. 

The current Board members have not reviewed this Policy, discussed this Policy, or done anything to address the numerous arrests of MCPS staff in the last few years.  

This out of date Policy is used to TRAIN INCOMING TEACHERS. 

The Policy is 26 YEARS out of date.

It does not reflect current Maryland law!
What kind of Board of Education members sit by and let this happen?

Is Your Athletic Field a Killer? Investigation Reignites Artificial Turf Controversy

http://www.alternet.org/environment/your-athletic-field-killer?akid=12344.1073613.yKhWQb&rd=1&src=newsletter1022549&t=3

WPost: Prince George’s board members charge thousands in local restaurant meals

...The district also paid for overnight stays for some board members during its retreat at the Westin at National Harbor, which is less than 20 miles from district headquarters.
“It just doesn’t sit well, especially when you also hear that teachers don’t have access to printers,” said Juanita Miller, head of the education committee for the Prince George’s County branch of the NAACP. “Teachers are standing in line to make copies. The school system cut the budget for those types of things.”
Miller said the problem is not that the board members have credit cards but how they are using them.
David Cahn, an education activist who regularly attends board meetings, said the school system needs to impose limits on meals, similar to the federal government. The federal per diem for meals is $71, which does not include guests’ bills.
“I do not think school board members should have to pay out of their own pocket for legitimate expenses, but a lot of them don’t sound legitimate,” Cahn said...

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/prince-georges-board-members-charge-thousands-in-local-restaurant-meals/2014/10/09/dabcf092-4fe6-11e4-babe-e91da079cb8a_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200

Washington Post unwilling to identify the Parents’ Coalition in article

Journalistic fear has apparently set in at the Washington Post, the only major media outlet that has made a practice of avoiding mention of the Parents’ Coalition by name.  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/prince-georges-board-members-charge-thousands-in-local-restaurant-meals/2014/10/09/dabcf092-4fe6-11e4-babe-e91da079cb8a_story.html

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

Montgomery began investigating spending practices after parents with a watchdog group learned that board member Christopher S. Barclay had reimbursed the school system for nearly $1,500 in unauthorized expenses since 2012, including restaurant meals and purchases from an online travel site.

 Attention Washington Post editors:  We are not Lord Voldemort.  

Almost no witch or wizard dares to speak his name, instead referring to him by epithets such as "You-Know-Who", "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" or "the Dark Lord".

You may speak and write our name.  We are the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County, MD.

Md. family sues MCPS for $3 million, alleges it harbored 'reckless' teacher | WJLA.com

Md. family sues MCPS for $3 million, alleges it harbored 'reckless' teacher | WJLA.com




ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJLA) - A seven-figure payout—that's what a teenage girl, sexually solicited by her high school history teacher, says she deserves.

Continue reading

Richard Shemer. (Photo: Montgomery County Police Department)

More on this story

• Richard Shemer, Albert Einstein High School teacher, accused of sexual abuse

She and her family are now suing Montgomery County Public Schools, its Board of Education, and that former teacher, Richard Shemer, 50, of Potomac, for $3 million, plus attorney’s fees.

The girl's parents say they wiped out their savings and retirement accounts, while attempting to provide their daughter with daily counseling and therapy. Before asking close friends for loans, the girl's parents turned to MCPS for financial assistance, but claim administrators told them to pound sand.
"It's something that angers me, but also makes me physically sick," Estrada told ABC 7 News during an exclusive interview. "That is the only way to put it."
Last October, Montgomery County Police arrested Shemer after Estrada intercepted dozens of sexually-laced emails between him and her daughter.
In one case, Shemer emailed the then 16-year-old high schooler saying: "Now take a picture of your [expletive] and send it to me."

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/10/md-family-sues-mcps-for-3-million-alleges-it-harbored-reckless-teacher-107948.html#ixzz3FhgBTwsr
Follow us: @ABC7News on Twitter | WJLATV on Facebook

Woman suing @MCPS and the @mocoboe for $3 million.

This woman's suing @MCPS and the @mocoboe for $3 million. But for what? The exclusive story on @ABC7News at 5:45 p.m. pic.twitter.com/biaTi20dZB
— Kevin Lewis (@KevinLewisABC7) October 9, 2014

How to Get Your Neighborhood's Project into the County's Capital Improvements Program (CIP)

Montgomery County Civic Federation Meeting

Date: Monday, October 13, 2014

Time: 7:45pm

Place: County Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville (free parking in rear [south] of building; a few blocks from the red line Rockville metro stop, on the bus routes

Program: How to Get Your Neighborhood Project into the County's Capital Improvements Program (CIP)Speakers: Glenn Orlin, Deputy Council Administrator; and, Mary Beck, county Office of Management and Budget

We hope everyone can attend.

Thanks,

Paula Bienenfeld

President, Montgomery County Civic Federation

@MCCivicFed

www.montgomerycivic.org

BOE Candidates on MCPS Cell Towers

Board of Education candidates answer a question about the use of MCPS land for the construction of cell phone towers at the September 30, 2014, forum.

Huff Post: My call to action is for the Montgomery County school board is to institute best practices immediately to prevent these types of exposures that can have both long and short term effects.

...The efforts of the school were proactive in their thinking, and I am certain they thought they were taking "healthy" steps to prevent illness not cause it. That said this is where the road splits on intentions and intelligence on the part of the school board. While one can hardly blame employees, clearly as with many schools, there are either inadequate or non-existent "best practices" for the school system in handling these very toxic and harmful chemicals. No surprise these children started turning up with burns that even hospitalized one for three days and who now will also miss the rest of the football season. 

The disinfectant Virex ll 256 as reported by the Washington Post used in this incident warns on its label: "PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS HAZARD TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS DANGER: Corrosive. Causes irreversible eye damage and skin burns. Do not get in eyes, on skin or on clothing. Wear chemical splash-proof goggles or face shield, rubber gloves and protective clothing. Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through skin. Avoid breathing spray mist. Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling and before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco or using the toilet. Remove contaminated clothing and wash before reuse."
I called the general number for Montgomery County Public Schools that oversees this school. They transferred me a few times before getting turned over to the school board office. My question- what is the school board doing to create best practices to prevent this from happening again? While I did not get an answer, I did leave my number...



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-couzens/hey-i-am-knocking-on-your_b_5882980.html

NBC News Exclusive Report: How Safe is the Artificial Turf on Your Child's Sports Field?

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/how-safe-artificial-turf-your-child-plays-n220166

NBC4: Prince George’s County School Board Members Spend Thousands on Meals at Taxpayers’ Expense

Prince George’s County school board members have spent several thousand dollars on more than 120 meals at restaurants near school district headquarters – including room service breakfasts, dozens of seafood dinners and private lunches – at taxpayers’ expense in recent months. Many of the meals were purchased by two of the 14 board members, according to a review of expense receipts by the News4 I-Team.

The I-Team’s review of school board expense receipts shows board members regularly use taxpayer-funded credit cards for sit-down meals together at seafood restaurants within minutes of their official meeting room in Upper Marlboro. The meals frequently included appetizers, dessert and $30-per-dish entrees. Taxpayer advocates and district parents said the expenses are unnecessary and a misuse of county school funds...

Expense reports and receipts:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Prince-Georges-County-School-Board-Members-Spend-Thousands-on-Meals-at-Taxpayers-Expense-278584441.html

Sentinel: School board members spend thousands on meals and local hotel stay

UPPER MARLBORO – Prince George’s County Board of Education members used their county-issued credit cards on hundreds of meals and a local hotel stay, according to receipts and expense reports obtained by The Sentinel. Some parents in the community say they think board members should be more frugal, and one board member said expenses should be reviewed by the Ethics Board. However, some board members defended their spending habits.

According to receipts and expense reports obtained by The Sentinel through a Maryland Public Information Act request, board members used their cards for meals both locally and outside of the state. According to the school system’s internal audit department, 10 of the 14 board members have credit cards. Board members Edward Burroughs, Peggy Higgins, Segun Eubanks and Sonya Williams chose not to have cards.
Locally, some board members frequently eat at locations around the county such as Ruby Tuesday, Jerry’s Seafood and the Olde Towne Inn...

 http://thesentinel.com/pgs/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=848:school-board-members-spend-thousands-on-meals-and-local-hotel-stay&Itemid=766