NEW: A warrant has been issued for former MCPS paraeducator Hector Toro.— Kevin Lewis (@ABC7Kevin) January 24, 2019
Last year, MoCo Police arrested the 59yo for allegedly making kids search for candy in his pant pockets.
The court set bond, Toro paid $3,150 and was released from jail. He has been missing ever since... pic.twitter.com/My6Qu8fWIs
Thursday, January 24, 2019
MoCo Judge Lets MCPS Aide out on $3,150 bond on Sexual Abuse of Child Charge, Aide Disappears. Is Aide Working with Children Some Place Else?
'Teachable moments': How to talk to kids about sexual abuse
Jennifer Alvaro has never met anyone who's had to escape a burning school building.
But as a parent, she's grateful students are taught about fire safety and how to react in the event of a fire.
She does, however, know thousands of people who have either been sexually abused or have friends or family members who've been victims. There's not a doubt in her mind it's "the largest public health problem facing our children."
"The fact that sexual abuse is such a more prevalent problem than any of the other things we educate kids on, that needs to be corrected and there's a safe way to do it," she said.
Based in Montgomery County, Alvaro is a licensed clinical social worker in Maryland and Virginia as well as a certified sex offender treatment provider in Virginia. She began her career in 1994 and specializes in the field of child sexual abuse.
Most recently, Alvaro has been a facilitator for Darkness to Light's Stewards of Children program which teaches adults about preventing, recognizing and reacting to child sexual abuse.
A 2004 report prepared for the U.S. Department of Education states that the most accurate data available indicates "nearly 9.6 percent of students are targets of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career."..
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Editorial: Live stream Maryland General Assembly floor sessions
...It is an excellent opportunity for the public to participate in the legislative process, and it doesn’t require a trip to Annapolis to do so.
When it comes to regular sessions and debates in Annapolis, however, things aren’t quite so transparent.
Maryland remains one of just a handful of states that does not offer live streaming video of debates on the floor of its two chambers: the Senate and House of Delegates. It does offer audio of these sessions, but because of a rule that prohibits the use of personal names, it is practically impossible to know who is saying what.
The state does live stream and archive videos of committee hearings, but committee voting sessions where members actually debate the bills are not recorded or archived.
Efforts to change this have stalled in recent years. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and others have pushed for legislation to outfit the 120-year-old Maryland State House with video cameras in order to live stream these proceedings and have them archived in the name of government openness and accessibility. Last year, Hogan’s Transparency Act of 2018, received an unfavorable report in the House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee and never made it out of a Senate Committee.
The argument, primarily coming from Democratic leaders in Annapolis, against live streaming has been that it costs too much. According to an article from MarylandReporter.com on last year’s Senate committee hearing on the legislation, the $1.1 million price tag was again the concern from committee Democrats. Much of that is one-time costs in the first year to purchase the equipment and have it installed. In out years, the costs ranged from approximately $200,000 to $217,000 for staff to operate and maintain the equipment...
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
@ABC7News FLOODING AT WHEATON HIGH SCHOOL: A sprinkler burst for what is believed to be weather-related reasons Tuesday morning in a stairwell at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, forcing the building to be evacuated.
FLOODING AT WHEATON HIGH SCHOOL: A sprinkler burst for what is believed to be weather-related reasons Tuesday morning in a stairwell at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, forcing the building to be evacuated.— ABC 7 News - WJLA (@ABC7News) January 22, 2019
(📹: @__chris_torres) pic.twitter.com/ZcNnaV5SOI
https://wjla.com/news/local/wheaton-high-school-sprinkler-head-burst?fbclid=IwAR12qZ7uBJrgRJg6Hji1RymCTNN1FyW8Op7BIUPaO0uQXtuokEhdzF16gb8
Swastika painted on Rockville high school
Police investigating case at Richard Montgomery as hate crime
From Bethesda Beat, Reporter Caitlynn Peetz. Full story here.
A swastika was spray-painted on the side of Richard Montgomery High School and authorities are considering the case a hate crime.
In a letter to parents and students, Principal Intern Kiera Butler said the bright orange swastika was found over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and has been removed.
And:
Of the 51 bias reports determined to have been motivated by religion, 74.5 percent were considered anti-Jewish, according to the report.
From Bethesda Beat, Reporter Caitlynn Peetz. Full story here.
A swastika was spray-painted on the side of Richard Montgomery High School and authorities are considering the case a hate crime.
In a letter to parents and students, Principal Intern Kiera Butler said the bright orange swastika was found over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and has been removed.
And:
According to a county police report, 31 of Montgomery County’s 112 – or about one-fourth – reports of bias incidents in 2017 occurred at schools and generally involved vandalism. The majority of reports included anti-Semitic language or swastikas. In 2016, 21 bias reports involved schools.
Inside the Governor’s $438 Million ‘Go-Ahead’ for Schools
A look at the elements of the Governor’s fiscal 2020 capital budget proposal for public school construction.
The Governor’s 2020 capital budget includes a new program for school construction funding — the Building Opportunity Fund — and a pledge to provide $3.5 billion in five years to school construction.
School construction is a major element of county capital budgets, who partner with the state to provide Maryland’s students with superior learning environments.
The State provides capital funding for school construction through several grant programs. Most of these are grant programs established by legislation, however the Building Opportunity Fund represents a new initiative of this Administration.
Here is the breakdown of the $438 million total announced in the Governor’s budget propoal for FY 2020:..
Monday, January 21, 2019
Senator says he has received complaints about HOC operations. Oversight of HOC LONG OVERDUE!
...Sen. Ben Kramer said he introduced a bill in the Maryland legislature after receiving complaints from constituents and HOC employees alleging waste, fraud and mismanagement in the department.
“There tends to be a sentiment that HOC rides roughshod over the community. And I have heard with enough frequency that this was something we should take a closer look at, and it seems the best way is to empower Montgomery County’s inspector general over HOC in the same way they do over county government,” said Kramer, a Democrat who represents parts of Rockville, Aspen Hill and Wheaton...
Friday, January 18, 2019
Open forum on new zoning for accessory dwellings Sat Jan 19 10am County Council Office Building
From Councilmember Hans Riemer:
Dear resident,
I wanted to remind you that tomorrow I am hosting a policy forum on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Rockville beginning at 10am. The details are below.
So many of you have RSVP'd to come that we will now be offering a live video stream of the event on YouTube. The stream will begin at 10:00am on Saturday, January 19. If you are interested in learning more about ADUs but aren’t able to make it in person, I encourage you to watch the live stream.
Hope to see you there or on YouTube.
Warm regards,
Hans
Hans
P.S. Our County video team put together a great preview of the policy forum. Check it out!
Listen to @Media_Doug's full interview with @jennifermalvaro, a child sex abuse expert, on #MontgomeryTalkPodcast.
"I think that Montgomery County Public Schools have created an atmosphere, where they are reactive instead of proactive to larger issues in society, and to current issues in the schools," said Alvaro. "I think when you have [an] intense culture of achievement and success in sports or academics, [when it comes to these issues], it's not a matter of 'if' they're going to happen, it's 'when.'" ~ child sex abuse expert Jennifer Alvaro
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Former Landon teacher abused students, school says in letter to families
A yearlong investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct at an all-boys private school in Bethesda uncovered several years of abuse by a former teacher, school leaders announced Thursday in a letter to parents.
In December 2017, the Landon School hired a private firm to investigate allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Ward Bates, a teacher who was employed with the school from 1946 to 1962 after two alumni came forward with claims of abuse.
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
...the girl was a human trafficking victim within the ‘Pinos Locos’ clique of MS-13, which made the suburban town of Wheaton its hub for illegal dealings.
Police: 'MS-13 associate' pays gang $100 to have sex with trafficked 14-year-old girl
...Detectives explain the girl worked as a cocktail waitress at Lilly’s Restaurant in downtown Wheaton. Her primary duty there was to “conduct cocaine and marijuana sales, and serve alcohol to customers,” a high-ranking MS-13 member would ultimately tell detectives in exchange for more favorable treatment. “A lot of money was made for her services.”
In one instance, the girl attempted to quit. She was later summoned to a home along Valley View Avenue in Kensington and beaten in the backyard with a baseball bat. The girl recalled more than 25 excruciating blows to her body. Such attacks were used as a form of “motivation” to keep girls in line, the same high-ranking MS-13 member explained.
“Many of the victims are under the age of 18 and have been reported by their families as missing persons,” police outlined in court documents. “Often, these females are brainwashed into believing that they need to depend on the gang for survival.”..
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
A teacher who worked at a private after-school program operating in several Montgomery County elementary schools entered an Alford plea to a sex offense.
Private After-School Program Employee Enters Alford Plea to Sexually Touching Underage Boy in Maryland
A teacher who worked at a private after-school program operating in several Montgomery County elementary schools entered an Alford plea to a sex offense.
Rayshad Golwalla, 37, is scheduled to be sentenced in March in Montgomery County Circuit Court. A charging document in Golwalla’s case said he sexually touched an underage Gaithersburg boy inside a private residence in February 2018...
Monday, January 14, 2019
Will MCPS food services roll back the healthy foods too?
The Trump administration is planning to roll back Obama era healthy food regulations for school meals. Will MCPS also roll back the healthy food now being served? We understand that MCPS has said while it will not go back on many of the old rules, they will go back on some. For example, they will return to using white flour pasta and get rid of the whole grain pasta.
Check your child's school menus to see what MCPS is feeding them.
From CBS News, reporter Steve Frank:
New School Lunch Rules Could Mean More Salt, Sugar, and Fat. Full story here.
The dairy industry "says children don't drink as much milk if its not flavored and they really like that extra fat, the taste of it," said Mulvaney. (author's note: Lydia Mulvaney, food and agriculture reporter who co-authored the Bloomberg study, found here)
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who was once a consultant to milk producers, announced early on a relaxation of the rules. Higher fat chocolate milk was back, along with more white breads and pizza. "I wouldn't be as big as I am today without chocolate milk," Perdue told reporters at the time.
Check your child's school menus to see what MCPS is feeding them.
From CBS News, reporter Steve Frank:
New School Lunch Rules Could Mean More Salt, Sugar, and Fat. Full story here.
The dairy industry "says children don't drink as much milk if its not flavored and they really like that extra fat, the taste of it," said Mulvaney. (author's note: Lydia Mulvaney, food and agriculture reporter who co-authored the Bloomberg study, found here)
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who was once a consultant to milk producers, announced early on a relaxation of the rules. Higher fat chocolate milk was back, along with more white breads and pizza. "I wouldn't be as big as I am today without chocolate milk," Perdue told reporters at the time.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Off-Site, Off Camera County Council Meeting on Monday, January 14, 2019
MEETING HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER.
Saturday, January 12, 2019
Accessory Apartments Zoning Text Amendment introduced
On Tuesday Councilmember Hans Riemer will introduce a proposed amendment to the Zoning Text which would pretty much eliminate barriers to any size attached or detached apartments in a residential zone. The public hearing for this amendment is Feb 26, 7:30 pm. Consider the parking needs, additional traffic on neighborhood roads, and school overcrowding and please read the below.
The proposed change would, among other things:
"remove the requirement for additional use approval for all accessory apartments"
"change the measure of the size of an accessory apartment from 50% of gross floor area to 50% of habitable floor area"
"delete the absolute maximum size of an accessory apartment" (currently 1,200 square feet)
"delete the maximum size of an addition that can be used as an accessory apartment" (currently limited to 800 square feet)
"delete the requirement that a detached accessory apartment be on a lot at least 1 acre in size"
The proposed change would, among other things:
"remove the requirement for additional use approval for all accessory apartments"
"change the measure of the size of an accessory apartment from 50% of gross floor area to 50% of habitable floor area"
"delete the absolute maximum size of an accessory apartment" (currently 1,200 square feet)
"delete the maximum size of an addition that can be used as an accessory apartment" (currently limited to 800 square feet)
"delete the requirement that a detached accessory apartment be on a lot at least 1 acre in size"
20190115_4A by on Scribd
Friday, January 11, 2019
@ABC7Kevin NEW: This 'MS-13 associate' paid gang leaders $100 to have sex with a 14yo girl, and then secretly filmed the encounter, MoCo police say.
MORE: At one point, the 14yo girl attempted to quit. She was later summoned to a home in Kensington, Md. and beaten with a baseball bat.— Kevin Lewis (@ABC7Kevin) January 11, 2019
The girl recalled 25+ blows to her body. Such attacks were used as a form of “motivation” to keep girls in line, the same MS-13 member said. pic.twitter.com/67UBRIO0Jh
Marc Elrich speaking now at MC Delegation streaming live
A last minute change in the delegation meeting which was just emailed this morning. Marck Elrich is on the agenda. Link here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Montgomery-County-House-Delegation-2714624368581166/videos/?ref=page_internal
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Boy Injured by MCPS School Bus Will Get His Day in Court
https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/county-school-board-bus-driver-accused-of-negligence-causing-young-boy-to-be-run-over-by-bus/
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