Thursday, February 18, 2021
Montgomery County Government spent more than $643K on 643 laptops for telework
Montgomery County needs to improve accountability with computer purchases after purchasing 643 laptops for $643,711, the county’s Office of the Inspector General concluded.
The laptops and other equipment were purchased for county employees who could work from home during the pandemic, starting on March 20 last year.
Before the county bought laptops, the Office of Device Client Management (DCM) loaned laptops to employees through an existing program. The program loans equipment for business travel, presentations, special events, work assignments, and work at remote locations...
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
MD Grade Changing Investigation: Balt. City Schools Alerts 90,000 Students That Records Subpoenaed
BALTIMORE (WBFF) - Baltimore City Public Schools is in the process of alerting thousands of parents that their children’s grades have become part of a state grade changing investigation.
On January 25th, North Avenue sent a letter to thousands of Baltimore families. More letters are scheduled to go out in the coming days. The letters explain how City Schools was served a subpoena in a grade changing investigation, and their children's records are now involved. The subpoena was issued by Maryland’s Inspector General of Education, Rick Henry...
MARYLAND OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR EDUCATION
Richard P. Henry, Inspector General (appointed by Governor, Attorney General & State Treasurer to 5-year term with Senate advice & consent), 2025
100 Community Place, 4th floor, Crownsville, MD 21032
(410) 697-9692
e-mail: richard.henry@maryland.gov
To report educational fraud, waste, & abuse: 1-844-OIGETIP
e-mail: oige.tips@maryland.gov
https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/25ind/html/47inspect.html
What Contact Tracing Looks Like In Auckland - See the List of Where Positive Cases were in recent days (shops/food/services)
Coronavirus live updates: Latest on Auckland lockdown, community cases - Wednesday, February 17
- Three community cases of COVID-19 were detected in south Auckland over the weekend, leading the Government to impose an alert level 3 lockdown on Auckland and put the rest of the country under alert level 2
- The infected family - a mother, father and daughter - have the UK variant of the illness. The cases do not link directly to any other positive cases found in New Zealand to date
- Two new community cases were announced at about midday on Wednesday. One is a Papatoetoe High School classmate of an original case and the second is that classmate's sibling
- A decision on alert levels will be announced at 4:30pm on Wednesday
- An updated list of locations visited by the three cases can be viewed here. There are instructions for individuals who were also at the same locations as the cases at the same time
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Maryland mom fighting to create tougher laws against child sex predators
A Maryland mom is back at it in Annapolis at the State House next week working to create tougher penalties for child sex abusers.
Annie Kenny is fighting to pass the Sex Offender - Lifetime Supervision bill.
The bill would mandate that anyone convicted of sexually abusing a minor in the State of Maryland, which makes them a Tier III Registered Sex Offender for life, would also place them on probation for life, instead of just the current 5-year probationary period.
Two years ago Kenny began her crusade with a change.org petition that people can still sign to support her efforts at #Savethechildren Better Sex Offender Laws to Protect our Children
https://wjla.com/features/7-on-your-side/maryland-mom-fighting-to-save-children-from-sex-offenders
‘This inconsistency is not good for anyone’: Frequent school closures take steep toll on NYC families, teachers
...Adrian’s school, Samara Community School, has shut down twice for extended stretches in the past two months because of multiple COVID-19 cases, and when it’s open, he can attend only part-time under the hybrid model that switches between remote and in-person classes.
“It’s just crazy,” his mother, Maria Paulino, said. School has “been more closed than open.”..
Monday, February 15, 2021
New trial dates set for former [MCPS] bus driver who sexually assaulted students
A criminal responsibility trial has been scheduled for a former Montgomery County Public Schools bus driver accused of sexually assaulting students with special needs while driving his routes.
Etienne Kabongo, 65, was arrested in August 2018 and charged with molesting a 12-year-old girl a month earlier, an act that police said was caught on the bus’s surveillance camera...
MCPS teacher John Vigna - Convicted Md. child molester appeals to Supreme Court
A former Silver Spring elementary school teacher convicted of having sexually abused students has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review and overturn his conviction, saying testimony regarding his appropriate behavior toward pupils should have been permitted at trial...
...The intermediate Court of Special Appeals upheld the conviction, as did the Maryland Court of Appeals last August.
“For many years, John Vigna was a popular elementary school teacher in Silver Spring, Maryland,” Judge Jonathan Biran wrote for the state’s high court.
“But, as our nation has learned all too well, it is possible for a person to be a popular teacher (or coach or trainer or member of the clergy, etc.) and, at the same time, to sexually abuse children entrusted to his care,” Biran added. “According to the evidence the jury heard in this case, Vigna sexually abused several female students while he was their teacher.”..
https://thedailyrecord.com/2021/02/12/convicted-md-child-molester-appeals-to-supreme-court/
September 2020: This Overlooked Variable Is the Key to the Pandemic
There’s something strange about this coronavirus pandemic. Even after months of extensive research by the global scientific community, many questions remain open.
Why, for instance, was there such an enormous death toll in northern Italy, but not the rest of the country? Just three contiguous regions in northern Italy have 25,000 of the country’s nearly 36,000 total deaths; just one region, Lombardy, has about 17,000 deaths. Almost all of these were concentrated in the first few months of the outbreak. What happened in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in April, when so many died so quickly that bodies were abandoned in the sidewalks and streets?* Why, in the spring of 2020, did so few cities account for a substantial portion of global deaths, while many others with similar density, weather, age distribution, and travel patterns were spared? What can we really learn from Sweden, hailed as a great success by some because of its low case counts and deaths as the rest of Europe experiences a second wave, and as a big failure by others because it did not lock down and suffered excessive death rates earlier in the pandemic? Why did widespread predictions of catastrophe in Japan not bear out? The baffling examples go on...
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/k-overlooked-variable-driving-pandemic/616548/
Saturday, February 13, 2021
Opinion: The CDC’s plan to reopen schools seems to prioritize expediency over teachers’ health
After much anticipation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released a 35-page road map for returning to in-person schooling. While there are some admirable parts of the new operational guidance, I worry that it could result in more confusion and increased distrust.
But look a little deeper and the problems begin. I was shocked that six-feet of physical distancing is not required across the board. While it is mandated at the two highest levels of transmission, at low and moderate levels, the guidance says only that physical distancing of six feet or more should be done “to the greatest extent possible.”..
...Another important omission is ventilation. It is widely accepted that ventilation is key to reducing covid-19 spread. Yet the roadmap contains scant information about ventilation, saying only that ventilation should be improved “to the extent possible . . . by opening windows and doors.”..
Friday, February 12, 2021
@DrLeanaWen Red = @CDCgov ’s category for highest level of community #covid19 transmission. That’s most of the country. And CDC is still saying that teachers don’t need vaccinations in these situations? Mind-blowing.
Red = @CDCgov’s category for highest level of community #covid19 transmission. That’s most of the country. And CDC is still saying that teachers don’t need vaccinations in these situations? Mind-blowing. pic.twitter.com/oeeezYSSfa
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) February 13, 2021
@DrEricDing What is missing from this CDC school reopening priority list? Airborne virus guidance! Like almost nothing in 33 page document on ventilation except 1 paragraph on open the windows, but only if feasible. Ventilation should be #2 behind masks! #COVID19
What is missing from this CDC school reopening priority list? Airborne virus guidance! Like almost nothing in 33 page document on ventilation except 1 paragraph on open the windows, but only if feasible. Ventilation should be #2 behind masks! #COVID19 https://t.co/WrHVbv1ftr pic.twitter.com/WA2T2yDkVN
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 12, 2021
2) Notably absent from new CDC guidance was ventilation. In one short paragraph, CDC suggested schools open windows & doors to increase circulation, but said they should not be “if doing so poses a safety risk or a health risk.” #COVID19 https://t.co/Nvu4MolvIl
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 12, 2021
3) “C.D.C. gives lip service to ventilation in its report, and you have to search to find it,” said @j_g_allen, an expert on building safety at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “It’s not as prominent as it should be.”
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 12, 2021
4) The section on ventilation does link to more information online. But all of that is buried, relative to a misguided emphasis on cleaning surfaces like outdoor playground equipment, said Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne transmission of viruses at Virginia Tech...
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 12, 2021
5) “I think the balance is incorrect in putting so much emphasis on cleaning surfaces and almost no emphasis on cleaning the air, given what we know about how the virus spreads,” Marr said.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 12, 2021
@DrLeanaWen BREAKING: @CDCgov releases school reopening guidelines
BREAKING: @CDCgov releases school reopening guidelines
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) February 12, 2021
Great to have national strategy, but problems:
-Improved ventilation missing as key mitigation measure
-Teacher vaccination not required
-In areas of low transmission, 6-foot distancing not requiredhttps://t.co/4LzuXOal3L
Some struggle with new bill testimony system in Maryland
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Signing up to speak at a bill hearing or file written testimony got harder — and for some, maybe impossible — after the coronavirus pandemic shifted how the Maryland General Assembly accepts witness testimonies.
In previous years, interested parties would trek to Annapolis the morning of a bill hearing and sign up to testify. If they needed assistance in the process, lobbyists could do it for them...
https://wtop.com/maryland/2021/02/some-struggle-with-new-bill-testimony-system-in-maryland/
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Maryland’s largest school system [MCPS] decides to reopen classrooms in March
Pressured by parents with opposing views on when Maryland’s largest school system should reopen classrooms amid the pandemic, Montgomery County officials stayed the course with a plan to return starting next month.
When buildings open again, some students will be back four days a week, and others will be back four days every other week. Younger students and children from schools hit harder by poverty generally will get more time in person...
@DrLeanaWen Should President Biden revise his goal of getting most kids back to in-person school within 100 days? I think so. And please stop arguing about whether teacher vaccinations are crucial. Of course they are.
Should President Biden revise his goal of getting most kids back to in-person school within 100 days? I think so. And please stop arguing about whether teacher vaccinations are crucial. Of course they are. pic.twitter.com/EnVmJdA8NZ
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) February 11, 2021
2018: Revisions to the Board of Education Operations Handbook [Approved Revisions have never been posted to the Montgomery County Board of Education website.]
Montgomery County Board of Education November 13, 2018:
An ad hoc committee was formed and appointed by the Board of Education President Michael A. Durso to review and propose revisions to the Board of Education Operations Handbook (Handbook) to bring the Handbook up-to-date and in compliance with Maryland law, make changes given the full voting rights of the Student Member of the Board, and other necessary editorial changes. The ad hoc committee, comprising Mr. Durso and Board members Jeanette E. Dixon and Patricia O’Neill, submitted the proposed revisions to the Policy Management Committee, which reviewed the revisions and asked staff to make some additional changes.
At the November 13 meeting, the Board discussed the changes and voted to approve the revised Handbook.
Read the memorandum and recommended draft of the Board of Education Operations Handbook.
VIDEO: November 13, 2019 Board of Education Meeting Discussion of Operations Handbook.
Approved Montgomery County Board of Education Operations Handbook, but never posted to the Montgomery County Board of Education website.
Montgomery County Board of ... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
NOW: COVID-19 Outbreaks in 3 Montgomery County Private Schools: Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (3), St. Raphael School (9), The Primary Day School (6).
Previous weekly reports at this link.
Cheder Chabad School Baltimore City 2 02/10/21
Bais Yaakov Eva Winer High School Baltimore County 49 02/10/21
Calvert Hall College High School Baltimore County 7 02/10/21
McDonogh School Baltimore County 4 02/10/21
Talmudical Academy of Baltimore Baltimore County 72 02/10/21
Carroll Springs Elementary Carroll County 2 02/10/21
Runnymede Elementary Carroll County 5 02/10/21
Bethel Christian Academy Howard County 2 02/10/21
Resurrection St. Paul School Howard County 15 02/10/21
St. Louis School Howard County 3 02/10/21
Charles E Smith Jewish Day School - Upper School Montgomery County 3 02/10/21
St. Raphael School Montgomery County 9 02/10/21
The Primary Day School Montgomery County 6 02/10/21
DeMatha Catholic High School Prince George's County 5 02/10/21
Kings Christian Academy St. Mary's County 7 02/10/21
The Country School Talbot County 7 02/10/21
As a reminder, the Maryland Dashboard uses the following criteria for reporting COVID-19 cases. Not all cases are reported, only those that satisfy the following criteria.
Note: This dataset reflects public and non-public K-12 schools in Maryland that have COVID-19 outbreaks. Data are based on local health department reports to MDH, which may be revised if additional information becomes available. This list does not include child care facilities or institutes of higher education.Schools listed meet 1 or more of the following criteria:
1) At least two confirmed COVID-19 cases among students/teachers/staff within a 14-day period and who are epidemiologically linked, but not household contacts; or
2) Three or more classrooms or cohorts with cases from separate households that meet the classroom/cohort outbreak definition that occurs within 14 days; or
3) Five percent or more unrelated students/teachers/staff have confirmed COVID-19 within a 14 day period (minimum of 10 unrelated students/teachers/staff).
Cases reported reflect the current total number of cases. Schools are removed from the list when health officials determine 14 days have passed with no new cases and no tests pending. Archival data is available through the COVID-19 open data catalogue.
These data are updated weekly on Wednesdays during the 10 a.m. hour. MDH is continuously evaluating its data and reporting systems and will make updates as more data becomes available.
https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/school-resources
Zirkin Returns to Old Committee to Testify Against [Delegate CT] Wilson’s Child Sex Abuse Bill #SB134 -“Biggest mistake of my life,” Wilson told Maryland Matters this week, likening the experience to “negotiating with the devil.”
Former Senate Judicial Proceedings chairman Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) returned to his former committee this week to testify against a high-profile bill that’s a follow-up to a measure he once championed.
The woman who replaced Zirkin in the Senate last year, Sen. Shelly L. Hettleman (D-Baltimore County), has joined Del. CT Wilson (D-Charles) in his fight to eliminate the statute of limitations for child sex abuse survivors to launch civil suits. The bill was up in the Judicial Proceedings Committee, where Hettleman serves, on Tuesday...
...This legislation is something that Wilson has fought for for years — at times with Zirkin’s help.
In 2017, Wilson successfully sponsored legislation to extend the ability of childhood sexual abuse survivors to pursue civil lawsuits against their offenders from seven years after their 18th birthday to 20 years.
Additionally, if a perpetrator was convicted in a criminal suit at any time, their victims were allotted a three-year lookback period to sue.
To achieve this, Wilson said that he, former Senate president Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.’s Office and former House Judiciary Committee chair Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-Prince George’s) entered into negotiations with the Catholic church to amend the bill.
“Biggest mistake of my life,” Wilson told Maryland Matters this week, likening the experience to “negotiating with the devil.”..
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