Montgomery County Board of Education Excludes Special Education Parents/Guardians, Says Panel was "broad-based" for superintendent interviews.

MCPS has about 19,000+ students receiving special education services.

The Montgomery County Board of Education allowed a secret group of parents, guardians and other parties to interview candidates for superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.

When the list of the "Community Panel" was released after the interviews had been concluded, the list showed that parents and guardians of children with special education needs were excluded from participation in the interviews of the four finalists.

The Board of Education was unable to find a single special education parent/guardian to participate in interviews for the next superintendent, but somehow was able to include 17 other groups including the Montgomery County Planning Board. 

The Board of Education only listed one group on their Community Panel that would have encompassed parents/guardians of students with special education needs and claimed that no one from that group was available for the interviews.

Yet, in just 2 seconds searching on the Internet  we can point out another group of MCPS parents/guardians with children with special education needs.  MCNeeds has been in existence for decades, but was not even included on the Community Panel. 

Below is a list of the "Community Panel" organizations with links to their websites.  Two of the "community" groups listed are actually MCPS committees. 

1977 II Action Group [No Website]

AASAAG – African American Student Achievement Action Group [This is a MCPS Committee]

APASAAG – Asian Pacific American Student Achievement Action Group

Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence

CAPA-MC Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County

*Department of Health and Human Services

*Identity Inc.

LEAAP-League of Educators for Asian American Progress

LSAAG – Latino Student Achievement Action Group [Another MCPS Committee]

MCAAP/MCBOA-Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals

MCCPTA-Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations

MCEA-Montgomery County Education Association

Montgomery College

Montgomery County Department of Recreation

Montgomery County Planning Board

Montgomery County Region of the Maryland Association of Student Councils

NAACP-National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

*SEAC – Special Education Advisory Committee

SEIU-Services Employees International Union

The Universities @ Shady Grove

* Unable to Attend

theblack&white: MCPS’ COVID-19 policies are worse than you realize

...Though complaints have been loud and public, critics have yet to target some of the most baffling aspects of MCPS policy. Here are the school district’s most confusing offenses that continue to put students and staff at risk...

MCPS’ COVID-19 policies are worse than you realize – The Black and White

Safer Indoor Air for Kids

We've worked really hard to bring you this new important guidance paper, "Protecting children from COVID-19 and making schools and childcare safer".

Parents, teachers, doctors, politicians..., read it to learn how to help keep kids safe at school: https://t.co/rdjS30BR3C pic.twitter.com/BhIQgu5qZY

— Jeremy Howard (@jeremyphoward) October 5, 2021

Covid-19 has given children new words and ideas to play with

From The Economist. Full story here.

Playground Culture: The pandemic has made play at once more modern and more old-fashioned

At school, I’ve invented a game with my friends,” says Griffin, a nine-year-old Australian boy. The rules of Corona Tip are simple. One child chases the others, touching as many as he can. Anyone caught is “in corona”. They join the chaser in pursuit of those remaining, as do all the children they tag in turn—a neat demonstration of exponential growth. The game ends when everybody has been caught.

Griffin’s account was collected by the Pandemic Play Project, one of several groups researching children’s behaviour in the covid-19 era. Children in many countries were kept apart for long spells in 2020 and 2021. When they returned to school, they were often banned from touching. Playgrounds have been segregated by year group and some equipment removed. How have these changes affected play?

It is partly an anthropological question. Some of the researchers are inspired by Iona and Peter Opie, who wrote a series of books about children’s games, songs, rhymes and jokes beginning in the late 1940s. The Opies argued that primary-school children had a distinct oral culture, which they transmitted to each other under the noses of adults. Much of their lore was decades, even centuries old. Children’s culture, they wrote, is as special as that of “some dwindling aboriginal tribe”.

Jay Guan of Clarksburg announces he is running for District 1 Board of Ed seat

Jay Guan, a resident of Clarksburg, has filed to run for the at-large seat of the county Board of Education. The seat is currently held by Dr. Judith Docca, who has been on the board for 16 years and is serving her fourth four-year term now.

From his Facebook page:

After much thought over the past two years, I have decided to run for the Board of Education again.

Our system many urgent issues to think through and talk about. If you have an idea or issue you (or your friends) want to discuss, drop me a line, I am all ears.

Prepare For The Cell Tower Invasion Into Our Neighborhoods

Can you imagine waking up to a cell tower outside of your bedroom window? While we might think neighborhood zoning laws protect us from such an intrusion, the opposite is true.

The Montgomery County Council has voted to embark on a reckless path, by allowing "short' cell towers in our front yards. And we, the taxpayers, are subsidizing the entire fiasco...

https://www.thesentinel.com/communities/prepare-for-the-cell-tower-invasion-into-our-neighborhoods/article_7abbb87e-8088-11ec-8818-43467163184b.html

Parents concerned with Montgomery County Public Schools' superintendent search

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Montgomery County Public Schools says it will announce its new superintendent on Tuesday, Feb. 8, but tonight, some parents in the county are raising questions over transparency in the hiring process. 

The Parents Coalition of Montgomery wants to know why former Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith, now works for the company hired to find his replacement. 

Dr. Monifa McKnight, Smith's former deputy, is now acting superintendent and is a candidate for the job. 

Joseph Hawkins of the Parents Coalition describes MCPS' search as shrouded in secrecy. 

"I think it would be difficult to be completely satisfied given the lack of transparency that takes place so yes if she’s appointed, she’s appointed, but we don’t know really what happened behind those closed doors," Hawkins said. "We don’t even know the other candidates!" 

In an email to FOX 5, Dr. Jack Smith confirmed he does indeed work with the company that is helping MCPS find his replacement. However, he says he has not been involved with the school system's search... 

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/parents-concerned-with-montgomery-county-public-schools-superintendent-search

Mississippi State Board of Education votes to allow hybrid scheduling due to COVID-19

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Thursday, the Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) voted to allow school districts to use hybrid scheduling if needed to minimize the current spread of COVID-19. According to officials, the hybrid scheduling option is available immediately and will extend through March 11, 2022. They said hybrid scheduling enables districts to reduce the number of students in schools each day by scheduling a portion of students to learn online.

The SBE based its decision on COVID-19 infection data from the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). The SBE may consider extending the option beyond March 11.

“The Mississippi Department of Education asked the State Board to temporarily allow hybrid scheduling to give school districts that needed it an additional strategy to help educate students safely,” said Dr. Carey Wright [former MCPS Assoc. Superintendent], state superintendent of education...

https://www.wjtv.com/health/coronavirus/mississippi-state-board-of-education-votes-to-allow-hybrid-scheduling-due-to-covid-19/

A Power Struggle Over Cobalt Rattles the Clean Energy Revolution

The quest for Congo’s cobalt, which is vital for electric vehicles and the worldwide push against climate change, is caught in an international cycle of exploitation, greed and gamesmanship...

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/20/world/china-congo-cobalt.html

Scottish court orders former Walter Johnson lacrosse coach to return to U.S. to face charges related to 2018 murder, kidnapping plot

Reporter Caitlynn Peetz, from Bethesda Beat, full article here.

Opinion of the Scottish Court here.

A former Walter Johnson High School lacrosse coach accused of a plot to murder parents and kidnap five kids in Virginia has lost his attempt to stay in the United Kingdom, where he has been for three years.

A Scottish court last week denied Gary Blake Reburn’s attempt to avoid extradition to the United States to face criminal charges.

Reburn, 58, is one of four people accused of devising a plan to kidnap five children from two homes in a Mennonite community in Dayton, Va., southwest of Harrisonburg.

And:

Reburn worked for MCPS between 2012 and August 2018, according to district officials. He was the Walter Johnson High School girls lacrosse team coach.

According to the Walter Johnson High School athletics website, Reburn was a karate instructor and was previously employed by Lifematters, a home care company. Reburn played Division III college lacrosse at Mount St. Mary’s University, according to the website.

Breaking @wtop Board of Education Narrowed Superintendent Search to 4 Finalists

...A recent update on the school board’s website said that after the first round of interviews, a second round with four candidates was held. The candidates then met with a community panel made up of a group of citizens drawn from “a broad-based section of Montgomery County.”..

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2022/02/montgomery-co-school-board-to-announce-next-superintendent-tuesday/

Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo Still Pushing Electric School Buses as MCPS Electric School Bus Deal has not Materialized.

Remember the major electric school bus deal that made all the news a year ago?  What ever happened to that deal? No electric school buses are on the road in Montgomery County. 

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

...

Some Republican governors also are seeking to invest in electric vehicles. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, for example, has promoted investments in electric vehicles and charging stations. The state’s tax credit for electric vehicle purchases expired last year during the pandemic, and state leaders are considering incentive plans to replace it.

“We have to continue to dramatically accelerate the adoption of EVs,” said Ben Grumbles, the state secretary of the environment. “The focus right now is the range of incentives that we can put in place.”

Grumbles said the Hogan administration also is looking to speed up electrification of the state vehicle fleet, as well as school buses. 

Maryland Del. David Fraser-Hidalgo, a Democrat, has long advocated for electric vehicle adoption, and he thinks his colleagues are increasingly on board.

“There's a critical mass building of more and more EV bills,” he said. 

Fraser-Hidalgo plans to introduce an incentive program, likely a tax credit, to encourage consumers to buy electric vehicles. Another bill would allow school districts to partner with utilities to acquire electric school buses...

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/01/24/electric-vehicles-charge-ahead-in-statehouses?fbclid=IwAR2lwktjj-hipzH_ftngsfEu-MBZgILUfIpiamzEeibN4etJKi2-2pYZuc8

MCPS COVID-19 Dashboard Jan 5th to Feb 2nd *** Total Cases Jumped from 8,174 to 26,000 ***

 MCPS COVID-19 Dashboard February 2, 2022: 

MCPS COVID-19 Dashboard January 5, 2022: 

Schools in England reinstate mask wearing rules as Covid cases soar

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/29/schools-in-england-reinstate-mask-wearing-rules-as-covid-and-absenteeism-soar

Montgomery Co. board of education to name new superintendent

The next time the Montgomery County, Maryland, Board of Education meets, the members will announce who they’ve selected to become the next superintendent.

Asked about the agenda item for next Tuesday’s school board meeting, spokesman Chris Cram said the board will appoint “a new superintendent” after an “extensive search.”..

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2022/02/montgomery-co-board-of-education-to-name-new-superintendent/

@KateRyanWTOP On next week's agenda for @mcps : the appointment of the next Superintendent of schools.

On next week's agenda for @mcps : the appointment of the next Superintendent of schools. https://t.co/ot9EYddwR5

— Kate Ryan (@KateRyanWTOP) February 2, 2022

Let's Build: Safe Common Spaces

The trick will be to create enough passive safety in our everyday lives and habits, that the virus just has trouble spreading and dwindles. It's not revolutionary, but really needs full-throated airborne precautions. Why are our leaders dragging their feet on this? pic.twitter.com/sbkorymppu

— Kashif Pirzada, MD (@KashPrime) February 8, 2022

The 1999 MoCo Board of Education Superintendent Search Fiasco. Same Search Firm as 2022.

A Talent Search Turned Sour

WHO COULD have predicted that the selection of a school superintendent in Montgomery County -- fabled home of Process-Above-All government -- would collapse the way it has this week? Elfreda W. Massie had almost run the complete credentials course -- emerging as the lone finalist in the eyes of the school board -- when her candidacy crumbled with cause. Out of the blue came revelations of personal bankruptcy filings that she had failed to disclose and that a hired recruiting firm had failed to uncover. Without waiting for the board to drop her from consideration, Ms. Massie wisely withdrew.

Regardless of how sympathetically residents might view her financial plight, her failure to bring it up until confronted with the news showed unacceptably poor judgment. But where was the recruiting firm, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, in all this? Routine credit checks would have brought out this information in a flash. One explanation is that while these talent-hunter firms usually do run credit checks as a matter of routine on candidates for most high-profile state and local offices, they tend not to undertake costly rundowns of personal finances when it comes to posts in school systems. If so, the boards that select these selectors should insist on such checks as part of the service...

...Montgomery will have a new go at it, and at least one change in the process should be made without question: From now on, credit checks should be automatic.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1999/05/08/a-talent-search-turned-sour/bb2afc39-4237-4517-8b8c-3b173d914176/

Wed. Feb. 2nd Watch MD Subcommittee Discuss Bill to Allow Public to Know When Board of Education is Meeting to Hire New Superintendent.

House Bill 235 would require the Montgomery County Board of Education to disclose when they were meeting in closed session to discuss the employment or hiring of their one employee, the superintendent.  Under current law, the Board of Education can hide out in a hotel and interview candidates for superintendent without having to disclose their location or agenda.  

HB 235 would require the Board of Education to notify the public when they were meeting in a closed session to discuss hiring a new superintendent or other matters related to the employment of the superintendent. 

It's a simple addition to the Maryland Open Meetings Act to provide just a bit of sunshine to the workings of the Board of Education.

Watch the Maryland General Assembly - House Government Operations Subcommittee's discussion of this bill at this link. 

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Government Operations and Health Facilities Subcommittee - Work Session

11:00 AM - Zoom / YouTube

 

- HBs 13, 163, 167, 235, and 246

Follow the progress of HB 235 through the legislature at this link. 

TODAY 2/1/22: You Can Object to the Board of Education Hiding in a Closed Session to Discuss Snow Days and/or New Superintendent Hire

Today at noon the Montgomery County Board of Education is going in to a Closed Session. 

What will they be discussing? They don't want you to know, but the public can guess.  Maybe they will be discussing virtual snow days? Maybe they will be voting to pick the next superintendent? 

Do you want the Board of Education to discuss these topics in secret or do you want Board members to have a public discussion about these topics? 

The Board of Education doesn't want you to know what they are discussing so they are claiming an exception to the Maryland Open Meetings Act allows them to hold this closed meeting to exclude the public.

  Section 3-103(a)

a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section and § 3-104 of this subtitle, this title does not apply to:

(1) a public body when it is carrying out:

(i) an administrative function;

(ii) a judicial function; or

(iii) a quasi-judicial function; or

(2) a chance encounter, a social gathering, or any other occasion that is not intended to circumvent this title.

Under the Maryland Open Meetings Act a member of the public may object to the Closing of a Board of Education meeting. 

From the Maryland Open Meetings Act manual (page 78): 

 If a member of the public objects to the closing of a session, the public body must send a copy of the closing statement to the [Open Meetings Act] Compliance Board. See § 3-305(d)(3).

Even for a virtual meeting, the Board of Education must meet in public first and allow the public the option of objecting to the closing of the meeting.  15 OMCB 5,8 

If you object to the closing to today's Board of Education meeting notify the Board through the chat function of the virtual meeting or any other method available. The Board of Education will then have to comply with the law and send a copy of their Closing Statement from today's meeting to the Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board.  

The Parents' Coalition suggests the following options for objections to today's closed session of the Board of Education:  virtual chat, e-mail [ boe@mcpsmd.org ] , Twitter, phone 240-740-3030, or FAX  301-279-3860