Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Act Now to Advocate for Children with Disabilities

You can make a difference! The House Ways & Means Committee has just heard three of Disability Rights Maryland's priority bills and will be voting on them soon. We need YOU to let the Committee members know you support these important bills!
 
HB 331 (Luedtke) strictly limits the use of physical restraint and seclusion against students at school, practices that disproportionately target students with disabilities and students of color, and are highly traumatizing and dangerous. The bill would also require data collection if such practices are used.
 
HB 425 (Lierman) bans out-of-school suspension and expulsion for young children in Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd grade - another discipline practice that inordinately targets students with disabilities and students of color, and pushes them toward academic failure and the school-to-prison pipeline. Young children need to stay in school and learn.
 
HB 456 (Kaiser) requires the development of a dispute resolution process to ensure that children with disabilities and their families have access to child care services.
 
PLEASE CALL THESE COMMITTEE MEMBERS ASAP - THANK YOU!

 
Anne Kaiser (Chair)
 
Frank Turner (Vice Chair)
410-841-3246
 
Sheila Hixson (Chair Emeritus)
410-841-3469 
 
Kathy Afzali
410-841-3288
 
Bilal Ali
410-841-3268

Darryl Barnes
410-841-3557
 
Jason Buckel
410-841-3404
 
Eric Ebersole
410-841-3328
 
Kevin Hornberger
410-841-3284
 
Carolyn Howard
410-841-3919
 
Robert Long
410-841-3458
 
Eric Luedtke
410-841-3110
 
Nick Mosby
410-841-3520
 
Edith Patterson
410-841-3247
 
Teresa Reilly
410-841-3278
 
April Rose
410-841-3070
 
Haven Shoemaker
410-841-3359
 
Meagan Simonaire
410-841-3206
 
Jimmy Tarlau
410-841-3326
 
Jay Walker
410-841-3581
 
Alonzo Washington
410-841-3652
 
Mary Washington
410-841-3476
 
Jheanelle Wilkins
410-841-3493
 
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Screen + Kids + Classrooms: Why Safety Standards are Needed.

Daycare centers have restrictions on the amount of time children can be on screens, but classrooms do not.  Public comment on why Maryland should be the leader on this important health issue.


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Monday, February 20, 2017

Parents' Coalition members call for support of HB 866/SB 1089, "Primary and Secondary Education - Health and Safety Guidelines and Procedures - Digital Devices" @screensandkids

parentscoalitionmc@outlook.com

 
The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland has been working with stakeholders throughout the state of Maryland for fifteen years, seeking timely remediation for issues which threaten our children, greater transparency and accountability; and meaningful community input.

We have been providing parents, educators and lawmakers with pertinent medical information regarding the health threats posed to our children by classroom digital devices for over a year.  The hazards facing Maryland students range from visual damage, headaches, dry eyes, muscular pain and joint pain to sleeplessness, anxiety and addiction. 

Parents in Montgomery County are also concerned about the risks posed by the radiation emitted by the classroom digital devices and the Wi-fi routers installed in many schools.

It only makes sense that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene should devise health and safety regulations to protect our growing children from these hazards. We know the devices are harmful to the students' health, so we need medical experts to create a plan to protect them. 

Please pass House Bill 866/Senate Bill 1089, "Primary and Secondary Education - Health and Safety Guidelines and Procedures - Digital Devices" and make sure our children do not suffer unnecessarily.  The damage to their eyes and bodies may be permanent and should be avoided.  Parents in Montgomery County will not stand by idly and allow that to happen, given that the teachers and the schools have a duty of care to provide a safe learning environment.

We look forward to your support of HB866/SB1089.   Thank you for your attention to this important child safety legislation.

Sincerely, 

Paula Bienenfeld              Sheldon Fishman
Joseph Hawkins                Janis Zink Sartucci
Danuta Wilson

Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD

 
Formed in 2002, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland seeks to achieve the goals of coherent, content-rich curriculum standards; high expectations combined with timely remediation and acceleration; a wider range of educational options for parents and children; greater transparency and accountability; and meaningful community input.
 
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Distribution list:
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WBAL: Legislation Seeks Guidelines For Technology In Classrooms .@DelegateKaiser

Lawmakers in Annapolis will consider a bill that would require the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to set up safety guidelines for the use of computers, tablets and other technology.

Cindy Eckard, a Queen Anne's County mother started the group "Screens and Kids," and brought the attention to lawmakers.

Eckard tells Maryland's News This Week the guidelines should be similar to the federal guidelines set for workplaces that have been set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) since the 1990's

http://www.wbal.com/article/221335/3/legislation-seeks-guidelines-for-technology-in-classrooms
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Friday, February 17, 2017

WUSA9: Middle school gang recruiting increasing in DMV


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City Councilmember conflict of interest discovered in Oct., not revealed until Dec. 19th @GburgMD #conflict #ethics



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Thursday, February 16, 2017

Wheaton Man Sentenced for Human Trafficking after Rockville Hotel Worker Records Assault

Wheaton Man Sentenced for Human Trafficking after Rockville Hotel Worker Records Assault: The audio recording was key to obtaining the conviction
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WUSA9: New technology tracks child predators online in real time


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Thorn, the Los Angeles consortium he co-founded to combat technology’s role in the trafficking and exploitation of children.


“I’ve been on FBI raids where I’ve seen things that no person should ever see. I’ve seen video content of a child that’s the same age of mine being raped by an American man that was a sex tourist in Cambodia,” he said, his voice shaking. “This child was so conditioned by her environment that she thought she was engaging in play.”
Kutcher’s appearance before the panel was meant to raise awareness and potential government funding.
“This is a bipartisan effort in a county that is riddled with bipartisan separation on so many things,” he said.
Kutcher talked at length about the technological advances that can help thwart the rise of Internet content that facilitates the distribution of child porn and that leads to physical abuse. His comments were apolitical, and he saluted members of the body including U.S. Sens. John McCain and Bob Corker for their support.
“It is an honor to be here,” Kutcher said. “As a young man raised and brought up in the public school system, I pledged my allegiance to that flag every single day. Maybe one of the greatest honors of my life today is to be here and leverage the work that I’ve done in testimony that may in some way benefit this nation that I love.” 

http://buzz.blog.ajc.com/2017/02/15/watch-ashton-kutchers-emotional-senate-testimony/
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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Report: Universal Pre-K in Montgomery County Could Cost Up to $128 Million Annually

Offering universal pre-kindergarten programs in Montgomery County would cost between $113 million and $128 million each year, according to a new legislative analysis.

Report: Universal Pre-K in Montgomery County Could Cost Up to 8 Million Annually: Analysis finds long-term benefits of early education outweigh the expense
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MCPS Alerts Parents to Virtual Kidnapping Scam

MCPS Alerts Parents to Virtual Kidnapping Scam: Local parents have reported getting called by strangers demanding ransom money
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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Kojo: Is Diversity In Montgomery County Schools Distracting? Wed. Feb. 15th at 12:30 PM

Montgomery County Public Schools has long invested in “cultural competency” training, which encourages educators to take students’ cultural backgrounds into account in the classroom. While some in the community think focusing on the county’s diversity aids learning, others question the need for highlighting student differences. We discuss the role of race and culture in education, and what approach makes sense for our current political climate.

Guests

  • Mike Gonzalez Senior Fellow, The Heritage Foundation; @Gundisalvus
  • Troy Boddy Director of Equity Initiatives Unit, Montgomery County Public Schools, @mcpsequityteam 
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2017-02-15/is-diversity-in-montgomery-county-schools-distracting
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Police: Winston Churchill HS student busted for selling Xanax out of school bathroom stall

Montgomery County Police say around 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, January 19, an observant school security guard entered a boy's bathroom and noticed two male students sharing a single stall. When the stall door opened, the security guard watched Harrington and a 17-year-old junior exit. The guard asked both students to accompany him to the security office. Harrington, however, refused, briskly leaving the building, and ultimately, school property.
The 17-year-old accused buyer, who ABC7 is not identifying, allowed the security guard to search his backpack. That is when the guard found 24 Xanax pills (2mg) plus nine Effexor pills (150mg) in a plastic baggy.

http://wjla.com/news/local/police-winston-churchill-hs-student-busted-for-selling-xanax-out-of-school-bathroom-stall
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Monday, February 13, 2017

Tonight: City of Gaithersburg Proposal to Put Cell Towers on Single Family Homes

http://sirepub.gaithersburgmd.gov/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=2805&doctype=agenda&itemid=18111
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@Mocoboe Spends $24,678 in One Month Fighting Families of Special Needs Kids

Special Education Legal Expenses

Special education legal fees for outside counsel for November 2016 totaled $24,678.
The Jeffrey A. Krew bill totaled $21,196 and the Carney Kelehan bill totaled $3,482.
The year-to-date total of $62,973 is $14,054 (18.3 percent) less than the same period
in the previous year.

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Saturday, February 11, 2017

Independent Inspector General & Audit for Park & Planning and WSSC: Annapolis Update

The bill to establish an independent Inspector General for M-NCPPC and WSSC is long overdue. It was introduced by Del. Ben Kramer (District 19) and was voted out of committee, although three of our representatives, Kumar Barve (District 17), Anne Kaiser (District 14), and Charles Barkley (District 39), voted no and did not want to see it get out of committee.

We understand both agencies are opposed to this effort at some control and transparency and are working either to kill the bill or water it down. Members of the County Planning Board have stated their difficulty with this effort at transparency, so MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD IN ANNAPOLIS!

The bill information is here. The bill is MC/PG 110-17.

Please contact your House and Senate representatives and tell them we need a strong independent Inspector General for these agencies and independent audits. At the moment there is no oversight and little transparency at these agencies.

Also please contact Mike Miller, President of the state senate who has the ultimate say in whether a bill will pass. His email is: thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us.

To find your representative, go here.

Because local government matters too.

 
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Friday, February 10, 2017

BOE Held Closed Session to Discuss "assignment and employment of individual employee" and More Ongoing Collective Bargaining

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/boe/meetings/agenda/2017/170201%20Resolution%20for%20Closed%20Session-rev.pdf
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Thursday, February 9, 2017

Issue Papers 2017 MD Legislative Session

http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/Pubs/legislegal/2017rs-Issue-Papers.pdf

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Wednesday, February 8, 2017

State BOE Opinion: PG Board of Ed can not expend travel funds on donations

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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Assault at Tilden Middle School

Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row: Assault at Tilden MS, pedestrian struck on Battery...: Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on February 4, according to crime data: Disorderly conduct. 4900 block Cordell A...
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