Good afternoon. Buenas tardes and welcome to the April 16th, 2026 Board work session. Welcome to our board members, M.c.p.s staff and members of our community who are joining us here today. And to those who are watching this meeting via live stream, like my mom,
Graciela, as we begin today's meeting and as we move into the final weeks of the school year, I would like to take a moment to reflect on some important decisions the board has made in the recent weeks. We know that
the board's decisions on school boundaries and academic programing will have a tremendous impact on our students and staff, and it will bring about significant changes for stakeholders throughout the county. We recognize that for
some, these decisions have generated feelings of excitement and new opportunities, while for others they have led to feelings of apprehension, disappointment and concern. We acknowledge that the discussions around these decisions have been
difficult ones. They have evoked lots of emotions and at times heated comments. As we move forward, it is important that we take a collective breath, give each other grace and proceed in our work
together respectfully with solidity, civility and understanding, and with a very common purpose, was in the best interest of all our children and staff. With that, let us begin our meeting and please
stand up. The flag is in the back. As we say, our Pledge of Allegiance, our pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. I will now ask my colleagues to please introduce themselves to establish a quorum. I will start on my right. Laura Stewart, district
four. Good afternoon. Buenas tardes. Carla Silvestre, school board member at large. Good afternoon. Julie Yang, district three. Good to see all of you. Good afternoon, Brenda Wolff, district five. Good afternoon. Rita Montoya, board member at large. Good afternoon, Natalie
Zimmermann. I represent district two. Good afternoon. A student member of the board. Thank you so much, colleagues. Next, is there a motion to approve items 3.2 and 3.3
motion. Second, there is a motion and a second. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous. Miss Rivera-Oven, just real quick, if we could confirm approval of the agenda itself. Well, that was 4.1. The next
item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda. Motion to approve. Second, all those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous for the approval of the agenda. Would you like me to do 3.2
again? We're good. Okay. You know, we were on vacation for a little bit, and so here we are. Next is item 4.1. This is the recommended appointments by Doctor Taylor. Doctor Taylor
thank you, Madam President and members of the board. This is an exciting time of year where we are recommending some administrative appointments for the board's consideration, and we have several appointments for your consideration today. When I call your name, if you could please stand when I say
some nice things about you and then the board will consider your appointment. First up, for the position of Chief of Talent Management Doctor Renee K McCall for the position of Chief Talent Management Officer in the Division of Human
Resources and Talent Management. Joining her today is one of her sons, Gary, with more than 30 years of distinguished service in education, doctor McCall brings a dynamic and well-rounded leadership background to Montgomery County Public Schools. Her professional journey spans
roles as an accountant, teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and reflecting her strong commitment to excellence, equity, and student success. Doctor McCall has spent the past two years with M.C.P.S. serving as the Executive director in the
office of the Chief of Staff, where she has played a key role in supporting system wide initiatives and advancing the district's priorities. As well as supporting me, the superintendent. Most recently since December, she has been serving as the acting chief
talent Management Officer. Doctor McCall is honored and excited to continue collaborating with the outstanding team members in the Division of Human Resources and Talent Management, and to support the M.C.P.S. vision of making every student future ready. Special acknowledgments
to her family and friends who are proudly watching online. Motion to approve. Second, there is a motion to approve in a second. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous.
Congratulations. A lot of fans. She did. And I got to tell you, it is a tricky thing to keep the chief of HR a secret from
HR. Somehow we were able to do it until today. But congratulations, doctor McCall. Next for consideration is Mr. Emmanuel J. Jean-Philippe for the position of Consulting principal in the Department of Professional Growth Systems in
the Division of Human Resources and Talent Management. He is joined today by his wife, Jamie Lee. Excuse me. Mr. Jean-Philippe has been employed with M.C.P.S. for 28 years as a teacher, assistant principal, principal intern, acting
principal and most recently as the distinguished principal of Arcola Elementary School. He is honored to join the Department of Professional Growth Systems, where he looks forward to mentoring and building the capacity of new principals and administrators. His goal is to
help ensure the highest quality education for all students, enhance the system's commitment to equity and excellence, and foster a culture rooted in respect for every individual. Shout outs to his family members who are watching and
celebrating online. Motion to approve. Second, there is a motion and a second. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous.
Congratulations. Man. Mr. Jean-Philippe got a round of applause. That's pretty good. Not too shabby. Next for consideration is Doctor Sherilyn R Moses for the position of consulting
principal in the Department of Professional Growth Systems and the Division of Human Resources and Talent Management. Joining her today is her husband Chris, her daughters Chantel and Abigail. Her mother, retired Brigadier General Doctor Deborah Howell, and her mentor,
Doctor Diana. Diana Zabetakis. Doctor Moses has been employed with M.C.P.S. for 21 years as a teacher, assistant principal, principal intern and most recently as the principal of Doctor Ronald McNair Elementary
School. Doctor Moses is excited to join the Department of Professional Growth Systems to support first year principals and administrators new to M.C.P.S. in building the leadership capacity necessary to drive equitable outcomes for all students. Shout outs to her
family watching from the US Virgin Islands from Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Minnesota and to her friends and colleagues in M.C.P.S. for their continued support. Motion to approve. I. Second, there is
a motion and a second. All those in favor, please raise your hand and that is unanimous. Congratulations. Next for
consideration is Mr. Casey H. Siddons for the position of principal at Rock Terrace School. Joining him today is his wife Sarah, daughter Frida, his mother Cathy, his father Jim, and his aunt, Maureen. Mr.
Siddons has been with M.C.P.S. for 18 years as a teacher, content specialist, consulting teacher, academic coordinator, assistant principal and most recently as the acting principal at Rock Terrace School. He looks forward to building the strong legacy of
Rock Terrace School, their amazing staff and their and the broader community, and to support to continue supporting students with significant disabilities as they transition from school to adulthood and to become actively engaged members
of our community. Shout outs to his brother Corey, his brothers Corey and Jordan, who are watching online. He would also like to recognize his mentors Doctor Robbie Dodd, Doctor Janine Dawson, Miss Kim Bolden, Doctor Donna Redmond Jones,
miss Summer Snyder and Mr. Peter Crable motion to approve. Second, there is a motion and a second. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous.
Congratulations. Madam President. And last for consideration is Mrs. Alana Simone for the position of principal at Fox Chapel Elementary School. Joining Miss
Simone is her husband, Itamar. Their children, Noam, Eitan and Leah, and her mother, Michelle Probst. Miss Simone has been employed with M.C.P.S. for 25 years as a teacher, staff
development teacher, acting assistant principal, assistant principal and most recently as the principal intern at Harriet Tubman Elementary School. She looks forward to leading the Fox Chapel community in her new role. Shout outs to her mentors
Doctor Griffith, Mr. McCall and Mr. Lloyd, and to the communities of Harriet Tubman and Meadow Hall Elementary schools for their support. Motion to approve. Second, there is a motion and a second. All those in favor, please
raise your hand. And that is unanimous. Congratulations. Thank you, Madam President.
This concludes administrative appointments. The next. Let's give these folks who are so happy all these loved ones. No, no. You're good. Second floor. Okay. They're going to the
second floor. I'm excited. This many people come. Yes. Congratulations to all of the folks that you appointed to administrative positions. It's a tremendous privilege to serve in M.C.P.S. in this role. And we're just delighted that they're here. They're going to
give great contribution to our community. And thank you to the family and friends for coming and being supportive and sharing the loved ones with us. l right, Doctor Taylor, we have the next on the agenda. I have the Maryland Safe Schools Month. Yes, very exciting
resolution for the board's consideration. Recently, it was declared that Maryland Safe Schools Month would be this month in the month of April. So I'd like to read a resolved for the board's consideration. Resolved that the Montgomery
County Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools proclaim April as Maryland's Safe Schools Month and encourage all members of the community to actively support and promote school safety efforts to ensure a secure, supportive and thriving
learning environment for every student. And before the board takes this resolution up for consideration, I think it's important to note that in addition to our legislature and our governor noting this as Safe Schools Month, this is also the theme of one of our
presentations before the board for today. And so it's appropriate that we celebrate Safe Schools Month by giving the board a report on school safety. All right. Thank you, Doctor Taylor. Motion to approve. Second. Okay. There's
a first and a second. All those in favor of the resolution, please raise your hand. And that is a happy unanimous. Thank you very much, Doctor Taylor. Thank you, Madam President. And just as a reminder, this resolution, which the Board of Education just approved, will be shared
and celebrated by the Board of Education at its April 30th business meeting. Good to hear. Next on our agenda, we have item six. This is the association comments. So I will ask any designated
representatives here to provide association comments to. Please come forward and introduce yourself for the record prior to beginning your comments. That would be Miss Esmeralda Ramirez representing SEIU. Is
she here? Esmeralda Ramirez. Ramirez, the SEIU. Okay. Karina,
por favor. Gracias. Gracias. You can begin. Okay. Buenas
todos Los miembros. Gracias. Por este espacio. Como en especial y multilingual, y Como parte de una comunidad M.C.P.S. Quiero comenzar con una preguntas podemos hablar de Estudiantes de Los Padres no
tienen access para participar. Porque el sistema educativo debemos socios alianza acceso no es una hoy. ES eso es un riesgo. Especialista en participation familiar no es un tema de presupuesto es una
decision afecta a la voz de las familias y el apoyo personal, educative imaginense un sistema nuevo sin idioma y Cynthia qué pasa? Cuando no hay acceso orientation simple la participacion desaparece muchas
familias especialistas en participacion familiar en el puente. Especialista en participation familiar apoyo a entender un sistema complejo me acompana reunions de IP y medio confianza para participar también en la communication con
maestros especialistas el resultado positivo en educacion de mi hijo. Entonces si necesita apoyo qué pasa se sienten perdidos limitados por el idioma y el sistema. Esto no se trata de se trata de personas del futuro de nuestros
Estudiantes. La necesidad no disminuido. Entonces por qué retroceder hoy tenemos padres conectados o padres mpotts. I'll be translating okay. And
though these aren't translators and interpreters, we use our language and cultural understanding to bridge the gap between parents and school. Thank you for this opportunity to speak. I address you today as the mother of a student in special education and multilingual programs, and as a member of a community that
places its trust in M.C.P.S. I would like to begin with a question can we truly speak of student success if parents lack meaningful access to participate, parents and the educational system must be partners, and a partnership without access is no partnership at all. Today, that
access is at risk. Cutting family engagement specialist positions is not merely a budgetary issue, it is a decision that directly impacts the voices of families and the support available to our educational staff. Imagine a parent navigating a new system without language proficiency,
without guidance. What happens when there is neither access nor guidance? It is simple. Engagement vanishes, and that is the reality for many families. Rfi's serve as the bridge. In my own case, my fees helped me navigate a complex system, accompanied me to IEP
meetings and gave me the confidence to participate. They also strengthened communication between myself, my son's teacher and his specialist. The result? A positive impact on my son's education. So I ask you if I need that support. What will become of those who already feel lost or limited by
language barriers? This is not about numbers. It is about people. It is about the future of our students. The need has not diminished. It has grown. So why would we take a step backward today? We must make a choice. Disconnected parents or empowered parents. I urge you to reconsider for by supporting
our families and our school staff, we strengthen our entire community and public education itself. Gracias. Thank you. But a record completo, por favor. See Esmeralda Rodriguez. Sorry for speaking Spanish, but this is the reason I speak Spanish because that is happening in
the school. Thank you so much. Esmeralda Rodriguez. Yes. Pregunta representando a la union de la SEIU. Estas aqui Como individual porque tenemos otra Esmeralda. Esmeralda
Ramirez habla de parte de la Union. Pero esta hablando Como parte de de de tu persona Como mama, estoy hablando de ambos de la participacion de family engagement, especially parte de la Union también porque no
espacio para okay, entonces okay. Entonces. Esmeralda Ramirez Rodriguez where's Esmeralda Rodriguez Rodriguez. Okay. De las escuelas no pero
para trabajar. No no. Torres. Mama. Okay. Entonces un poco de confusion. There is a confusion just for the record. Okay, this is Esmeralda Rodriguez, okay. And Esmeralda Ramirez has not yet testified on behalf of the SEIU. Okay. This this was the
SEIU direct testimony that we received. Yes. SEIU requested requested this testimony. Okay. So Esmeralda. Correct. Okay, okay. Estamos diferente apellido. Okay. Mi amor. Gracias. Gracias. Por
testimonio. Thank you so much. No no no no no she didn't. Yeah. Hablar en espanol. Por qué amor? No. Somebody else. No mi vida. No hay ninguna. Disculpas
hablar en su idioma. Natale Digna de hablar de idioma quieras. Mi cielo. Gracias. Thank you. Okay, well, now we're going to go into the next
testimony. If you hear your name, I'm going to be calling the next six folks to testify. Could we have Sienna Shaner? I'm going to mess this one up. A j n n u. Arjun. Thank you so
much, sweetheart. Then we're going to have Shivani Mishra. Meg Hanley, Marina Petkova, and
Betsy Tao. And can we start with Miss Sienna Shatner or Shayna Shaner? I got it right. All right. If you could start and you can push the button in
front of you. Thank you. Hi, my name is Sienna Shaner and I have been doing gymnastics for two years at Walter Johnson. Even though my sport is consistently overlooked, it means the world to me and many others as it has given me a social circle that I otherwise
wouldn't have found, and is also showed me a different side of gymnastics than club does. High school sports in general are a fantastic opportunity, and gymnastics specifically emphasizes teamwork and sportsmanship. Even in a sport that is so individualistic. Since gymnastics is the only
opportunity for many girls to do high school sports, removing gymnastics means taking away sports for dozens of girls across M.C.P.S. Even if you believe that is acceptable, the fact that M.c.p.s! Is not following the correct process to take away sport is not. Steps are being sped through
and importantly, community input hasn't been asked for. This means our wants and needs are not being met and our ideas and solutions are never heard. Even with many fixes waiting to be considered. M.C.P.S. Athletics has chosen stunt, which is essentially cheerleading to replace
gymnastics, which is a completely inadequate solution. Why do cheerleaders get three opportunities to participate in school sports while we get zero? That is not to say that cheer isn't incredibly valued throughout the county, but it is to say that gymnastics desperately needs and deserves
more attention. This change is not being being done with student interest in mind, which is entirely inequitable for gymnasts and young girls in M.C.P.S. So I ask you to consider how this is impacting current female student athletes and how it impacts our little sisters too. In this case, your
silence is your support. So why would you support taking away this sport that means so much to the M.C.P.S. community and still has so much potential? I hope you listen to what I and thousands of other voices have to say. Thank you. Thank you so
much. If we could have miss you. My name is Arjun. You and I am a sophomore at Walter Johnson High School who has been doing two years of varsity gymnastics. I've been doing this sport since I was five years old, and gymnastics has shaped my life into who I am today, which
gymnastics has given me a new opportunity to express myself in ways I cannot find anywhere else. This isn't just my experience. I am representing the thousands of people who also feel the same as me alumni, coaches, gymnasts who have shaped their lives around gymnastics have spoken against
this decision. Yet you decide to move forward with your decision without truly listening to us. What have you done to satisfy to satisfy the 2000 plus people who signed our petition? What about the coaches who have dedicated decades of their lives to this sport, such as a Sherwood High School coach who has been
coaching for over 50 years? Gymnastics is such a big foundation of thousands of people's of lives, both mentally, physically and spiritually. This isn't just a decision, it is breaking a generational tradition throughout M.C.P.S. history. It doesn't just remove gymnastics,
it removes access to it. For female students who can't afford other alternatives, what happens to those students who can't afford 300, 500, or even $1,000 for private gymnastics? What happens? What are those students supposed to do now? Just quit. For a lot of students, school gymnastics is
the first time they're even given the chance to step on a mat and learn the sport in a structured, supportive environment. Removing this shuts down any opportunities for all girls who want to learn about the art of gymnastics. Cheer will never equal gymnastics, and M.C.P.S. does not need three seasons of cheer.
While we have zero for gymnastics, we're told to constantly speak up to use our voices through smob and student leadership, and to advocate for what we believe in. What happens to when students put in the effort to advocate and the outcome stays the same no matter how many voices are heard. I leave you with this.
Years from now, students will remember sport discussions or the numbers on a spreadsheet. We won't remember the explanations or the justifications given in this room. We will remember what you have taken away from us. Unless you listen to our voices and keep the sport. Thank you,
thank you, Miss Mishra. Good afternoon, members of the board and Doctor Taylor. My name is Shivani Mishra. I'm a high school student at Richard Montgomery urging you to address our current weapon crisis. As you know, a student was tragically shot at Wooton
High School in just a few years ago. Another student at Magruder relearned how to walk after taking a bullet to the hip. Both instances involved a ghost gun, which is self-assembled and untraceable, and just last week, a Watkins Mill student was found with a
handgun. Despite this, Montgomery County currently has zero metal detectors and recently removed its school resource officers. The current SRO replacement Community Engagement officers are temporary and possess no jurisdiction directly inside
schools. For a county that preaches safety, it is unacceptable to normalize such instances without precautions. I'm aware of an AI detection system being tested, but it doesn't detect weapons hidden in a bag and has not progressed since February. Time is not
meant to forget safety and taking shortcuts when lives are at stake should never be an option. Whether it's working metal detectors or true permanent security guards, we need immediate and effective action at every single school. And of course, this means addressing the root cause
mental health. I'm lucky enough to attend a high school where there are entire days dedicated to catching up on work and many available help resources. However, most schools don't possess a fraction of these resources. It is time to start. Stop being reactive and start
being proactive. M.C.P.S. As a student who has seen the impacts and heard the frustration, I ask you to provide the transparency and changes needed so students aren't reduced to statistics. We don't need drills. We need solutions. Thank you. Thank you
so much, Miss Hanley. Good afternoon. My name is Meg Hanley. I'm here to address the issue regarding the elimination of gymnastics and equitable sport in Montgomery County since 1963. Club programs cost hundreds of dollars. Just like. Just like the coaches. I was
profoundly disappointed in how the dissemination of the termination of the program was addressed, and that Damascus would be the pilot school for a new program stunting. We were told gymnastics would possibly end, but is still being discussed. In May, we were informed that there would be forums and opportunities for the gymnasts, coaches, parents
and community members to ask questions and be stakeholders in the decision making process. This never happened. On two 1826, a letter was emailed to some of the gymnasts by parent gymnast parents by the director of Athletics, Doctor Sullivan, who was in China at the time with the pickleball team
notifying us gymnastics was ending. See both stunting and the trip to China posted all over social media by our very own Doctor Sullivan, without honoring his commitment to further discussion on gymnastics, was offensive. Should the raised values be changed to Risen Within, representing nepotism with
supported data that. This is occurring at a February 19th board meeting for members had questions regarding this decision, Miss Stewart made the first comment about gymnastics. Doctor Taylor's immediate response was to leave it for someone. The athletic department. Three other board members had inquiries like ours
who investigated the validity and the claimed reasons for dropping the program. Gymnastics is not just a sport, but a community that meets the needs of a diverse student body, including those with intellectual disabilities. It teaches the athlete that sometimes in life you fall, but you don't give up. You get back
up with integrity and do it again. The ads and principles must uphold their title nine responsibilities and offer gymnastics at all high school levels. It's the law. There are current students that want it, and the ads and principles are simply refusing and denying it, resulting in systemic discrimination against female
athletes. We look forward to hearing transparent, factual responses with valid data from Superintendent Doctor Taylor and our district representatives. Since Doctor Sullivan's words and actions have not been credible. Thank you for your time. Thank you,
miss. Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and to express my concerns. I will talk about family engagement specialist position. For the sake of time, I will skip many details. My daughter and my
family were recipients of the great service provided in M.C.P.S. by Family Engagement Specialist. My daughter is 15 years old and received special needs services. During one of the most difficult moments, I was referred to my f s by my
daughter's teacher. My family was incredibly caring and responsive. She listened and guided me with respect and compassion, helping my daughter transition from middle school to high school and ensuring stability, continuity of
education and overall well-being. Her help was truly a lifeline for our family. I know my family is just one of many who needs to support navigating the educational system. Every parent should have access to the family
engagement specialist to build trust and create space for positive dialog. The impact a child's success. Recently, I learned about the proposed 2026 M.C.P.S. budget cuts to family engagement specialist positions,
and I am deeply concerned. Many families rely on this support, yet not all feel safe or able to speak up. I stand here today for those who can. Not asking you to consider the real impact
these cuts would have today, my hope is to be the voice of the parents who were not able to come here, and that you hear me loud and clear. Please do not leave our family and our children behind. Do not cut. Family engagement specialist
positions. The contribution of family engagement specialists to parents and school staff are invaluable. Building positive outcomes for everyone. By creating this opportunity strengthens the whole community. Thank you. Thank you very much,
Miss Tao. Good afternoon. I'm the chair of the MCC PTA Technology Committee, and I am here to remind you of the work we've done this year. Before you vote on policy, I guess next month. First smartphones. The damage that smartphones and social media have done to our
kids is incalculable and well documented. Last year, I sent you a list of 2000 parents who want an away all day policy for all grades. M.C.P.S. opted not to take the step, so I worked with legislators to pass a statewide bell to Bell K through 12 prohibition on devices with limited exceptions.
This bill is now on its way to the governor. I urge you to consider strong storage options that ensure phones are inaccessible and enforcement doesn't fall on teachers. That's what teachers overwhelmingly want, and that's what our students desperately need. Second, Chromebooks. It's also well documented that the 1
to 1 policy has led to a decade long decline in student performance, which can be explained by the science behind how our brains learn. Students in all grades can access harmful content, no matter how hard M.C.P.S. tries to block it. For example, I found out recently that my eight year old can access a popular game
called Five Nights on Epstein's Island with her school account. Countless families share these concerns. We sent you a Chromebook report summarizing over 1000 responses, with hundreds of stories from parents about the harmful content their kids access while in school, and parents recognize Chromebooks are not
good for learning, 87% said they want more paper, less screens, raising the stakes even higher. Chromebooks are now flooded with AI chat bots, and students can easily get generative AI responses from Google. Our delegates unanimously passed a resolution asking M.C.P.S. to mitigate the
harms caused by technology, overuse and generative AI. We are still waiting for a response to both the Chromebook Report and the resolution. Like you and many parents in our community, I am also a man in the arena, but I have no power to make the changes that will move us in the right direction.
You do. I hope you will give serious consideration to these issues because I know you care about our kids and this greatly affects every single student at M.C.P.S. Thank you. Thank you so very much. Appreciate your testimony. I'm going to call
the next six folks who are going to come and testify. If you hear a name, please come forward. Mark Weisbrot, Pablo Molina, Ju-hee Sahina Saxena.
Thank you. Sally Louise Miller. Zoe Eugenio and Kate Amburgey.
If we can start with Mark, please. Thank you. Board members and Superintendent Taylor, thank you for this opportunity to exercise my privilege to speak truth to power. I'm here as a member of Wheaton Woods, an underserved, vulnerable community to speak
about equity, a value all of you claim to profess. Specifically. I'm here to vocalize that you have failed and are failing to create an equitable community across the whole county. Choosing equity is choosing a hard road. It's
choosing a road full of toil, conflict, and difficult decisions. When you choose to create an equitable community, you're choosing to have uncomfortable conversations with wealthy stakeholders, asking them for more. You're choosing to look powerful sub communities in the eye and say, I don't have time for you.
You're choosing to put long, unrecognized hours into thankless tasks for people you'll never meet. I say this because you say you have chosen equity, but your actions demonstrate otherwise. Your actions say you're comfortable ignoring vulnerable communities
that you will always pander to loud, wealthy stakeholders, and that you will place the needs of underserved communities at the bottom of your priorities. You have shown you do not want to choose the hard road. However, if equity is important to you, then put your money
where your mouth is. Put equity at the top of your priorities. Begin every discussion with the considerations of the most vulnerable communities that you are responsible for. Stop cutting positions such as family engagement specialists. Expand community school
programs. Because I cannot stress this enough. If equity means anything to this board, it has to mean everything to this board or it means nothing to us. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Mr. Molina. Good
afternoon, members of the Board of Education. My name is Pablo Molina and I serve as a family engagement specialist. I'm here today to speak about equity not as an abstract idea, but as a daily responsibility, and why it's critical to maintain those 16 family engagement specialists. Family engagement
specialists serve all families, every caregiver, every student, and every community deserves access, clarity, and support in navigating M.C.P.S. At the same time, equity asks us to recognize that not all families from start from the same place. Some may need minimal guidance,
while others require deeper and more consistent support to access the opportunities available for their children fully. That is where our role becomes essential. Across Montgomery County, clusters vary significantly in size, demographics, and needs. Some
clusters include a small number of schools, while others serve many more. With complex and diverse communities, moving to a cluster based model does not create efficiency. It creates a gaps. It stretches, support too thin and limits our ability to be responsive and effective.
Our work is rooted in relationships. We build trust with families over time. We invite parents to take an active and confident role in creating solutions as equal stakeholders in their children's education. This is not one size fits all. This is.
This requires consistency. It requires presence and it requires capacity. When family engagement specialists are spread across too thin, the quality and depth of the support is reduced for everyone. When it happens, the families who need connection are the
most that feel the impact. Maintaining all 16 family engagement specialists is not just about preserving roles, it's about preserving relationships, trust and ability for all the families to be seen, supported and empowered in M.C.P.S. Thank you for your time and your commitment to all families in our community. Thank you, Mr.
Molina. Miss Cena, I said it right. Yeah. Just push the button in front of you. Yep. Just push it. Yep, nope. You're good. Okay, doctor Taylor, and thanks to the Montgomery County School board for having me
today. My name is Judy Saxena, and I'm the parent of a high school gymnast. Like several others, I'm here today to discuss gymnastics. This unilateral decision to cancel gymnastics was not made with the care and concern I've come to expect from M.C.P.S. there
is unequivocal support for maintaining gymnastics, as demonstrated by the petition opposing its cancellation, which has over 2000 signatures and counting. Public stakeholders have been met with a brick wall when they try to participate, provide information or advocate for the
sport. The picture the athletics office has painted is one of no transparency or accountability, along with an unwavering commitment to a predetermined outcome. What has surprised me the most is the casual dismissiveness of the Athletics office. I have heard
of two gymnasts approaching a member of the Athletics office with an appeal to keep gymnastics. They were, they were told, I know it's disappointing, but you'll get over it. A high school staff person was told to discourage parents from emailing the athletics office because they didn't want to have to deal
with a bunch of emails. A parent called the athletics office to provide their views. They were not allowed to do so, and instead they got a lecture about why stunt is so great. M.C.P.S. is legally required to
meaningfully support and promote all girls sports for gymnastics. They have made false claims that gymnastics is expensive, that there is declining interest, and that stunt and gymnastics are the same. They are not. And just
the past week there have been 12 posts about stunt on the MCU. On the M.C.P.S. Athletics Instagram account, 12 posts in one week. And just this morning, multiple stunt stories appeared in their feed. Out of the 785
posts that have been posted since their inception. Thank you, Miss Cicenas, we have your testimony. I'm sorry, but your time has run out. Appreciate it. Miss Sally Reese Miller. Good
afternoon, members of the board. My name is Sally Reese Miller and I am a family engagement specialist. I am here to continue the advocacy efforts for the reinstatement of the 16 family engagement specialist positions that were reduced. Family engagement specialists are the bridge between schools and families. We are a
multilingual group and we reflect the diverse communities we serve. We serve all families, often the ones navigating language barriers, financial hardship and an unfamiliar school system. These are the groups this very board has identified as needing the most support. There is a common
misconception that other roles can absorb the work we do. While we work closely with social workers, pupil personnel, workers and counselors. Our roles are not interchangeable but complementary. It is our collaboration that leads to student success. Family engagement specialists help
families navigate our complex school system, understand school procedures, prepare for meetings, ask informed questions, break down barriers and champion for their children's needs over time, this family centered role is critical and unique. From explaining, grading and reporting, credit and
graduation requirements, programs and services available to students across all grade levels, participating in intakes, IEP and attendance meetings, and connecting families with community partners when needed. Family engagement specialists build strong, long lasting, trust based relationships with the
communities we serve. This empowers parents to take on an active role in their children's academic career. We also organize community events where caregivers can meet school staff, which helps them feel more comfortable, connected and engaged. We also build staff capacity around family
engagement by participating in ILT and student well-being teams. As we elevate the goals of the schools we serve, this work is not always easily measurable by metrics. I urge you to reconsider the reduction of the 16 Family Engagement Specialist position. Our work
is invaluable and directly supports the communities you have been entrusted to represent. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you very much, Miss Zoe. Thank you. Dear members of the board. My name is Saeed and I'm honored to serve as a family
engagement specialist. Every day we work alongside families. We listen with intention, we offer a safe space, and we build the trust that allows the school to function. We make sure parents feel seen, heard and valued, especially when the school system feels
overwhelming and unfamiliar. While we serve all families, our work is a lifeline for our ML community, which faces significant challenges due to language and cultural barriers. We are the ones removing those barriers every year.
Expectations grow new policies, new platforms and shifting boundaries. We take what is complex and make it accessible. We ensure that no family is left behind. We show them that they belong, that their voices matter, and that their children
deserve every opportunity this county has to offer. Cutting family engagement specialist is not just a budget adjustment. It is a direct blow to a family's ability to support and advocate for their child's education. It means less trust,
less support, and less empowerment. So I would like to ask, what is the true vision and commitment to family engagement in our school system? Eliminating these positions is a step backward for equity at risk, undoing years of progress.
Today, I ask you to see the faces behind this work. The parents who now have the confidence to attend and ask questions during meetings to support their kids. The impact is clear those who were once silent have found their voice
to help save their children's future. This is the impact of family engagement specialists. Please protect this service for our families and students. Protect the trust that we have built. Thank you so much. Thank
you, Mr. Ohanian. Miss Amburgey. On April 10th, current MBA families received a letter dated April 10th which informed parents that MBA lie may close if they didn't submit corrective action by March 26th. This letter also informed that we could choose to reenroll our
student at our home school. Why did I receive a letter on April 10th that spoke of March 26th in the future tense? Had this letter already been sent to new incoming families for the next school year, and they had forgotten to change the letter when sending to current MBA families, why would M.C.P.S.
send out a letter? Alarming potential parents that a school may close, knowing full well that this hearing is happening today and the final vote on April 30th? If M.C.P.S. had been operating in good faith and as a true partner, this letter would have been delayed until a final decision is made.
The letter says it wants a clear and stable path, but a letter like that makes families feel unclear and unstable. It makes them unenroll. And so I began to wonder, why would M.C.P.S. want to sow fear and distrust about MBA? I is
M.C.P.S. acting in good faith? Does M.C.P.S. want MBA to fail? Has the verdict to close already been decided? Is today's corrective action hearing a charade? Since the last hearing on February 19th, we, the current parents of MBA, have kept up with the school.
We asked questions, demanded transparency, created PowerPoints, trying to sort this all out, and now we demand the same of M.C.P.S. because we have heard that M.C.P.S. wasn't responding to school emails and questions. That MBA was told they needed to correct things, but weren't given clear directives as to what to
correct. As the board conducted an independent review of the submissions, communications and corrections between M.C.P.S. and MBA lie at this point, the parents don't know what to believe, but we do know who benefits if MBA lie closes M.C.P.S. because we are all aware of the extreme budgetary
crisis M.C.P.S. is facing due to declining enrollment. Please scrutinize M.C.P.S. actions with the same rigor applied to MBA lie because these children are more than per pupil funding. Thank you. Thank you so much for your comment. I will be now
asking our staff to please start playing the video testimony. And I know we have one more person signed at the end. So if you are Miss Granados, please wait till the end. After we do testimony by
video first. My name is Evelyn Chung. I'm the acting chair of the ESL Committee. First, consistent with our op ed regarding calendar planning, the MCC PTA Education Committee chairs urge this board to amend the 2627 calendar to add more full five day weeks, add more
built in instructional and spring makeup days, and complete all instructional makeup days before Juneteenth, per state board guidance. Second, as an MCC PTA math RFP reviewer, I was dismayed to learn that M.C.P.S. will not be presenting its recommendation for a new math curriculum today, leaving the board with little
time to consider a decision of enormous consequence. As you're well aware, most of our students are not meeting state math proficiency standards. The body of research, the Johns Hopkins Independent Audit, the Maryland Blueprint, and MSD math policies are all in accord,
one of the most effective levers to improve student outcomes is high quality instructional materials. A strong math curriculum must include all three prongs of rigor, conceptual understanding, fluency, and real world application. An effective math curriculum is a coherent
sequence, not a hodgepodge of supplements that culturally affirm students and supports diverse learners. All but one of the RFP finalists lacked such coherence, and these products real world applications. Deeper mathematical inquiry. Culturally affirming materials and email supports are relegated to hard to navigate
supplements and general guides that teachers might not use consistently. These same products also rely heavily on edtech, including untested and unproven AI tools. Even though MCPs has not finalized its AI guidance. In contrast, one
finalist stands out by offering a cohesive, culturally affirming sequence that embeds ML and other supports, demonstrates consistent strength across all three prongs of rigor, and incorporates a responsible approach to digital tools. The MCC PTA Committee chairs would support the adoption of this
product. Given the critical nature of this decision, we urge MCPs to publicly disclose this recommendation to allow the board and community a meaningful opportunity to weigh in. Thank you. Members of the board. My name is Sofia. I am the parent of an MBA student
who plans to remain enrolled for the 20 2627 school year. On April 10th, M.C.P.S. sent a letter to families whose children are enrolled at Embley for the upcoming school year, highlighting the school's likely closure and providing information about Reenrollment
options within M.C.P.S. The letter's writing style and its omissions are particularly concerning. The letter states that there is no required action at this time unless families choose to reenroll in M.C.P.S. and that families will receive formal notification by
May 29th if closure actually occurs. However, the letter repeatedly emphasizes the closure, outlines next steps, and provides a future decision timeline. This creates mixed messaging. Families are told no action is required, yet they are presented with information
that creates urgency and uncertainty. So why did M.C.P.S. send the letter now? Missing facts also make the communication incomplete. The letter does not inform families that MLI is actively opposing closure, and has presented the board with an alternative proposal to continue operating
under monitoring and collaboration does not mention that MLI has formally appealed the revocation decision to the Maryland State Board of Education. Both actions are active and directly relevant to the school's future. Without that context, families received a one sided message. The
communication discourages enrollment and undermines confidence in MLI. When MLI is expected to demonstrate continued family interest. Embley is part of M.C.P.S. and should be treated like it. I respectfully ask the board to ensure that future communications provide a
complete picture, including endless ongoing efforts, its appeal status and the full range of options before families. Here's the letter.
Members of the board, thank you for the opportunity to speak. I am the parent of a sixth grade MBA student, and I want to address two concerns optics and disparate treatment. As a retired assistant inspector general for the Department of the Navy, I learned that perception is reality, and the
perception in our community is that M.C.P.S. and the board did not want a charter school, did not want MBA, and created conditions that made success extremely difficult. After a single visit on MLI second day, MCPs began documenting issues that ultimately led to the vote
to revoke the charter. A January 23rd article captured what many families already felt. Embley never truly had a fair chance. There are also serious concerns about unequal treatment, where families at magnet or IB programs contacted and asked if they wanted to
return to their home school, or was this done only to Embley families? When other MCPs schools have special education violations? Are all parents notified? Do those schools face closure? Many MCPs buildings have asbestos, unsafe stairwells or structural
problems? MLI does not. Families also received an April 10th letter implying MLI had not responded to M.C.P.S. even though leadership submitted its response weeks earlier. The letter further suggested MLI students were not enrolled in M.C.P.S. causing confusion and
reinforcing negative optics. Despite this, families continue to choose MLI. There was a waitlist of more than 600 students before the school opened, and there is still a waitlist today. I urge the board to allow MLI the time to succeed or fail on its own.
Implement oversight, require corrective action, but give the school a fair chance. I ask that you adopt the amended resolution introduced on February 19th to provide MLI additional time to demonstrate compliance. Thank you for your time. Good afternoon, members
of the board. My name is Katri Orellana and I'm a family engagement specialist serving Stephen Jones Community, one of M.C.P.S. schools that supports students with complex health care needs. I'm here with a few moms that support the critical
role family specialists play all across the county, as well as some of our special schools like Stephen Jones ensures families understand terminology, goals, accommodations, as well as we make sure that parents and guardians feel comfortable
asking informed questions and advocating for their children. Without this support, many families feel overwhelmed, excluded from a process that is supposed to be collaborative. The language, the procedures, the pace of IEPs and even 504
plans can be difficult to navigate, especially for parents who are new to special education and face additional barriers. We help prevent misunderstandings, reach out to service providers, support countywide initiatives. We
explain report cards, ESI, outdoor Ed, you name it, we do it. This requires a lot of hand-holding. On a personal note, I have hold hands as I model how to provide continuity learning at home, advocate for
community resources, listen and offer solutions. When a parent confides. Reasons for attendance issues for the student's hand while waiting for their parent to arrive at the hospital, and even recently holding a mom's hand as she said goodbye to her deceased
child. M.C.P.S. needs all the hands they can get to support families, especially our most vulnerable and often forgotten. So please have all 50 family engagement specialists continue the work they have already started for the success of
students and families. Thank you. I'm sorry I cried. I can't help it. Dear members of the board, my name is Erica Guerrero and I have a student at Luterman Middle School. As a parent, the meetings held by family engagement specialist
Miss Zoe have been incredibly helpful, especially since this is my son's first year at the school. One meeting focused on the grading system and how to support assignments. It helped me understand exactly how teachers grade and when it is appropriate for me to reach out with questions. I also
appreciate that these meetings create such a welcoming environment. Providing breakfast may seem like a small gesture, but it makes a significant difference, especially for families going through difficult times. It makes us feel cared for during one of these sessions. I was also connected with community
partners and services that were vital for my family. This only happened because of the direct attention the family engagement specialist pays to our specific needs. The workshops and parent meetings have made me feel supported, informed and connected to the school. They proved that Luterman doesn't
just care about a student's education, they care about the well-being of the whole family. Please protect these positions so other parents can continue to feel as supported as I do. Thank you. Dear member of the board, my name is Mayra Gomez
and I am part of the Ruderman community. Many of you see this. Family engagement specialist positions as mayor, members on budget spreadsheet. But for us those positions have a name and a face. For us. That name is Saeed. Eugenio, I need you to
understand something fundamental. Education does not happen in a vacuum. The student cannot learn if their family is crisis, if their parents do not understand the system, or if they are afraid to approach the school. What makes the difference isn't just the
language. Stuff that matters is the cultural understanding. So understand who we are, where we come from, and how we think as family. That is something you cannot learn from a manual. My f e s is the one who has
managed to tear down those walls. She has built a level of trust that money can't buy. It is built with time, with respect, and by speaking our language. Because of that trust. Family who once lived in the shadow now dare to say, my
children, help. If you eliminate her in this position, you are eliminating our school early warning system. You are carrying the only cable that connects us to our children's future. Do not ask us to be involved in our children's
education and then take away the only person who tells us how to do it. So please do not measure our value by budget, but by our human impact. Please keep our family engagement especially. Do not break the
bridge that took us so long to build. Thank you very much. Thank you. And now I'm going to call because we have an opening. Miss Cristal Granados, if she
can come up, please. Go ahead. Good afternoon, members of the board and Doctor Taylor. My
name is Crystal Granados, a family engagement specialist. And I am here to ask you to reinstate the 16 family engagement specialist positions in M.C.P.S. We know from research that when families are engaged, students are more likely to attend school regularly, earn higher grades,
and graduate. In fact, students with engaged families are up to twice as likely to succeed academically. But engagement does not happen automatically. It requires trust, time and people whose sole responsibility is to build relationships. That is what
family engagement specialists do. While we deeply value our pupil personnel, workers, counselors and community school liaisons, their responsibilities are fundamentally different. APW may call when a student is chronically absent, but an f e s asks why before attendance becomes a crisis. They might
discover a parent working two jobs, a lack of transportation or a language barrier, and then help solve it. A school counselor supports students emotional and academic needs, but they often manage caseloads of hundreds of students. They simply cannot spend hours building relationships with families who are hesitant,
overwhelmed, or disconnected. Cclls connect schools with external resources and partnerships. They build bridges with organizations, but they are not consistently embedded in day to day family relationship building phase, however, are dedicated to building trust between schools
and all families, especially those who feel disconnected, marginalized, or unheard. They are proactive, not reactive. They don't just respond to crisis. Reinstate in the 16th position is not just a budget decision. It is a statement about who matters in our school system, a system whose director
of family engagement was recently recognized with the Constantino Family Engagement Practitioner Award. I respectfully ask the board to recognize the distinct and irreplaceable value of Fes and join the over 1200 petition supporters who understand the value and witness the work and restore these positions and
invest in the relationships that make student success possible. Thank you. Thank you so much, Miss Granados. Okay, that will conclude the discussion. I will ask my
colleagues. Oh, yes. Lots of things to say. Okay. Do you want to go back? You want to go first? Do you want to go first? And thank everyone first on behalf of everybody so that we don't take that. On behalf of all my colleagues. Muchas gracias. Thank you so much for
coming and testifying. We are just very grateful for for taking time to the students, for taking time to come, for advocating. We hear you. We see you. And like us today and
everybody else who testified. Please note that on behalf of my colleagues and myself, we ran for the Board of Education because we do care tremendously about the children of this community, about our teachers
and the quality of education. And as somebody who is a product of M.C.P.S. and a former ESL student. This is, you know, the closest it gets to Joy for me to be able to do this work with humility and with kindness and empathy. So
thank you all for coming with that. Mr. All right. Thank you all. Doctor Taylor, I'm going to ask if you can speak to the comments about gymnastics. I think it might be better that the board take a presentation on that topic, because I don't think I can capture everything
and and speak comprehensively about it, but I think it would be appropriate for the board to make a public presentation on that. I would like to ditto to that. Yes. And concur. I think that would be great because we did have quite a lot of questions that we'd like to know. And the process when it
comes to, to eliminating any sport. Yeah. Thank you, thank you. And one more quick thing also to the students that did come. I know that they're from WJ as well. So thank you all so much for coming out. One of my directors for the Smob Advisory
Council is a senior at WJ, an athlete as well, and he handles all sports concerns about students. And we have a department of student athletes across the county that come together and testify on what they believe in and help inform me of their decisions. So we have a meeting tonight, and I would like to personally invite
you guys out to attend. It's open to all students, but I think your perspective is very useful and it would be great if you could attend. Thank you. Thank you very much, Anusha. Miss Zimmerman, thank you. I want to take a moment as the chair of the board's Advisory
Committee on Communication and Community Engagement, I'd like to take this opportunity, along with President Rivera, to thank our current advisory committee members for their service and dedication this past year. They provided invaluable support to community engagement around the
boundary studies. So looking ahead to the 2627 school year, the committee will focus on two major areas the upcoming elementary boundary study and development of a communication and engagement plan. Committee members will work closely with district leaders to help ensure clear, transparent and
effective communication with our community throughout this important process. So applications for membership of the Committee for the 2627 school year is now available on the board's website. The last day to apply is Friday, May 1st. The board will begin reviewing submissions and select a group
of individuals to serve a one year term beginning July 1st. Current advisory committee members are welcome to reapply. All members serve as volunteers and commit to a one year term. The advisory committee will meet at least four times per year, with additional meetings scheduled as needed. Depending on the work underway, members
should be prepared to collaborate thoughtfully with district leaders to strengthen our outreach and engagement efforts, so we encourage interested community members to apply and to consider this opportunity to contribute meaningfully to improving communication and engagement during an important time for our school system. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman. Ms.
Montoya, thank you. I would like to join wholeheartedly Miss Miller's comments and requests regarding gymnastics. As a student athlete, I have lots of questions and I can empathize with our student athletes who are here today and those who have been advocating prior to this, so I'm grateful
for a presentation. I just want to make sure that whatever date is scheduled, that the gymnastics community receives the information about the date of that presentation so that they can make sure they are communicating with us to the extent they would like to prior
that they can also show up. And then secondly, I would just like to make sure that Miss Granado's testimony is in with the board so that I can have a copy of that. Thank you. That was 7.21. Miss Stewart. The
presentation that we will be getting about the decision about gymnastics, will that include all of the recommendations for our various athletics? Because I would I might have more questions about that. Okay, great. And I just
wanted to. Speak to the point that maybe we there was concern. Maybe we do not take equity seriously from the board. I just want to let you know that I absolutely do. I listen very carefully to all the testimony
today from our family engagement specialists and supporters, and I really do appreciate the work that you have done. And however, we must move forward with our budget constraints. I want to make
sure that those services are available to our children. And I did listen very carefully, and thank you so much for the work that you have done for our students in the name of equity.
So let me say a few words as as a former student and somebody who had probably, I know you all are great, but Teresa Wright in history will be to me the greatest person. And she
was the first and she was a lifeline for me and my family when we immigrated here. So this is very personal to me. So maybe I'm not the best person to talk about it because obviously, you know, I'm very
biased and many of you know, it's not a secret that I was very much against us taking any phase out of this budget, because I know the impact that it had on me, my cousins and my
friends personally, and the people like Teresa and Leonor Guillén and Maria Garcia, who paved the way to ensure that our families voices were taken
into account and the needs, they were the bridges. Leonor passed away a few months ago. And those legacies, in my opinion, need to continue more than ever because our families
are under such stress and under so many different attacks of who they are and why they're here. So I just want to say I'm sorry. I just want to say I'm really thankful for your work
and your commitment. And some of you have been doing this work not one year or two, but for many, many years. And this is not just a job for you, but this is a mission for a lot of you. So much. Gracias for your
commitment and for your love to our community. And unfortunately, we have to make some very, very hard decisions in this budget. And I hope you also take this kind of advocacy to our neighbors across Rockville Pike, which is the council members, so they can
see and hear you as well, because at the end of the day, we have to do what we have to do with the funding that we get from them. And as you know, I don't have to tell you, we have
so many needs and M.C.P.S. And at the end of the day, the funding comes from them. So I don't want to pass, you know, the ball to another. But that's the reality. I don't know if Doctor Taylor wants to say a
few words, but I just, you know, I just want to say that we're very lucky to have the caliber of professionals that we do who take care of the most vulnerable in our daily day to day in our schools, and that every child deserves to feel welcome and safe and loved in
our schools. Thank you, Madam President. I just want to echo what you've said and show our appreciation for the folks that have come out today, not just for our family engagement specialists, but also those that also spoke on other topics.
I think we're we're looking at some very difficult times ahead. The budget that we proposed and that the board adopted and sent to county Council is likely not to remain whole, given some of the conversations that are taking place and that every
budget advocacy point needs to be stressed with our funding partners so that they better understand the important mission that we have in the school system. So thank you for your advocacy. Please continue your advocacy. It is critically important as we continue to
move forward, not just with this process, but in communicating with our entire community how important different elements of our school system are. Thank you. I'm sorry. Yeah, I just wanted to ask a clarifying question
because I honestly am a little confused and I, I'm not sure if the community is clear, but when it comes to and I know we're talking about gymnastics today, but when it comes to the decision of which sports programs basically take place and which don't, is that something that we vote on?
Because I just I miss Stewart mentioned mentioned recommended sports. And so I just want to make sure our language is clear. It's, it's not, but it's still of the public interest and it would be helpful for the board to, to bring to public light the process and what that looks like. And then of course, to hold the school system
accountable for following that process. So I think that that is an important topic. And your role as oversight of the school system. This is important. Okay. No, I mean, I believe it's important as well. I have questions, but I just want to be clear for myself and the community that this is not
something that that will go up for a vote where they say, are we keeping this or not? And then board members will choose to raise hands or not. So I just want to make sure that especially our students understand. Thank you, thank you. And with that, we conclude our public comments. Thank you
all for for joining us today. You're welcome to stay for the rest of the agenda. It's really interesting. We have a lot of good stuff on here, public safety and so on. So with that, I let me find my way. So we are
an 8.1 Mr. Okay, so we're at 8.1. So the next item on the agenda is discussion of the superintendent's recommendation to revoke m e c c a Business Learning Institute charter. The war will not be taking action on the superintendent's recommendation. Today. We will
begin with a presentation from M.C.P.S. administration, and it will be followed by a presentation from the charter school leadership. Doctor Taylor thank you, Madam President. I do have both our General Counsel and Chief of
Legal Services, Robin Seabrook, as well as Jada Langston here to answer questions that the board may have regarding MBA. Lee. And I'm going to turn it over to them. If there's anything that they have that they want to introduce or
entertain questions from the board as we continue through this process, there are a number of steps, and that we're following that those steps is is of particular interest. Okay.
Good afternoon, President Rivera-Oven and Vice President Wolff and members of the board. My name is Robin Seabrook. I'm the chief of legal services for M.C.P.S. The superintendent's recommendation to revoke MBA
charter remains unchanged at this time. On March 10th, you receive from MBA Lee their alternative proposal to closure as an alternative to charter revocation. MBA. I proposed
continued operation with ongoing structured monitoring and formal evaluation of MBA performance and compliance status. At the conclusion of year three. In response to this proposal, Superintendent Taylor submitted a memorandum to this
board on March 24th requesting that you reject MBA alternative proposal. That memorandum outlines continued concerns regarding special education, compliance and other operational challenges.
Specifically, the memo outlined concerns about MBA Lis financial viability, including concerns related to budget sustainability, staffing costs, outstanding financial obligations, and the school's ability to maintain operations
through the charter term. The memo also highlighted MBA Li's law that MBA Lee lost its school nurse due to its failure to pay the agency through which the nurse was hired, and on March 26th, M.C.P.S. issued a notice of noncompliance on this
issue, citing to federal and state laws pertaining to school health personnel as well as relevant provisions of MBA charter agreement. The notice directed MBA Lee, among other things, to ensure assignment of
a qualified licensed nurse by March 30th. As of last week, MBA, I still had not hired that nurse. Doctor Taylor's memo also references MBA. Significant decline in student enrollment this year, which limits MBA ability to maintain
adequate staffing and programing for these reasons. And in. In. In addition to these reasons, the special education compliance concerns. M.C.P.S. asserts that the alternative proposal set forth by MBA Lee is not sufficient.
So now I'm going to turn it over to my colleague Jada Langston, director of Special Education Services, to speak more in depth about the current state of MBA special education compliance and their monitoring
work of that. Thank you, Miss Seabrooke. Good afternoon, Miss Rivera, our board member president, as well as the rest of our board. Today, I will share a report that provides an update on special education compliance status of MCA
Business Learning Institute following the November 2025 audit, MBA submitted a Corrective Action plan on December 12th, 2025. However, findings from January through March 2026 demonstrate continued systemic
noncompliance with federal ID e a state. Msde Kumar and Montgomery County Public Schools requirements. Technical assistance visits were limited to the main office area or conference room for document review, and M.C.P.S. staff were not consistently permitted or
offered to access classrooms. While recent visit in April of 2026 have shown initial foundational progress, it is critical to note that for approximately three fourths of the 2025 2026 school year, MBA only operated in a status of
noncompliance with federal ID, e, A, and state Msde mandates. Despite repeated targeted technical assistance and direct support from M.C.P.S. throughout the year, MBA Lee did not demonstrate timely or consistent implementation of
required corrective action steps and next steps. As a result, although steps towards improvement are now underway, these efforts come late in the school year and after prolonged periods where students did not consistently receive services
and supports as required. This delay contributes to the gaps in learning, interruptions in service delivery, and an increased risk that students were denied a free, appropriate public education. Research indicates that even one year of
inconsistent or ineffective instruction can result in significant learning loss, with students potentially requiring up to three years to recover academically. Given the extended period of inconsistency in compliance and service delivery, it raises a
critical question as to whether students at Embley are adequately prepared to progress to the next grade level. Sustained noncompliance from November 2025 through March 2026. MBA failed to implement
required corrective actions, including service delivery verification. Confirm services are being delivered as written and verified provider assignments, progress monitoring, reentry reentering all data into M.C.P.S. format
with clear mastery criteria. Goal reinstatement review and reinstate goals closed without data. Ensure instruction continues. Confidential file reconstruction request and rebuilding of missing files.
Plath and IEP revisions. Update statements using current data and finalize full IEP packages. IEP and procedural violations. Delays in reviewing and revising IEPs. Poor goal
quality, lack of baseline data, and miss legal requirements like parent notices and document timelines reflect systemic issues. Lack of data systems, the absence of consistent data collection and progress monitoring has limited
the ability to measure student growth or adjust instruction, further compounding learning gaps over time. Instructional misalignment there is inconsistent use of teacher led tier three interventions, impacting the delivery of
appropriate, intensive, individualized instruction. Interrupted support, multiple cancellations of scheduled visits by staff for ongoing technical targeted support, delayed progress and hindered the implementation of required
actions. Despite consistent efforts by M.C.P.S. to provide support. Cancel visits the week of March 16th, the week of March 23rd and April 13th. However, an unannounced April 13th, 2026 visit was conducted
due to repeated cancellations of scheduled visits, capacity concerns, with only ten students requiring IEPs. Delays in compliance indicate organizational and implementation challenges rather than issues related to
skill, initial but limited progress. As of April 2026, Mbola has begun establishing foundational structures like partial IEP improvements and initial data tools. However, these efforts are not yet
consistent or system wide and do not yet mitigate the impact of the earlier noncompliance on student outcomes required. Next steps remain the same as it has since November 2025. Immediate and sustained action is
necessary, including full revision of all IEPs implementation of comprehensive data systems. Clear delivery of specialized instruction and data, and consistent engagement with M.C.P.S. support to achieve full compliance. This
concludes our report. If the board. You may ask any questions or we can submit any additional information to you before the April 30th meeting. Thank you. Thank you very much, Miss Wolff. Oh, I thought you
were. Thank you for the report. I guess I listened to what you were saying, and I'm just a little bit confused. I want to make sure I understand what you said. Now, when was the last
site visit? Monday, April 13th. Okay, but go back through the timeline for me because, you know, I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around this.
What what was due when and what did you receive and was that in compliance with what the original issue was? I'm waiting for that. Yes. Thank you. So we
begin the corrective action steps. Could you talk a little louder? I'm sorry. We began the corrective action steps in January, and every time we went, we have required updates to the ones that we listed, which are service delivery, verification, progress monitoring, reentry,
goal reinstatement, and IEP revision plan are the goals for the IEP. Those were due each time. Those were the original findings. Yes. And the result of your compliance review for
that issue was what we every time we visited, we were looking for those areas. And what did you find? We were out of compliance in February, March up until the April 13th areas, when we actually began to see change. I don't have any
documentation. Did you send us any documentation to that? I can send that to you. I want to see the documentation of noncompliance because, I mean, you keep talking about a year's loss of service, but I know for
a fact we have schools that service has not been provided as it should be. So I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around closing a situation in this limited time period. I really am, because I see we
have this as a system wide issue that we're trying to deal with, and I know that service delivery is a problem because finding service providers is even a problem. So I mean, how are you talking a year's worth of loss? And we haven't even
finished the year. And if I understood you correctly, it sounds like they're on the up move from your most recent visit. AM I wrong? They are making strides to begin to get into systemic compliance. However, at this time they're
not 100% compliant and they are developing systems to begin to become compliant. We can also provide, as of today, you would say they are in noncompliance. That is correct. Okay. I'd like to get the documentation so I could see what was submitted
versus what you're saying. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. And can I just add very quickly to that? Because you said as of April, they're making progress, but I
didn't hear you which areas are making progress on? So if I could add to Miss Wolff's request to just have. I think the chronological for us will be very helpful to to have that as well. And I concur with my
colleague. We have a lot of schools that we have issues with compliance with IEPs and so on. And, and I know that as a fact, because I wear another hat, as you know. So I just want us to be. I just want to,
you know, to be, to be looking at this in, in a way that it kind of makes sense. I'm a very visual person, so I just would like to see where we were half the way and where we are today. And we are at the end of the
school year pretty much. Right. So you're. So are you, are your visits weekly? Are they biweekly? Are they monthly? Like, what is the, the pattern that, that, that we're doing?
Yes. Thank you. We are doing weekly visits weekly. And I did share the ones that were canceled, but we will provide the additional information you all have requested and it would help me if you could. You mentioned ten students. I don't need names, but a comparison.
This was needed. This was provided. This was not provided for each and every student. But I'd also like to see the documentation of your your site visits because I'm. I am seriously having problems with
the time period in closing a system or school. After just a few months. I really am. And for you also add the whole ML population. I know it was minimal, but there was still a population there. Miss Montoya, thank you. I was wondering, you
mentioned some canceled visits, and I was wondering if any reason was offered for the cancellations or if it was just, you know, the. It's not going to work out for us. After all, we will receive an email from the principal stating that this was not a good time for us to come to come back after spring
break, which are the weeks of the 16th and the 23rd. Okay. And then when we reached out again to come on the 13th, we were also asked to reschedule. And that's when I did the unannounced. Okay. And then you mentioned some staffing challenges. I think I heard you say about a nurse. That would
be my colleague, miss, I apologize, I apologize, I'm just looking at my notes. And so in terms of staffing, if we could just have some information about what is staffing look like staffing over, you'd like information about staffing overall or
staffing with respect to the nurse? Well, I mean, I heard you mentioned the nurse. And then I think even in the information that will be presented from me, I see something with with the nursing. So I think we'll get a little info, more information there. Okay. But I guess I'm, I'm curious to know like at this
point, if there are any staffing gaps, what are they okay. Right. Because in, you know, of course we want all of our spaces fully staffed, but some staffing gaps are different than others. And so I don't want to, you know, inappropriately place weight on something when, you know, we have staffing challenges sometimes in other spaces too.
Thank you. Follow up on that though. Staffing gaps. Was that part of the original issue of noncompliance nursing? I don't recall. I just heard services at first and now nursing is coming up. Right. But it sounds
like something different is coming up from what was the originally contemplated. I want to know, based on what you originally said, you wanted to close by how they're doing with regard to that. Right. So the reason I asked about staffing,
they may have new challenges. I understand that, and I do think staffing is important. But I just want to note was that I mean, that came up in April, you said. So that was not part of the original that came up in March. Yes. And you're right,
it was not part of the original recommendation from the superintendent because. So that today what you heard was a status of where what the latest information was, right, what the latest information has been with respect to operational
challenges. Correct me if I'm wrong now, and I may be we propose closure based on X, so we are considering X today what we consider noncompliance of X.
But you're adding stuff. So when you start adding stuff, don't you need more time to come into compliance with regard to that stuff? Right. So the notice of noncompliance with respect to the school
nurse was issued in March, and the request that was issued by Doctor Kage, and the request was that MBA Lee. Have a school nurse in place by March 30th. So there was notice and the opportunity to to cure that.
But you are correct that that was not part of the superintendent's original recommendation, because at the time that was not an issue. So you're right, the major issue at the time of the recommendation was special education violation. Can we let me the reason I'm asking about
staffing as a whole and why I do want to know which it is, because if we're talking about compliance, for example, with a child's IEP, of course we need building services staff. But if it's that you're a little short on building services staff, then maybe you know what I was talking about, kind of the wait pertaining to what's at issue
here. Right? Then maybe that's a staff where it's like, yes, I hope that you're able to find that. But as it regards to what's at issue, then maybe that's not something I'm going to really put a lot of weight on. Right? So I just want to be clear about why I'm asking. Thank you. Miss Stewart. I just
want to add on to Miss Wolff's request on April 13th, when you made that visit, we have all these categories, you know, that we that they were out of compliance. Can I get a final assessment based on each of
those categories that you listed that you saw on April 13th? So we just have a very clear view on, I think there was 5 or 6 different places you mentioned. But again, I have to ask the same question. You got
to help me with this, Robin. If we said we were going to close based on X, shouldn't we only be considering X? That is what I'm asking. But but you're asking for things. No, that is exactly what I'm asking. I want to be clear. All right. She's
asking. She said add on to my no, no no no, no. Let me clarify. I'm going to take I'm going to take the meeting back. Okay? Okay. Well she's asking. Take it back. Take it back. Y'all okay? What she's asking is the same thing you're asking. She's talking about the
original components. That was the service delivery. The product. Do you know the ones? The ones you listed it. So Miss Wolff is talking the same thing that Miss Stewart is talking. She's just. I just want to make it very clear that we have it
by service delivery goals, IEP compliance. So all those categories. So we can see very clearly where they are or not compliant because that helped today as of your April 13th visit, because that helps me
see very clearly exactly where we are. I think we're seeing the same thing, but a little bit differently what we want. I think I said the same thing as well. Maybe not as eloquently as everyone else, but we want to see from the original, right
things that that they needed improvement on how that has transpired through the days till April 13th. Or maybe you'll have something by the time you send us a report. It might be the end of April, but
just to see where where they are in each of those categories. Is that what you meant? Also, Miss Wolff just the original stuff, correct. Okay, we can do that. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Any other questions? All right. Okay. Now we're
going to have our MBA colleagues come up to the table, please. Good afternoon ladies,
if you could introduce yourself, that'd be great. I'm Lashandra Graham, founder, president and CEO. I'm joined today with Tracy Cooper, our chief academic officer and school's co-founder. And go ahead. Hello
everyone. My name is Tracy Cooper. I am the chief academic officer and co-founder. Okay, well, thank you so much. Welcome. And you can go ahead. We have a we have slides. Yep. They're they're working on it.
Okay. But we do have a copy. Okay. Everybody has a copy. So if you, if you like to start, we, you know, okay, well, I can get started while they queue it. Okay. Thank you again. Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to present. I'll skip our introductions, which is a part of our thing since we've already said who we are.
MBA Lee has operated as an M.C.P.S. school of choice for less than eight months. During this period, the school has faced challenges opening with within M.C.P.S. rather than the collegial and supportive oversight that typically accompanies a first year charter school. That context
matters, particularly because allegations and findings by M.C.P.S. have been presented to support closure while failing to impartially disclose the actual conditions. In b l I faced, the actions MBA has taken and the school's ongoing
responsiveness to its students, families, staff and M.C.P.S. at large. This presentation will address the conditions under which MBA Lee has operated. The school's progress and aspects of the record that have not been fully or accurately
represented. Next slide. MBA Lee began with a clear board approved plan for operation that included an extended day under a six year charter contract, which we believe would provide a fair opportunity to establish the school. That fair opportunity
has not yet been realized. Next slide please. From the outset, MBA Lee encountered barriers within M.C.P.S. that altered or constrained the board approved model. These issues were significant and directly affected both implementation and the school's ability to
launch. As designed, the approved model was altered by the authorizer outside of the charter agreement. Then MBA Lee was later judged by the outcomes of these changes. Next slide please. We take responsibility for our school. However, accountability must be
grounded in full context. The challenges MBA Lee has faced, including addressing unfounded allegations in less than a year, arose from conditions outside of the school's control. Next slide please. Rather than a typical startup period, MBA Lee
has operated under compressed timelines and heightened scrutiny. Even so, we have continued to implement, refine and strengthen school operations, including special education. Student growth is already evident. Next slide please. In less than eight
months, over 60% of students in math and over 50% in reading have demonstrated measurable growth. This reflects a functioning. School. Students are learning, staff are working, and instruction is taking place. MBA Lee is not failing to educate its students. Next
slide please. Throughout MBA first year, M.C.P.S. has issued communications that create confusion for families and staff, cast doubt on the school's future and contribute to the school's instability, including communications sent just this week. These
communications are not neutral. They have real operational consequences affecting family confidence, enrollment decisions and the school's ability to build a stable environment. To date, this aspect of MBA treatment has been absent from M.C.P.S.
narrative to the board. Next slide please. The issue is not whether challenges existed because MBA Lee fully acknowledges that they did. The issue is how MBA Lee has responded. MBA. I did not ask M.C.P.S. to solve its problems.
When concerns were raised MBA, I sought clarification, guidance and direct communication so it could address those matters responsibly and in alignment with district expectations. MBA Lee repeatedly requested meetings with the superintendent and the board,
yet those requests went unanswered. Most notably, the board failed to act on MBA request to enroll additional students. Despite the clear and significant financial consequences explained at that time. That lack of response left MBA Lee to manage serious
operational matters on its own and MBA. I did so only to later be judged for handling those matters without the district guidance that should have been available. Next slide please. This slide highlights the February board visit to MBA Lee,
where members toured the building, observed classrooms and saw students and staff engaged in daily school activities. Board members saw instruction in progress, students actively learning, and a functioning school environment firsthand. There was also an earlier visit in
January, shortly after MBA transitioned into its permanent facility. At that time, the school was still settling into the building with set up an organization in progress. This context is important because impressions formed during the initial transition should be understood in light of that
timing. By February, the board saw a more complete picture of MBA Lee in operation. What remains true is that MBA Lee is a functioning school community actively serving students. Next slide please. This presentation does not stand alone. The board
has already received several hundred pages of materials from MBA Lee, including emails, letters, memoranda, reports, responses, requests, and proposals reflecting the school's work progress and position. The record is extensive. It is therefore not
accurate to suggest that MBA Lee has failed to provide a complete picture, particularly where MBA Lee has consistently responded to every request for information. To date, MBA Lee has not been provided with the required formats, templates or defined standards by which its
submissions would be evaluated. Nor has there been meaningful response to the substance of what was submitted. Accordingly, any conclusion that MBA Lee submissions are insufficient must be considered in the context of both the substantial record provided and the absence of a defined framework or
feedback from M.C.P.S. for assessment. Next slide please. Today, MBA Lee is fully operational. Students are receiving services, instruction is ongoing, systems are in place and being continually refined. No state rated violations have ever been
reported for MBA. Lee M.C.P.S. is repeated. Use of the term noncompliance has created a misleading picture by conflating documentation revisions with the actual delivery of services. That distinction matters, especially where the district itself has
acknowledged that compliance indicators tied to ID implementation remain an area of ongoing work system wide. Despite this, special education has been presented as the central basis for closure. Even though there has been no finding that MBA Lee failed to
provide the actual services to students. MBA Lee has been and is today a functioning school actively serving all of its students. Next slide please. This slide highlights that MBA students are not just enrolled. They are actively learning,
creating, and participating in a real school community. Next slide please. When students enrolled at MBA Lee, their existing IEPs had to be implemented immediately to ensure continuity of service. This is how the process works.
Under id e a. A receiving school implements the IEP. A student arrives with. Then the school observes. The student, collects data, reviews the records, and determines through it IEP team process whether those revisions are needed. The IEPs for all students who were
all new to MBA I. A brand new M.C.P.S. school were active and not yet due for annual review when they transfer to MBA Lee. Because those IEPs were developed and finalized by students, former schools. The documentation issues that M.C.P.S. characterizes
noncompliance were present and in the inherited records. When the students arrived at MBA. Lee not created by MBA Lee at the time of transfer to MBA. Lee M.C.P.S. Initiating findings of noncompliance within two weeks of MBA Lee
opening did not allow a reasonable opportunity for MBA Lee to complete IEP processes with respect to those inherited records. Even so, MBA Lee was pressured to update documentation before having a meaningful opportunity to work through the normal IEP cycle.
MBA is immediate. Obligation was to provide services without interruption in accordance to. With what was already written in the IEP, and staff worked hard to do so. The issues raised then and now concern documentation and record refinement from the student's former schools. They do not
concern a failure to serve students. M.C.P.S. portrayal as such is incorrect. MBA Lee should be afforded the same reasonable time and due process as any new newly opened school to implement, review and refine its systems to ensure that all
requirements are carried out with fidelity consistent with standard practice across all public schools. Applying a different or accelerated standard to MBA, Lee undermines a fair evaluation of the school's performance at no time then or now, where MBA students with IEPs ever unserved. Next
slide please. Since December, MBA Lee has strengthened its documentation, monitoring, training and oversight. These are measurable improvements. Not in action. Yet this progress has not been meaningfully reflected in M.C.P.S. presentations and
narratives to the board, even where it has been acknowledged directly to MBA Lee by M.C.P.S. staff. The efforts we have undertaken align closely with the current priorities of M.C.P.S. special education, the district initiative, announced this week on April 14th, focuses on strengthening
instructional supports, procedural consistency and documentation accuracy throughout all schools. That complete picture matters. Next slide please. This slide reflects ongoing IEP work based on internal review to
strengthen documentation, refine processes, and ensure alignment with special education requirements and best practices. It also reflects the work that is consistent with the broader effort announced by M.C.P.S. this week to standardize its practices and strengthen special education
systems throughout the district. Next slide, please. MBA Lee has been required to complete multiple rounds of IEP review under compressed timelines, limiting the school's ability to fully implement and evaluate changes before new concerns are
raised. When M.C.P.S. special education offices visited has visited the school often and sometimes through unplanned visits, the written reports have resulted in notices of noncompliance, in contrast to what was observed in person, this pattern keeps MBA Lee in
an overlapping cycle of allegation and response rather than supporting structured improvement. Next slide please. And this image shows that even as systems are being implemented and concerns addressed, students continue to be taught and to learn every
day. Next slide please. MBA Lee has developed a full special education framework to standardize practices and ensure consistent implementation. This reflects a shift to sustainable systems and shows that MBA Lee has
already built structures aligned with the broader standardization and consistency effort. M.C.P.S. itself announced this week. Next slide please. MBA Lee has developed an IEP development and documentation manual to create
structure, consistency and accountability in how IPS and related records are developed, reviewed, and maintained. In contrast, as previously mentioned, M.C.P.S. is now working to standardize these same practices across the district through new procedures and a special education
playbook intended to reduce inconsistency between schools. That context matters MBA Lee has already built and implemented systems aligned with the very direction. The district itself is only now rolling out. Next slide please.
Instructional tools like Iready are used as supplemental supports, not as replacements for instruction. IP students continue to receive teacher led, specially designed instruction, as well as IEP aligned services and interventions. Next slide
please. These practices are guided by written procedures to ensure consistency and accountability. Next slide please. Student records and documentation systems have been standardized to support compliance and informed
decision making. MBA Lee has made measurable progress in strengthening documentation practices, including record updates and consistency across files. Progress that was acknowledged by M.C.P.S. special education staff during the April 13th meeting. These
improvements reflect both internal efforts and alignment with evolving expectations for documentation and consistency. Next slide please. This work continues through monitoring, training, and refinement. MBA
Lee has already has already has training plans in place to support continued implementation and improvement. While the district is only now in 2026, working to standardize special education professional development more broadly, this is exactly what Fair Oversight is meant to support. Next slide
please. MBA Lee continues to operate while fully managing real financial and operational pressures. Student instruction, special education supports and internal oversight remain in place. Instructional staffing and payroll are preserved through M.C.P.S. administering
administered staffing funds, while MBA leadership has taken targeted steps to preserve classroom continuity and prioritize student services. These pressures did not arise in isolation or through the actions of MBA Lee alone. They were shaped by broader conditions involving district funding decisions, facility
related cost and timing, delayed financial reporting and other development related factors outside of the school's sole control. It is also important to recognize that the kinds of financial and operational adjustments MBA Lee has had to make are not unique to MBA Lee school systems,
including M.C.P.S. and individual schools, routinely face challenges related to staffing, funding, facilities and implementation. MBA challenges have occurred during a period where broader, broader system level adjustments, including staffing models,
operational structures, and implementations. Expectations are also evolving across the district. Yet those realities are never treated as grounds to force a school out of operation or close an entire school system. Even so, MBA Lee continues to operate, serve
students and manage its obligations in real time. MBA Lee is fully aware of outstanding vendor obligations and has been actively working, managing those relationships in good faith to maintain continuity of essential services. The point is this the school is operational. Students
are being served and continuity has been maintained under constrained conditions that were not fully within MBA control. Next slide please. Students needs are being met. Systems are in place and regularly refined. What remains appropriate is fair and
balanced oversight, not oversight that is constrained, contrived or driven by a predetermined outcome. MBA seeks fairness, not avoidance of accountability. The full record reflects a school that is operating, improving and responding, not one that
warrants closure. M.C.P.S. should not conflate documentation issues, operational challenges and broader establishment conditions to justify eliminating another program of choice. Given the progress achieved in under eight months, the system is now in place and
the school's ongoing responsiveness, continued oversight and fair collaboration are the appropriate path forward. We respectfully ask the board to consider the complete record, revisit its decision to revoke our charter and allow MBA to continue. Thank you. Thank you
very much. Do any of my colleagues have any questions or point of clarification, Miss Montoya? Thank you. I just wanted to if we can go back to slide 15, please. Thank you so
much. And I just want to go back to you. You were mentioning about basically when the school year started, it wasn't that. And I know right. IEPs have an annual review for the community. So every year they get reviewed and every student's review date is different, right? It doesn't
necessarily run in alignment with the school year because it depends on when the student qualified for the IEP or the services. And so that would be their review date. Right. And so if I understand correctly, what you're saying is that when the school year started, none of the students with IEPs were
up for review at that time. Is that am I understanding correctly? Yes. So yes, those IEPs were not up for review at the time. Again we had IEPs from the other schools, the
sending schools, whether they were the elementary schools or middle schools. And those meetings had already taken place. So when we received those IEPs, we were implementing the services that were then present. Okay. And so then if I understand what you're presenting on the slide correctly, November 20th.
November of 2025 would have been the first review date for that cohort of kids. Is that right? Is that what that means on the slide? So those represent the ones that were for those students. So that's not a group. That's one. Right? Right. Exactly. That's one
annual IEP. So it means of the cohort of kids that had IEPs, one of the students, their annual review date was in November. And not necessarily the actual annual review as a part of what was being brought to our attention and the adjustments and refinements we were making, the reviews required a certain step. So
these were the things. So these were new meetings that we were that were occurring in support of making the adjustments to bring the the documents into alignment. According to what was being presented to us at the time. Okay. I guess I just wanted to be clear because annual review, at least in this
space, means the yearly review that happens for an IEP, right? It doesn't just mean an IEP meeting or an update or like, you know, as a parent, you know, I'm a parent of M.c.p.s students, if they had an IEP, I could say, oh, hey, I want to have a meeting. I think they might need us something else or
maybe we don't need this or etc. Right. But that would not be the annual review, right? The annual review happens on the specific date. So I just want to make sure that I understand unless there was a deficiency in the prior annual review. Okay. Well, perhaps we can get clarification on that.
A Special Populations Committee meeting, because I don't that's not my way for us to tell if that's the case, based on the presentation that you're giving us, I guess in November 2025, you had 40 IEP students. So I'm getting to that part actually too. So at the bottom of the
slide, I just want to make sure, I just want to make sure I understand the presentation because there's a lot of information here. There's a blue box that runs along the bottom. And so am I understanding correctly. At the beginning of the school year, there were approximately 40 students who came to me with
IEPs. And then since then, that number has decreased to currently you have about ten students, correct? Okay. And do you was that just a gradual decrease? Was there as I'm trying to figure out what is
the, you know, community of IEPs that you're dealing with at, at given times throughout the school year here? Did it just go from 40 to 10, or was it just kind of at the time that these the allegations were brought forward by M.C.P.S. It was impacting what was noted at that time, 17 students. There was one student that was
repeated twice, so it ended up being 16. There was a student that had that same day removed. So in actuality, there were 14 active students at the time that the proposed that the proposed closure was brought to the table, it was impacting 14 students. So if you think about
it from December, it was 14 to now today we have ten. Right. But I'm asking you start at the beginning of the year with 40 students with IEPs. Right. But now we're at ten. So there's 30 students with IEPs. That left me from some time between the beginning of the school year
and now. Is that more or less I said approximately 40. I don't understand what you're asking. So I'm asking if I'm understanding your what you're presenting correctly. Right? So, so, right. So from a math perspective, yes, we started with 40 students. Right now we have ten special education students. Thank you. Oh I'm
sorry Natalie. Go ahead. I'm willing to wait my turn. Okay. You go. I'll go. Thank you. I also have some questions about students receiving special education services and looking through this and what we have before us. I guess I'm
wondering what processes you're utilizing to identify students as needing special education services. So we go through the processes of observation,
monitoring, evaluation, you know, normally outlined as part of a command idea. We follow those processes and as students are identified as needing those services, we speak with families, send Not the appropriate notification. Have the meetings and then establish the services. Okay, so then I'm
also seeing like your use of i-ready is I-ready being utilized as like your method of identifying students that if they're not successful with tier one, that you're pushing to a tier two approach, we follow? Yes. No, we are not
using I-ready in isolation. We are using I-ready as one tool in a series of options in order to support students at both tier one, two, and three instruction. And so I-ready is a robust enough system to be able to do so currently. M.C.P.S. uses it for tier three, I believe. Support for IEP
students only. However, our provisioning allows us to be able to use it at different levels and Incrementation. But this is just one tool in order to support that work. So I guess my follow up question is what additional tools are you utilizing for our special education students in
particular? So the special education staff in the school would have to speak to the specific tools that they are designing and working with in provisioning for the support based on the students IEPs. So we're not we're not intimately familiar with every student's IEP, but just what the services are being provisioned according
to the IP, whether it's occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, whatever is provisioned or designated in their IEP. MBA is provisioning through its external partners in terms of intervention tools, so that the special education office has developed additional intervention tools and supports
are working through the 1 to 1 pieces to aid support. So they're doing they're they're doing what is required to go above and beyond in the IEP documentation to ensure that the students are being effectively supported. Is that person here today that could come and speak to us? No. This is occurring during the school day. So they're not available.
Okay. Okay. I think my my concern is that I would like greater information on how we're identifying students and how we are meeting their needs. Just simply beyond I-ready. And
specifically, I'd like to hear more about how you're using the prem as well. Absolutely. And we can forward that information to you. I guess I'm a little bit disappointed that that person's not here, since this was a lot about special education and, and our report on it. So. Well, unfortunately,
we had we, we were not told about this meeting until end of week last week. And there was a PA meeting that our principal had, an assistant principal had to attend that occurred at the same time. So a lot of it is just based on the timing of the of this meeting. Please tell
your principal hello. She's a lovely human. I think so. And two things I would like some clarification on. One, we visited. Your library was not set up yet. Is it set up today? Yes. So when you came. It's not
that the library was not set up. We had. When Miss Montoya came into the building in January, it was ten days after we had moved into the building. The library books had been were boxed. So we do have our shelves are in the in the building that we've always had library books. Okay. No, I'm
talking about our my visit with Miss Wolff. Right. So yes. So we, we have we have our things. Everything is still in the is in the building and things are in place. Yeah. Okay. I do want to bring something to your attention that is a little concerning to me that we just received this three days ago, and this will be under your
page 24 financial stewardship. I guess this will fall under that. We received a letter stating that Safe Seats Transportation, LLC. That there
has been no payment has been received for the services with safe transportation that were provided in December of 20. If I may just finish and then you can answer between December 8th,
2025 and December 2025 at the end of December, and then the invoice was finalized then, and those services came to be about $47,000, and the payment was due on or before January 21st.
And it has incurred, I guess, late fees. So the total that the payment that they're asking for is 48, close to 49,000, let's say. And I just wanted to ask you if that has been taken
care of. So no, it has not been taken care of the part that Stacy's failed to leave out. And this is the second attorney that has contacted us on this matter. Stacy's volunteered to provide the services after the school had explained to the vendor that our financial position had changed and we
were eliminating transportation, safe seat volunteered to help that so that it did not impose any continued constraints on the families. So we are actively sort of, I guess, if you would, fighting or challenging the safe seats position on this matter, because we had notified safe
seats in writing of our position financially and the need to eliminate transportation. So Safe Seats volunteered to continue to support the families. And this is so this this was news to us when it was brought out as well. And we are hoping to speak with their new lawyer about this
matter. Okay. So just just so I understand. Your understanding was the safe seats was going to provide the service for free. Well, to be clear, they didn't discuss terms with us. We sent them a notification in writing
of the need to discontinue transportation services because of our financial position. Safe seats then worked with a member of our staff to continue the services to to support the school. We did not have any engagement around the payment around nonpayment. There was no
actual engagement with them about them, other that they would continue it because they wanted to support the school. Okay, just. Okay, I get what you're saying. It just is not making sense to me. So, you know, they are they're bringing
a lawsuit and I think they're going to be filing a lawsuit in circuit court for $48,000 and change. But we contacted the lawyer. They have not filed a lawsuit so that they they mentioned that, but we've contacted the lawyer and are hoping to be in mediation with them on that matter. The
lawsuit has not been filed. That was a letter indicating the concern about the payment. And I assume there is somewhere a contract with safe seats between you and them originally, yes. And then some kind of an agreement in writing that they were going to provide this at
no cost? No. Oh, there was there was what was provided in writing was the notification that we needed to, to end your notification. Yes. The notification to them as according to our contract, that we needed to end our transportation because of the school's changing financial
position. So that is what we have in writing. And they, you know, they still went ahead and provided service. Correct. Okay. Oh, yes. Miss Yang, to piggyback on. Miss Rivera, Alvin's question, I'm trying to
understand. I understand you wrote them a letter saying that you have a financial hardship. Was there a was there was termination mentioned? A date of termination. Mentioned the date that we notified them. Our our our cancellation of the
services for transportation was effective. The date that we notified them of the change in our financial position, which was when I don't have that in front of me. But it was in it was in November. It was in November, right around the time that we were notified about the change with the with the district. So it was in November
prior to the December period. Okay. And that's a court in accordance with the contract you have with them. There's a stipulation that we can cancel it subject to available. I understand, I just wanted to tell you that the dates they're disputing is before November,
which is September, October, and I guess into November. Well, that's not true, ma'am. I'm just saying that's what the. That's what the letter. That's not true. Okay, miss. Miss Silvestre, thank you. I think
what I'm trying to understand. And if you could show me if it's in your presentation or maybe you can get it later, is the revocation was with the exception that you could cure certain deficiencies by March
30th. Was that correct? And so could you just tell me again if I missed it in your presentation? I looked through the slides. Just where do you think you were able to cure and where you were not? And are you were you able to meet the the
the opportunity to cure the the problems? Yes, ma'am. So according to what was presented to us, we effectively addressed everything that we articulated in our corrective action plan. Students were never in in never being denied services. We were never in a position where we
were not providing services. All of this has emanated from concerns around documentation, so we have been working since that time to strengthen the documentation we have been meeting with M.C.P.S. Taking into account their feedback. We have been requesting templates, we've been requesting exemplars,
and absent receipt of that information, we started creating our own information so that so that staff had a way to address what was being brought up by M.C.P.S. But we have never denied students services. There are no violations against Emily for having done so. What this is emanating from, again,
is from the documentation, and we are working with the staff to ensure that the documentation is shored up and that it is truly reflective of the work that is occurring. We have occupational specialists, speech pathologists, the school psychologists, the professionals are coming and doing the work. The resource
teacher, our special education teacher. They are doing the work to support our special education students. And we have always been doing the work of providing the services. What we what we have been working to do is strengthening our documentation. This is this has been unfairly categorized as noncompliance of services. When.
That is not the case, we have always provided services to our students. All of our students, including our special education students, in the continued assertion that we're not doing that is unfair to the to the professionals, the men and women that work in that building every day to support our students. Thank you. And
where can I see evidence of your ability to provide that documentation in order to meet the. We've been providing that information since January. We've given our reports. We've shared the information that we've done. We've given you updated documentation. Student student information has been
redacted, but the information has been provided for several months. Is that on board docs? Did I miss that? Mr. Lockman? So the information that the board has received is included in the board's materials today
on board docs for information that. And that would just include whatever information has been received from NGB or from administration to this point, which is some of which has been received since the
board's vote in February. Okay, I did review that and I'll review it again. It just wasn't very clear to me how you had met the conditions of the resolution, things that had to be completed by March 30th. Well, our corrective action plan articulated the steps that
we were going to complete. We also included correspondence from M.C.P.S. wherein we shared that we were addressing satisfactorily addressing the matters. So we provided our corrective action plan. We've provided correspondence from the school. We've provided what we were. Let me let me back up.
There has never been a framework around what was supposed to be provided, right? There were allegations that were made. There was nothing specific that was documented nor articulated to us as what we were to provide. So we have been attempting to address that through what we thought was appropriate. So we have
notifications from our principal that is explaining it. That goes back to the special education office. We have correspondence that we've sent to the board articulating our efforts. So we have been trying to make regular communications on our efforts in these areas. Special education office has been coming to the building,
albeit, you know, based on their determination and our witnessing in real time what we are actively attempting to do in the school. So I'm not sure what it means that you're not receiving it, because we sent almost 400 pages in January of information that that should
have contained the information from the school and the special education memos and those things. So I'm not 100% certain on what you don't have, because we can't control that once we send it, you know, send it to the board at large or to M.C.P.S. But we've been turning in hundreds of pages to support
that. We've been doing the work we are we are not in a position where families are complaining about our failure to provide services. This is emanating from M.C.P.S. review of the records that were being maintained before we received the students at MBA, I. Okay,
so again, Mr. Lochman, I think that we'll need. I'm just I'm struggling with. How do I review those 400 pages of documentation and make the determination by next board meeting that you have cured the
issues or you have not cured the issues. So I will review the 400 pages again. And but that's my struggle is I need to be able to confidently say yes or no, or maybe or on the almost there. So I will, I will take another look and do my best to understand. And if we
need to provide something, we can, if you want, you know, a crosswalk of where things are located, we can revisit that and paint the picture, you know, based on what we have submitted. But I guess I don't, I don't want 400 pages or more pages. I want this was the issue and
this is how it was cured. Thank you, Miss Sylvester. Maybe we can ask our staff to come to come forward again and and put a little light into that again. I would just love to see what was the issue. And has it been addressed or not, in a concise
and easy to understand manner, Miss Langston, it might be helpful to clarify the process of IEP reviews when coming to a new school, and the timeline for when that's required. Thank
you. Good afternoon again. When a school receives a student with an IEP, they have ten days within the first ten days to review it to ensure that they have the appropriate goals and strategies that are needed for the student to be successful in their school, regardless of the
annual review date. Thank you. Thank you, I appreciate that. So it doesn't matter where when an annual review is, when you are new to a school, that school has to do a review of an
IEP of that child within a period of ten days. That is correct. So they'll know how to service them in their classes. And the reason we do that is why so that we know how to service them in our classes, what instructional needs they have, what goals they have so
that we can appropriately support them. And it's not just the teacher, it's also any of the related services. So they'll know what services to actually provide. Thank you. Okay, colleagues, any more
clarification? We appreciate that. We look forward to bringing this light into the 400 pages. We appreciate that. Thank you very much for being here today. We wish you. Thank you. Safe, safe travels to you
and say hi to your principal for us. Okay. The board appreciates information received from administration and charter school leadership during today's presentation.
The board is scheduled to take action on the superintendent's recommendation at the April 30th business meeting. So thank you everyone. All right. Let's move on to item 8.2 policy g c,
c background screening of M.c.p.s employees. Candidates for M.c.p.s employment contractors and volunteers. This next item on the agenda is a review of public comments for policy g c c. I would turn it over to Vice President Wolff as
chair of the Policy Management Committee. Thank you, President Rivera-Oven. Today we will will receive a presentation on policy g. C background screening of M.C.P.S. employees, candidates for M.C.P.S.
employment contractors and volunteers. This is a new policy that establishes requirements for fingerprinting and other manners of background check for current and prospective employees, as well
as individuals who will otherwise work in schools or on school grounds. While these reviews and checks were already occurring, we did not previously have a policy setting forth guiding
principles for this work. So on January the 8th, the board took tentative action on this policy so that it could be sent out for public comment, public comments were received and reviewed by Policy Management
Committee at its meeting on February 26th. Today. Those comments will be presented to the full board with the intention of taking final action on this policy on April 30th. With that, I will turn it
over to the staff to walk us through the new policy and the public comments. Madam chair of the Committee and Madam President, I think that there's an error on the title slide that needs to be corrected immediately. The board took
action today, making one of the titles of the presenters inaccurate, I apologize. Okay, director, we'll strive to do better in the future, ma'am. Okay. All right. Good afternoon.
Thank you, Miss Wolff. Good afternoon, board chair, Miss Rivera-Oven. Good. My name is Lesley Turner Percival, legal director in the Division of Legal Services. And with me at the table is Doctor Renee McCall, chief of the Division of Human Resources and Talent
Management. So today we are before the full board to review updates to policy GCC. In response to public comments received. And I'll I'll turn it over to doctor McCall to begin the presentation. Thank you, Leslie, and good afternoon.
Board. This slide here summarizes the number of respondents to our GCC policy. As you can see, 135 people responded to the feedback survey related to this particular policy, and the breakdown can be seen on the
left. Three themes emerged from this data barriers and costs associated with volunteering, frequency of fingerprinting and training related to child abuse and neglect compliance. Those
are the three there. Feedback from respondents highlighted fingerprinting costs of $62.50, as that could be presented as a financial hardship for some parents and caregivers, inadvertently preventing some
families from volunteering and engaging in their child's school activities. To provide some context, this slide shows the framework presented to the board back in September. It details our safety requirements
for volunteers based on the level of access to our students. The first column requires no required compliance measures, while the middle column details volunteer activities that
require the child abuse and neglect training, and the final column on the right shows requirements that are needed for volunteers, specifically with unsupervised access to students. This is where the fingerprinting costs come into
play and where our hardship exceptions come into play. Again. To remove barriers for parent engagement. The safety of our students is our top priority, of course, and we ensure that volunteers who have unsupervised access to our
students are indeed background screened. But the cost of fingerprinting shouldn't be a barrier to family engagement or participation. We reduced fees for volunteers involved with the outdoor education, and we want to emphasize that on a
case by case basis, hardship reviews are actually available to ensure that every parent has the opportunity to be involved in their child's educational experience. Individuals may request financial assistance to cover the costs of fingerprinting by completing a
designated M.C.P.S. form, and that form can be found on our website. Requests may be based on financial needs, such as a child attending a title one school. Individuals must certify that the request is based on need and intended to
support their ability to volunteer. This form has been added to our background screening page under the volunteer section, and is in the process of being added to our volunteer page under the Resources and Forms section. We
are in the process of working on finalizing the language to be added to the GCC regulation. Respondents also lifted up the concern about the frequency of free fingerprinting. To clarify,
the fingerprinting process is one and done since staff are entered enrolled into the wrap back program that provides continuous monitoring and notification. If a staff member's background status changes, such as an arrest or
charge or a conviction, because we have this continuing monitoring in place, staff are not required to be fingerprinted. We also want to note that we would be alerted through sieges, which is the criminal justice information system. If one of our employees
were arrested. Once that person is fingerprinted and processed, their fingerprints would be in the rat back system and as such, we would be notified through sieges. And we monitor that system on a daily basis. Lastly,
we want to ensure clarity on the role of the volunteer. Regardless of the screening level, all volunteers are mandated reporters. If a volunteer suspects neglect or abuse, the process is clearly
outlined in M.C.P.S. regulation J h c r a. They should report to CPS and notify the school principal. Our child abuse and neglect training or Can training provides our volunteers with the knowledge they need to uphold this very
important responsibility. Briefly, this timeline shows that we are in step four of a five step process for policy development, and the official adoption of the amended policy is scheduled to occur later on
this month. And then finally, this summary slide just identifies our key takeaways. The primary feedback we received centered around the cost of fingerprinting. And our strategy is to encourage family engagement by offering that
case by case exception that we outlined earlier. Also, our current regulations already manage the frequency of background checks, and so no substantive changes have been made to the draft policy since they are already addressed. In
terms of fingerprinting, I'm sorry, re fingerprinting frequency and can training. With that, I'll turn it back over to the board. Thank you. I
have just one question and that is with regard to the public comment on costs, I think I asked this before and I'm looking at this document. I have it listed as attachment B.
No attachment B and it says response to public comments and it says existing language in the draft states. But I think I asked this question before that doesn't tell anybody that there
is an opportunity to get some of this cost covered by us. Where is that in the policy? Because I raised that before, and I think it's important that the notice be in the policy that we have that. Thank you.
Mine actually goes towards that as well. Mine too. Okay. But you can go first. Okay. I'm really concerned about that because I'll just say as a parent, we don't make things as clear as, as folks need us to be. And I have had parents think that they can't volunteer
or come to the Valentine's party or whatever, because they haven't had a fingerprinting. And so I also get concerned when I hear things like, well, for example, if they have a child at a title one school, which of course. So those are like the obvious right places where we might think, okay,
folks might need a reduction in cost, but even a school that has a single digit number farms percentage still has families that are going to need support. And if we look at things as like kind of the school factors versus that actual family, then we actually see we actually
might further ostracize them from the community that they're in. So it's really important to me that we're very explicitly clear that if you think you can't afford it, please come talk to us. And this is very clearly how you do it so that I don't want any family to ever
any parent to ever feel like they can't be a part of the community in that way. Because, you know, $60 is quite a bit at one time. I appreciate that feedback. Absolutely. We can do a better job at being clearer around our language. And in fact, we are in the process of finalizing that language to go
into the regulation, because the regulation is the opera. That's the way we operationalize how we're going to deliver that support. And so it's not only for families who have students in title one schools, we look at all
situations. And so certainly we can do a better job outlining that. But it is on the background screening page right now under volunteer section. It will also be on the volunteer resource page section. And I believe that Leslie wanted to add a little bit more around the process related to that.
But I just want to be clear, like saying something like, there are exceptions for now. If you think you can't afford this, please email this, right? Like, I mean, just very clear because sometimes our language and I'm a lawyer, so I get it right. We have to be very precise and very nuanced, but
it also becomes very convoluted. I agree. So we will definitely clarify that. And one other thing in the policy, not just the regulation. Okay, I'll have Leslie speak to that. But there's one other thing I wanted to mention. Not all volunteers require fingerprints.
I just want to be clear about that. Yeah, right. We understood that. Okay. Thank you. I think we understand that. I think the issue for for a few of us up here is you don't know what you don't know. And we
have 155,000 students in our school system. We're not a small school system. So you will have schools that are 80% farms, and you might have schools that are 10% farms. But when you're a farm student, whether you're in a school that
is 10% or in a school that's 80%, if the information is not there, it's irrelevant. So I think at least for some of us up here, having that being part
of the policy is really, really important for various reasons. One, this is a lot about equity and we do and we say so many things. We're about equity and
access and welcoming. Well, then let's, let's put it in our policies to be able to reflect that we do what we say. Two. We have a lot of new principles.
We have a lot of new staff. We have new students, right? So sometimes when you move to a new place or you're you refer to the policies, what are the policies, right? Because you have guidelines. Well, sometimes we all know that guidelines can be followed by
some and by some can be ignored. But a policy has a little more teeth, at least for me. So if we can hear what you're thinking about that, and maybe there's reasons why you don't want to put it in there, but that would be really helpful
for us to be able to digest this a little bit better. Okay. Do any other board members have any other questions? Okay. I'm not seeing any additional comments or questions. This concludes the presentation. Oh, I just wanted to share some
thoughts around adding language directly to the policy. We hear your concerns loud and clear. And I think where we reference board policy A, B, C within GCC, I'm thinking something around along along the lines of including hardship
considerations, such as reduction in fees for volunteers requiring background screening and fingerprinting, which is very targeted to make sure that the community is aware that M.C.P.S. would
consider hardship. Thank you. I think that's very important. I also think it's important, and this is for Thomas, that it be on the front page of of every website at every school. Yeah,
I think that that's a critical miss that that we're not opening our doors to the possibility of volunteerism and how to do it easily and how we can support that. Thank you. Thank you. Laura, just one more bit to put on there is which
activities you actually need it because I do believe some are getting the background check when they don't even need to. So that would also be good clarification. Okay, okay. Thank you. So if there are no additional comments or questions, this concludes the
presentation on April 30th. The Policy Management Committee will recommend that the board proceed with final approval of this policy at its meeting. With that, I'll turn it back to President Rivera-Oven. Thank you very much, Miss Wolff.
Let's move on now to item 8.3. This will be fiscal year 2027 proposed meal prices. This is a discussion with the proposed meal prices. So I'm going to give it back to Doctor Taylor. Thank you, Madam President. And just as a reminder, there is no
vote on this topic scheduled for today because this is a work session. But we are introducing this topic for the board's consideration. The Department of Food and Nutrition Services operates an enterprise fund. They do not utilize funds from Montgomery
County Public Schools operating budget. They are effectively self contained within their budget. The last meal price increase was in the fiscal year 2015, and it was an increase of $0.05 to lunch only and not to
the breakfast cost. During the past 12 fiscal years. Since this increase, as I'm sure you all have experienced at home, food costs have increased. Although you may not have experienced this part at home, labor costs have increased as
well significantly, and the keeping the cost low has come at a consequence of food quality and service, especially given that this is an enterprise fund to ensure that the Department of Food and Nutrition Services continues to
operate as an enterprise fund without supplemental resources from the operating budget, which we don't have, and to continue to provide quality meals, which is a top concern of many of our students, that they communicate on a regular basis to us. A meal price
increase is necessary to discuss and to introduce. This meal price increase proposal is Miss Liz Leach, the director of food and nutrition Services, and she'll share an overview with our recommendation. Go ahead. Thank you.
Superintendent. My name is Liz Leach. I'm the director of Food and Nutrition Services here with M.C.P.S. And I'll be sharing our meal price recommendation. Thank you. The Department of Food and Nutrition Services, as we call Dfns, provides over 18 million
meals to our M.C.P.S. students annually. That's comprised of a little over 6 million breakfasts, 12 million lunches. We also provide after school snacks and suppers, and we don't stop when the school year ends. We provide meals all summer long as well. As
discussed, we operate as an enterprise fund, meaning our revenues have to match our expenses. We don't pull any dollars or funds from the M.C.P.S. operating budget. Over the past few fiscal years, we have been operating at a loss. Our expenses have outweighed our revenues, and the way we've
been able to do this is we had a surplus of funding that was provided during the pandemic, but that surplus is soon to be exhausted. The last meal price increase was in 2015, which is a five cent increase to lunch only. The breakfast meal price
has not changed in longer than that, so longer than 12 fiscal years, and M.C.P.S. maintains one of the lowest meal prices in all surrounding large comparable districts. Before we get into the details of costs and prices, I want to reiterate
our commitment to students, and I want to share that the meal prices we'll be talking about do not impact any students who receive free meals. And I'm very specifically mentioning any student who receive free meals, because that goes above and beyond any student that qualifies for free meals. So if
we look at our pyramid on the right hand side of our screen here, the top two levels of the pyramid show students who qualify for free meals. They might qualify through an application or through direct certification, and they all receive free meals. In addition, we try to maximize every federal and state opportunity
to provide free meals. So we use the community eligibility provision known as C, e, P, to provide free meals to every enrolled student at 60 schools. And when you combine those first three tiers, we're providing free meals to over 72,000 MCPs students. In
addition to that, we use a state level program to provide free breakfast to every enrolled student at 116 schools, and we'll continue to look at this multilayered approach every year and maximize how we can provide free meals to as many students as possible. So
when we talk about free meals, we're not talking about any of the students who receive those here. In addition to supporting families through the multilayered approach, we want to make sure if a change is made, we know it hasn't been made in 12 years that we do so
in advance. We'd want to do that this spring, well in advance of next school year. We are recommending prices for three years, so we think that will provide transparency for families in what is to come. So not just giving information on one year, but doing so three years at a time. We will
continue policy g p, h, which says we're going to provide a meal to a student every time they come through a serving line in M.C.P.S. regardless of their meal eligibility, regardless of if they have money in their account, they are provided the same exact meal that their peer gets, and
we will continue the use of the grace period, meaning every school year, families have 30 days to renew an application. They can use the prior year's meal eligibility gives them kind of a window of time to submit a new application if needed. All right. So I am
going to dig into the details of the costs a little bit on the next few slides. Here you can see the major expenses for DFS. 50% of our expenses go to labor and 40% go to food. You can see over the past ten fiscal years, our expenses have
risen over $19 million annually. And that's a big impact. Our revenues have not kept pace with these expenses. I know most households don't purchase in the volume or the quantity that DFS does, so I thought it would be helpful to relate it
to something that household shoppers do see. So this is what it looks like in common. Items that are purchased when we purchase eggs. Our costs over the past ten years has increased about 73%. Chicken has gone up 38%, bread has gone
up 31%. So these are examples of some things that households may see. We can also talk about labor. Back in FY 15, the last time we increased our meal prices, our cafeteria workers
made a little over $13 an hour. And now they're making a minimum of $20 an hour. Our cafeteria managers were making a little over $20 an hour, and now make closer to $26.5. And we are glad to provide an appropriate wage in M.C.P.S. But again, our revenues have
not kept up with our expenses to meet this high labor cost. Okay, so now I get asked a lot how we pay for school meals and what goes into the cost of fuel meals. And I thought I would dive as deep into that. So
annually, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA sets a minimum meal price and says this is what it costs to make a school breakfast. This is what it costs to make a school lunch. So for FY 26, they have said it costs $2.46 to make a school
breakfast. So at DFS, if we receive $2.46, we can put $1.23, 50% of that towards labor. We can spend about $0.98 on food, and then we spend about 10% on supplies, equipment and other miscellaneous items. When we serve a meal to a paying
student and M.C.P.S. we receive $1.70, meaning we have a $0.76 deficit to make up somewhere out of this budget, out of our labor or food, because again, we don't pull any dollars from the M.C.P.S. operating budget. So every meal we serve, we have to make up that difference.
When we look at the same for lunch, USDA says that to make a quality school lunch, it takes about $4 at minimum $4.71. If we were to receive that, we'd have $2.36 to spend on labor,
$1.88 to spend on food, and the remaining small 10% on supplies and equipment. When we serve a meal to a paying student, we receive on average $3.26, meaning for every paid meal that we serve, we have to make up $1.45 somewhere across these
cost categories of labor, food and supplies, $3.26 is just not enough to provide a high quality meal to our students. So we come to you with a recommendation. I know this is a big chart, so I'm going to
start on the left hand side and walk us across. On the left you see the meals that we provide and the current FY 26 meal prices of $1.30 for breakfast and 255 and 280 for lunch. The next column shows the reimbursement that we get for providing that meal to a paid
student, which includes a very small federal supplement as well. The third column then shows you the USDA meal reimbursement, and what they say is the minimum that it takes to provide these meals. And then it shows in red our deficit per meal. So we are
about $0.76 per breakfast and between $1.36 and $1.61 for each lunch. So we need to catch up on this deficit. And we surely know we can't do it all at once. And which is why we come with a three year recommendation. Our recommendation is to increase
meal prices in FY 27 by $0.30, increase meal prices in FY 28 by $0.30, and increase meal prices in FY 29 by $0.35, accompanied by another meal price assessment, evaluation and recommendation for the following three years. Miss Lee,
I'm sorry for interrupting, but I do want to point out that at the end of FY 29, we will still not be caught up with the minimum FDA recommended value. But we do recognize the burden of affordability in our community and trying to balance
that. But this is the cost of not adjusting meal prices for 15 years. Yeah. Thank you for pointing that out. All r. We're going to look at surrounding large comparable district meal prices. As you can see our FY 26 M.c.p.s meal
prices are lower in all categories compared to our neighbors. I'll just give you a minute to take a look at that. The next slide just gives you a clear overview of the recommendation outside of the
chart. Our 30 cent meal price increase for FY 27 and 28, 35 cent increase in 29, and then a every three year reassessment. So we don't put ourselves back into this position ever again. We we want to make sure that we are evaluating routinely and
consistently. Okay with the recommendation. We think it's important to talk about risks of not changing meal prices. Since we are an enterprise fund, we would have to, of course, make sure that our revenues covered our expenses. Ways that we could go about doing that would be reducing staff in
schools. And let me preface, these are not any of the things we want to do. But if we didn't have the revenue to cover our expenses, these are things we could consider. We could consider removal of breakfast programs in some schools. If we reduce staff, it would result in increased wait times for
meals. Likely, it would result in decreased quality of meals, which again, we don't want to do. And alternatively, we could look at alternate alternate revenue sources. Can I ask a question? Yes we have. We
talked to the county about this because a 90 cent jump is is pretty high over a three year period. Do they have you talked to them about the dilemma? Not about this directly, but this this really is the situation
that, you know, we're we're confronted with in that this is an enterprise fund. And, and with the challenges of an enterprise fund, unless we were to supplement this with our operating budget, which is not really something we've, we've
planned for, we, we really are in a situation where we're, we are playing catch up on, you know, less than consistent solvent financial practices. Yeah, I understand we'd have to supplement. That's what I'm
talking about because, you know, the students that are farms are okay. But we have a lot of kids that are the families are at the fringes. $0.90 over a three year period is going to be quite a bit. Yeah, I acknowledge that. And that's why we want to continue
everything we can possibly do to make sure those students, particularly in Montgomery County, we know it's a high cost of living and not everyone will meet the federal income eligibility threshold that is set federally, not just for here. And so that's why we continue to use every one of those programs we can. So our
CEP program, again, 60 schools, every enrolled student has access to free breakfast and lunch and our Maryland Meals for achievement program makes sure every enrolled student at 116 schools have access to free breakfast. We'll continue evaluating and work towards increasing those every single
year. We've been able to increase over the past many years. In addition, we do know that no student will ever be denied a meal, right? We have that policy in place. We work as we, as many of us did this past Saturday to raise funds to support dine with dignity, to make sure that that we can
fundraise for those. But we will. Students will continue to receive a meal no matter what. So. Elizabeth, I got the full name treatment. I appreciate my mother does that too. I get it,
Elizabeth. I appreciate the work that you did, the time you put in and everything, but I have to tell you, raising meal prices are one of the worst times of our economy on the
people that I, with my other hat, have to provide food for who. People would be surprised because these are now middle class families. Okay. And I hear about the farms, but let
me tell you, there's a lot of people who are not applying for farms for fear of fear reasons. So you have a lot of other factors. I cannot personally in good conscience, stand here today and tell you that I can support this because of what I
see daily, not just with my organization, but with my other colleagues who do this every single day. And I have to tell you, we're feeding more families today than we did
during Covid because as a person who does shopping at my home and many of the ladies up here and gentleman as well, not leaving anybody out. The prices of food are ridiculous. So I
understand the position we are in as a system. And I'm really, really disappointed on my previous colleagues who did not do this periodically increasing. So this was another another thing, you know, kicking the can down the road. We'll deal
with it later. Yes, but the later that is today is not a good later people. It's a bad timing later. Okay. Yeah. And unfortunately, I think what column was it? You had a column
there that was I had a lot of columns. No, no no. Yeah. I'm sorry to, to the, to my, my folks in the back, but need to identify alternative revenue source. So here's the thing that to me, we need to become a
little bit smarter and better because for the love of God, we live in Montgomery County, one of the wealthiest counties, right? So everybody, even in Annapolis, everybody sees us as, oh, they have what they need. I would welcome them to come just
one day at my nonprofit in the county, just one day to see the need that we see every single day. Or to my friends at interface of my friends, Wheaton and so on. We need
really to start doing some very out-of-the-box thinking about engaging with our corporations, you know, with engaging with our chamber of commerce and so on. These are the children of the people that work in our
school, busses that work, you know, the day to day things that we do. These are our neighbors. These are people we go to, you know, to churches with our kids play sports with, right? This is not like, oh, no, this is these, these are our kids. And we need to start
thinking holistically. So again, I would like us to talk to our colleagues at the council. We do have, you know, one of the very few food insecurity programs in the state that is run an incredible human right.
And I just really think, but to raise prices, I know we're we're trying to raise prices on food and to send that message holistically as a board. I just I'm having a really hard time with. Yeah. I'm sorry, Miss
Stewart. So I'm just curious, how did you come up with this particular reason? Prices. You know, obviously it's not exactly by percentage because they're all by the same amount
on all three categories. So I'm just curious how you came to this number. Sure. I mean, you can see from the chart that if we're working towards getting us to what the USDA recommends as the minimum dollar amount, it would take a long time. And
we also know that this would be a burden on families. And so we can't do too large a jump at one time. So we considered other options and said, you know, something larger than this could be really challenging. And so to do a paced approach that is transparent, that is communicated in advance, is the
best approach to get us towards where we need to be without doing too large of a jump at one time. So I being that this is for the next three years, going up a pretty large percent
each year. I do kind of have a problem with the percentage that we're increasing over the three years. And because we're making this decision, are we
making this decision for future budgets? Like how should yeah, how, how strong is this three year? Do we, if we say we want this for the three years, are we obligating future boards?
Yeah. So really quick, you, you actually should should set your rate annually and it should be part of your normal practice to set your rate annually. And, you know, I think the, the, the percentage looks steep, but even over three years, you're still not meeting the USDA
level. You still have another three years of steep increases to go. And this is like all the more reason to include inflationary values in your calculations that you budget for annually. This is not from
a lack of dfns communicating the gap that continues to grow, the benefit that we've enjoyed. And this is also not from a lack of students communicating their issues with food quality and some other things. The benefit that we have been able
to leverage in M.C.P.S. is similar to the benefit in other school districts. And if we could go to the comparison chart really quick. Thank you, is that we have been able to leverage Esser funds to offset some of this expense from from
pandemic relief, and even compared to our peers, we're we are the lowest in our peers are also low. So rest assured that our peers are having this exact same conversation. I think
Fairfax went up $0.50 this year, if I'm not mistaken. I think it is exactly $0.50 or $0.55 this year, 50 $0.50 this year, because they are they are having the same shortfall conversations that we're having
because. And if we could go back to the consequence slide, because we are in a situation. Yes, the the alternate revenue source is the ideal that would be. The ideal is to supplement so that we could keep costs low. However, if we are unable to
secure that revenue in advance of starting the school year, these these other four things really are the other choices that we have to make. And we do, because this will change the operational model of like what food we order because we would,
we would have to lower the quality of the food choices that we would make, choose to limit our breakfast service or, or eliminate our breakfast service, which I don't think anyone wants to do or change our staffing dilemma. So it is
choosing which hardship we want to endure. Because if we want to save our our students, we also have staff considerations as well and service quality issues to consider as well. So at the end of the day, like it
does need to balance and we're just out of money to supplement that balance. So I, I guess my input is I understand that we would need, like you said, it would be nice if we could identify alternative revenue source, right? We are up
against a short timeline for next year. So I don't know if I'm comfortable approving something at this escalating costs over all three years. So that is just my input. I might feel more comfortable to do it
for next year and then work on some of these other methods. I would like to see the identifying alternate revenue source from partners. So anyway, I would like to leave that option open and also just look
at the the rate that we're going up. I would like to, you know, just kind of not pause, but kind of just look back and see, okay, what, what's a, a good amount that would help us
but not feel so punitive to parents that are on edge. Thank you. Stuart. Miss Sylvester, I thought I was next. Yeah, just if we could back up a little bit. Why is this an enterprise fund? Who says that it has to be an enterprise fund? It
doesn't have to be an enterprise fund. The District of Columbia does not operate as an enterprise fund. And they put millions of dollars of DC, oh, DC public schools. Yeah. And they put millions of dollars from their operating
budget into the program. I think historically in M.C.P.S. this has been an enterprise fund. There are pros and cons and things, challenges and opportunities for sure. But currently we do operate as an enterprise fund. Okay. And whatever we're not able to
cover as a part of enterprise fund, we do add to our operating budget. Is that correct? No, there is nothing that comes out of the operating budget, the M.C.P.S. operating budget. So that is the meal debt. Then it is the meal debt. But it is also we have to adjust staffing levels. We have
to adjust food quality levels. I mean, we we have to balance the books. So there's a constant financial monitoring that goes on throughout the year in terms of what staffing we add, what staffing we reduce, what food we order to fulfill
kitchens and which ones we don't. So the analytics behind making sure that each cafeteria is staffed with the right amount of food for each meal, becomes absolutely critical to reduce food waste so that they can but stay within budget. It has worked so far because we've
been using Esser funds, to my understanding that. Correct? Well, actually, during the pandemic, we were provided with three different funding sources. So we were temporarily provided an increased meal rate. So the meal rates I showed you for 71, those were increased for a couple of years during the
pandemic. So we had increased rates. In addition, if you remember, we had about two and a half years where everyone was served free meals. Every meal was served for free. So the rate at which we were serving meals was higher, and we were getting a higher reimbursement for them. And then on top of that, we were provided supply
chain assistance grants. So lumps of money to say, hey, the supply chain is really challenged right now. Here are lumps, lump sum funds to support you through that. So we had multiple different revenue streams that were supporting that and probably enabled us
not to change the meal price for as long as we did, for better or worse. But those funds are going to be exhausted and without an additional revenue source. These are the real risks that are in front of us. But couldn't you have a line item for school meals in
the budget is possible, but that would expand our operating budget or we would have to make reductions. And right now the hole is 19 million. How much is when people say free meals for all kids and M.C.P.S. What are we talking about? We did a presentation to council about two years ago, I think, and we
said it would cost an additional 26 million. And we've worked with our state legislation, and there was a bill that went through three years this year to try to expand C, e p. It did not move forward, unfortunately. I know there's been multiple iterations of bills since the pandemic to have universal free
meals in Maryland, and we will continue. So when we're talking about an identifying an alternate revenue source, those are the big ones. Those are the ways we really get to free meals is advocating, along with the rest of the state, towards
increasing c e, p universal premiums for the community eligibility provision, which is a federal provision that allows us to provide free meals to all enrolled at a school without students having to individually be eligible. So let's put that
on our legislative priorities for next year. Yeah, I second that both increasing c c, e p there was a legislation that said that Maryland would fund some of the difference between what the federal reimbursement
provides. And, you know, that's an option. And then universal free meals as well. Those are two great options, but have not moved legislatively. And everybody somebody has to pay. Yeah. And just finally, my last comment extremely against
decreasing the quality of our meals. No way. We are too. They need to be increased. Yeah. Thank you, Miss Montoya. Thank you. First, I just want to say how happy I am to serve on a board with colleagues that care so much about making sure that our kids eat, because unfortunately, not all government entities operate in
that way. So I just I'm really grateful for all of you. I'm having a really hard time with this because I absolutely understand, like the actuarial exercise that had to be done here, right? I'm looking at the breakdown. We're in the red.
It's red for a reason. That deficit. And I say this with all the respect to everyone who works in food services, because I know you all work really hard with what you have. I'm already concerned about the quality of the food in some of the spaces, especially for our elementary school kids, right? Like
Craisins every day is not a fruit in my opinion. Right? So I'm already really concerned about that. But I know that that a lot of that has to do with the costs and restraints. So again, no, no, no dismissing of our hard working staff there. And so then I just get really
frustrated and torn about, well, like, of course I don't want these things to happen. Of course I actually want the quality to be better. It would help me as a parent if my kids would eat the school lunch, because that's one less thing I got to do. But I also know I say that from a position of privilege. My family is
privileged to be able to afford to pay for these meals, even if they were increased, right where there are places where we would have to decrease. Sure. But we can make it work. But I know so many families who cannot and they may not. Maybe they do qualify for free and
reduced meals, but they might not apply for certain reasons. Or maybe they don't qualify because quite frankly, those numbers are so ridiculously low to be able to qualify. And there are so many people in Montgomery County who are working or who are two parent households. ET cetera. Who might need support in food, but
they still wouldn't qualify. Right. And so I do get really concerned about raising prices at a time where everything is so expensive. And while prices have come down a smidge, you know, like I always look at the box of cereal or things like that, it's still not great,
right? And our utilities are going up, etc. so I'm not really sure exactly what I think yet, but I am feeling very torn about it because I absolutely understand, you know, the economics of it all. But for families, there's another level of economics. So I would
really like us to, if we can, by the next meeting perhaps, and without like details, I'm not saying you have to go meet with folks or whatever, but if we could just have like a short list of what are some potential alternative revenue sources to look into, right? What are other states and districts
doing? Because maybe there's some movement in action on our end with our fellow elected officials at various levels of the government and conversations to be had. Thank you. Absolutely. Okay. Well, with that, I don't think we're
not voting on it. It was just discussion. But I'd like Miss Stewart's feedback. I'd like Miss Montoya's feedback. I think we need to be proactive about it. I think we're we're good. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you so much. Okay, colleagues, we had a long time, so I'm going to give you five minutes. Recess, five minutes.
Five minutes. Okay. Be back here in five. That okay by the time you get back. So we're going to go into a short recess.
Thank you.
Welcome back everybody. Next on our agenda is item 10.1. This is a topic of safety and security update. Doctor Taylor first things first. I'd like to congratulate the board on a five minute
recess that was actually close to five minute recess. That's a first for us. That was good job guys. Well done. Thank you. Safety is a top priority in Montgomery County Public Schools. We want every student to arrive at school safely.
Spend the day with us in a positive, safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environment and then return home just as safely at the end of the day as they arrived. This year alone, we've had far too many unwelcome reminders that achieving this goal of safety
requires constant vigilance and attention to continuous improvement. At this time, much of our work is focused on strengthening consistency across schools, improving how we prepare for and respond to incidents, and evaluating the next steps to improve our
preparedness. Today, we will provide updates across three aspects of safety, including School-Based safety measures, transportation and pedestrian safety and restorative approaches, as well as the Student Code of Conduct. In these presentations, you will
hear some of the early results from a recent survey that we conducted to receive feedback on multiple initiatives that we implemented this past school year. This. As the survey has just closed, we will share further fuller data review and
analysis with the board as we examine those results at a later date, as well as to continue to provide opportunities for feedback and dialog with our staff, our students and family communities. I'll now turn things over to Mr. Marcus Jones, Doctor Peter
Moran and Mr. Lewis Michael Lewis to walk us through the details of this work. Good afternoon, President Rivera and members of the board. This year, our work has focused on
strengthening consistency across all schools and how we prepare for incidents, how we respond in the moment and how we recover afterward. We have prioritized building strong systems, setting clear
expectations and giving staff practical tools they can actually use. We have also focused on making sure those expectations look the same across all schools. Together, we will share an overview of the progress made this year. We
will also walk through what our data is showing and where we are focusing next. Next slide please. Our work is directly aligned to the district's priority of maintaining safe, supportive, and well managed
learning environments. This year, we focused on building consistency across schools through system wide training. We also required monthly emergency team meetings, so schools are practicing regularly. In addition, we
strengthened coordination with first responders. We are measuring progress through full completion of staff training and emergency plans. We are also looking at drill completion and improvements in how our technology systems are
functioning. Another key measure is our ongoing review of serious incident trends so we can adjust supports where needed. As a result, we are seeing stronger readiness across schools. We are also seeing more consistency in how
schools respond. Next slide please. This year we implemented the standard response protocol district wide. So all schools are using the same language and actions. We completed safety audits at
every school level to better understand what is working and where support is needed. Staff training was expanded. This included beginning of the year training on emergency response, as well as spring refreshers for staff, security teams and
emergency teams. We also continued upgrading safety technology and addressing maintenance needs across schools. Throughout the year, we have partnered with the State's Attorney's Office to offer two types of student safety assemblies to all
secondary schools. Speak up, Save a life and working together to keep schools safe and gun free. Looking at the data, drug related incidents remain the largest category.
Physical altercations have decreased over time. Weapons related incidents have remained relatively consistent and other categories have not shown significant change. Moving forward, we are focusing on
strengthening reunification planning. We will also continue staff training and expand opportunities for that practice. We are also launching digital mapping and continuing to expand detection tools across our schools. Next slide please.
Safety audits gave us a consistent way to understand how safety is implemented at each school. These included walkthroughs with principals and security staff, so we could see practices in real time. We were able to identify what is working well and where
additional support is needed. High schools were completed last year. Middle schools were completed in the fall and elementary schools are being completed this spring. Across schools, we are seeing common themes. Access control is not
always implemented consistently. Some schools have gaps in supervisions at key times. Emergency preparedness is another area where we are continuing to build consistency. These findings are helping us make more informed decisions
around staffing, training and infrastructure. Next slide please. In addition to looking at overall incident trends, we also monitor situations where law enforcement is involved in school based incidents. The
data shown shared here is provided by the Montgomery County Police Department. As of March 21st of 26, there were 16 physical student arrests and 70 referrals to the Department of Juvenile Services, with three
physical arrests attributed to one student on three different occasions. A physical arrest means a student was taken into police custody. A DJ s referral Department of Juvenile Services means law enforcement was
involved, but the student was not taken into custody and the case is referred to the Department of Juvenile Services for disposition. When we look more closely at the physical arrests, the majority involved high school students with a
smaller number involving middle school students. This helps to provide some important context, as most law enforcement involvement does not result in custody. Arrests and incidents are still addressed through school based responses and the
student code of conduct. Reviewing this data allows us to better understand patterns of law enforcement involvement and continuing continue monitoring trends over time. Next slide please. This year, we continue to build out technology that supports both
day to day safety and real time response during incidents. Digital mapping is being finalized so that school teams and first responders have immediate access to floor plans, critical areas and key assets. This becomes especially
important during emergencies when time and clarity matter. We have continued to upgrade cameras, access controls, systems and vape detector sensors across schools. These systems are not just installed but actively monitored and
maintained to ensure they are functioning when needed. In regards to cameras, we are upgrading older camera systems and adding new cameras that meet current digital standards, improving reliability, image quality and our ability to
effectively monitor and respond to safety concerns. The vote AI proof of concept is in its early stages, exploring how artificial intelligence can support school safety efforts by identifying and analyzing
potential concerns in real time. The work is currently underway in select schools and will conclude in approximately three weeks, after which we will review the proof of concept to determine whether this type of technology is a good fit for
M.C.P.S. moving forward. Forward iPads were distributed to all secondary security staff and one administrator per school. These devices allow staff to access cameras, monitor alerts such as the vape
sensors, and communicate more efficiently while moving through the building. We are also identifying doors for sensor installation to strengthen access control. This work is focused on ensuring doors are secured appropriately and that we can identify issues
more quickly when they arise. Together, these tools improve visibility across campuses. They also support quicker decision making and allow teams to respond more effectively in
real time. Next slide please. Looking at our student behavior trends over time gives us a clearer picture of where to focus our efforts. Drug related incidents have increased and now represent the largest
category. This has been a consistent area of focus in both prevention and response planning. Incidents involving fighting or physical altercations have decreased over time. This suggests that some of the work around supervision, relationship
building and early intervention is having an impact. Weapons related incidents have remained relatively stable. While not increasing. This remains an area of concern of concern where we continue to monitor
closely given the potential severity. These trends are reviewed alongside serious incident data and school level reports. This allows us to adjust supports, target interventions, and align
resources where they are most needed. Next slide. When we break this data down by school level, we see clear differences in both volume and type of events. High schools account
for the largest number of incidents overall. This includes higher numbers related to drugs and physical altercations. Middle schools show similar patterns, but at a lower scale. This again helps us to identify opportunities
for earlier intervention before behaviors escalate. At the high school level, elementary schools have fewer incidents overall but still require attention to areas such as supervision, access control and
early behavioral supports. This breakdown allows us to tailor training, staffing, and supports based on the specific needs of each level, rather than taking a one size fits all approach. Next slide please. We
launched a survey prior to spring break, March 12th, focused on operational changes and shifts in the districts on topics such as grading, safety, the student conduct, and other priority topics. It was open
until April the 13th. This survey was available in all languages for all families, school based staff, school based administrators and secondary students. We communicated the availability of the survey via M.C.P.S.
Things to know. The survey included questions that gathered feedback on the Community Engagement Officer or CEO program. The focus was on whether the president's presence of a CEO contributes to students, staff and families
feeling safe and welcome at school across all groups. The largest share of responses was positive. When combining agree and strongly agree, that becomes the majority opinion in every group. School based administrators showed strong
confidence in the program with nearly. With nearly 45% indicating that CEOs contribute to students feeling safe and welcome. Staff responses were also positive, with over 37%
expressing agreement. It is also important to understand how the program is structured. Each school's cluster, of course, is assigned a dedicated community engagement Officer through our partners with law
enforcement. The role of the CEO, of course, is centered on relationship building and visibility within the school community. This focus is on proactive engagement rather than enforcement. This aligns with the expectations that are
outlined in the current Memorandum of Understanding, otherwise known as the MOU. CEO CEOs are there to support a positive school climate and build trust over time. Routine school discipline continues to
be handled by school staff and not law enforcement. We also saw a larger percentage of respondents electing do not know, particularly among families and staff. This points to a gap in visibility rather
than a negative perception of the program. As we continue to strengthen this work, the focus will be on increasing opportunities for interaction and engagement so that members of the community understand the role and benefit of the present.
I'm sorry, from the presence of their CEO. Next slide please. When we take a closer look at the CEO program's impact, specifically on school safety, the data tells a different
story across all groups. The most common response was do not know. This is consistent among family, staff and even a significant portion of administrators. For families, over 60% indicated they do not
know whether the program strengthens school safety. Staff responses are very similar, even among administrators. Nearly 40% selected do not know. This is an important finding. It does not point again to a negative
perception of the program. It does highlight instead a gap in awareness and direct experience with the CEO's role in safety. The percentage of respondents who view the program as ineffective ineffective remains relatively low. That suggests
the issue. Issue is not opposition, but limited visibility into how CEOs contribute to safety efforts. It is also important to remember how the role is designed. CEOs are focused on relationship building, prevention and communication.
Their impact on safety is often indirect and may not always be immediately visible to the broader school community. Based on this data, we cannot yet say that stakeholders clearly understand the program's impact on school safety moving forward,
our focus is on increasing visibility and clarity around the role. This includes creating more opportunities for interaction, better communication about what CEOs do, and stronger alignment with
school based safety efforts. As that understanding grows, we will be better positioned to assess impact and strengthen the program over time. Next slide please. This final set of
data looks at overall effectiveness, specifically related to the CEO's role in building positive relationships within the school community across all groups. We continue to see a solid base of respondents who view the program as effective. This
includes students, staff, and families. At the same time, the number of respondents who view the program as ineffective remains low. This is consistent with what we saw on the previous slides. Where there is a. Where there is direct
experience with the CEO, the perception is generally positive or neutral. However, the largest takeaway remains the same. A significant portion of respondents continue to select do not know. This continues to be the biggest barrier in clearly
demonstrating program effectiveness. It is not a lack of support, but a lack of awareness and connection to the work. This reinforced the need to increase the visibility of the CEO role across the community. It also highlights the importance of helping stakeholders better understand
how this role supports school climate and safety. Moving forward, the focus will be more on more intentional communication and outreach. This includes creating clear connections between the CEO's work and the impact on students,
staff and families, as well as visibility and engagement increases. We expect a clear understanding of the program's value and stronger alignment across schools. Next slide please. This data looks at what
families, staff and administrators would like to see in the future when it comes to police presence in schools, one of the clearest takeaways is a desire for a more consistent presence for both families and staff. The most common response was having an
officer in the building on a full time basis. Administrators responded a little differently, while they also valued the role. The most common response was a desire for officers to visit more frequently. This likely reflects the day to day
realities of managing a building and balancing resources across all groups. There is very little support for reducing police presence in schools. That option consistently ranked among the
lowest responses. This tells us that the current model is generally viewed as a benefit. The interest is not in changing the program, but in strengthening it. Taken together, the data points to a need. The data points to a need
for greater consistency and visibility. As we think about next steps, this includes looking at how we can increase presence in a way that is sustainable. It also means continuing to build strong relationships so the role remains focused on connection,
trust, and support within the school community. And with that, I am going to now pass it on to Mr. Michael Lewis. Can we actually take some questions at
this time? Because there was a lot. Sure. My brain at this time of the day is ready for us. He has done that really all is really all this information. So let's do. Mr. Nouveau, would you like to go first? Yeah. All
right. So first off, thank you so much for all of the work. I am curious about our data collection. I know that you said that students were encouraged and informed of this, but there's no actual set category in any of the graphs that I've seen that has to do
with student input. So I'm curious about where that engagement was. And where the communication was. So, so I might just jump in for a second and say that we do want to emphasize that this is the very first step in our engagement
around this issue. And so we do fully anticipate to have follow up engagement, which is probably a little bit closer to what you and the original board resolution that Mrs. Wolff put forward are, are envisioning here. But this was really, again, sort of the first step. And we wanted since this
briefing was here, we wanted to bring to you what we had. So I think some of the follow up questions that you may have around that will nee to come back to you. All right. Okay. And my second quick question is, I know that vape detectors were briefly touched on and other
different sensors. What has been the follow up for Operation Wise of making sure that those are still working within schools? Sure. So we continue to to work with our vendor on some of the challenges that we've had with the vape detectors. And it's
their effectiveness, and we will continue to do that as we work through, we think some challenges that it presents to our, you know, to our staff as they get false positives at times, we know that vaping is
still a problem, right? So we still want to be able to address that, but we really need to look at and work through a lot of these dynamics. I have a scheduled meeting with the vendors in the coming weeks so that we can really zero down on, again, a lot of these
challenges and have them come back to us with these to be able to resolve a lot of these situations as we continue to try to move it forward. Right. I look forward to hearing more about it. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you, thank you. I am
noticing that the CEO program seems to be more favorable among our school based administrators than amongst families and amongst school based staff. So my curiosity is if that is the same across all school types and clusters, like
are we seeing that in our elementary and secondary schools? Are we seeing that across our different locations of schools, different clusters? I'd really like to see more information across that. And then I'd also really like to hear a little bit more about
why we think administrators find this more favorable. And one thing I would just respond, I would provide a response to that is I believe that their administrators work more with the CEO's, probably than the school staff because of
generally, when there's an issue, when a police officer is called to the school, they're generally dealing with the administration in resolving whatever issue that needs to be addressed. So but it would be interesting. And again, we probably have more interactions
with CEOs at our secondary schools, particularly our high schools, than we have it any other level of of our schools. So in some clusters get more attention than others, depending upon, you know, the types of incidents that are
occurring. Thank you, Miss Montoya. Thank you. I'd like us to take a look at slides five and seven, because that's what I'm going to ask about. Slide five is physical student arrest data. Slide seven is infraction
type. And I guess following slide seven will be slide eight. So on slide seven, I mean I can't let us have this presentation. And I know you explained one point, but without seeing that last year, only one black student was
arrested and then I'm sorry, in 24. And then so far this year, right? Without even the end of the school year, we're already up to 13 black students. Now that could encompass one student more than once. And I don't want us to get into that because of the small number. I don't want to have any
identifying information, but I just. Right. That's obviously whenever we see big spikes or, you know, things like that, it's obviously always concerning. So I don't want to just let this go by without just mentioning that. I'm not saying anyone's doing anything wrong or asking anyone to even
explain, but I do just think it's important to acknowledge that. I do have a question though, on slide seven. So can we touch real quick on that? And, and the only reason that we're even able to show this slide is because it's data from the police department. The numbers are lower than what we
are allowed to disclose. Okay. So because they are so small, this actually represents 1/1000 of 1% of our students. Okay. And yeah, we're, we're attentive to it. We, we have
actually one of the smallest arrest numbers in the country proportionally for our students and raw numbers. So we are worried, of course, anytime there's an arrest. And I would say that we we had a much
better year last year than we're having this year. And there's a lot of different ways to interpret that. And I think it may be worth mentioning that we are identifying and finding out about things that I think we were less attentive to in
the past. And I think it's worth it for us to, to look at this through a lot of different lenses and to ask those tough questions that you're asking is like, oh my gosh, is this disproportionality? Or is this us just working with fidelity? And I think it's a little bit
of both. And I think we we have to be honest with ourselves when we look at this information and be attentive to that, because it's not necessarily a carry over from year over year over year per se, because the students change, right? And sometimes we do have students that have multiple instances that they're
reflected there. But I think it's important to put this out there because it is publicly available data. And I think it's essential that we talk about it. But in terms of our own data, we wouldn't even be able to show this because the numbers are so low. Okay. And
then on slide seven, I think, sorry, really slide eight is actually more illustrative. I believe for myself at least. And I'm just going to look at the elementary school numbers. Okay, look, I'll be honest. I have a kid in middle school. I know there's things happen.
There's things we don't want any of these things to happen in middle school or high school either. But it happens, right? But in looking at the elementary school numbers, you know, yes, I expect a little bit of fighting and some different things. Trespassing could be folks that aren't even in M.C.P.S. community, of course. But I got to tell you, the drug and controlled
substance numbers really scary. And the weapons were a little, well, the weapons of course too, but I know some of that can be. And the false alarms could be from outside. Right. Help me out here, I just. Are we connecting with DHHS? We're one of the few counties that has its own dedicated health and
human services. And so I'm just wondering like, what's going on there? You have flagged precisely the thing that we are most concerned about is that over 50% of the incidents and infractions that are happening at the elementary school are two of the most serious things
that can happen in any school. And so looking at drugs and controlled substances and, and, and weapons, that that is extreme. Some of the other behaviors would make a little sense. When young people are having conflict and trying to resolve them. But, but with,
with those two instances in particular, and I'll let Doctor Moran illuminate some of the background behind this. But for us, this has. And you can see that it grows in the secondary school. Those two categories. But the fact that it even exists at the elementary level. Right. And that's what was so
striking to me. Can can I piggyback real fast on that? Can we see this year by year because we'd like to see the trend. So elementary school, middle and high, the year by year trend. So because you mean last year and the year before.
Got it. Okay. Hold on. I'm sorry, Miss Yang, but Ms. will have had. She has had her light on the same one. Can I can I can you answer that? Because I might be able to provide a little bit of context to this too, because. So I shared board member Montoya when I saw this,
you know, as an educator and a dad of elementary schools, I was like, wow. So I started scrubbing the serious incident data and looking at it. And I just wanted to point out a couple of things. So majority of these, of course, are our possessions. They include the
when students have Tylenol or prescription medications on them, they also include data. When there is drug possession on school property that might be associated with an adult. So
some of these are actually adults. They're not related exactly to students. The other ones were most commonly empty vape cartridges that students bring to school and have no idea what they are. And there was actually some cases where
edibles were brought to school, and that was also associated with students believing that they were candy. So I just want to bring that context because I kind of had a very visceral reaction when I saw that number. I really feel that a lot of digging into it. I really appreciate that clarification
because I think the public is watching. So when you look at it out of the blue, you're like, I'm taking my kid out of school. Right, right. Like what is going on in elementary school? And so, so the fact that you
said like Tylenol and Advil and the gummies and all that are part of part of that. And doctor J just said that we are required by law to report it as such. So anyway, so that I'm
breathing better now with that explanation. Thank you. Does that count also though for the older for middle school and high school, like you have Tylenol and that would be the same thing. I just want to make sure that it's included in included in that. So then how
are we supposed to differentiate as policymakers, right? Because bringing Tylenol versus fentanyl are two very different things. So somebody who's here looking at policies trying to make, you know, you
know what I mean? Like how, how am I supposed to do my job with that kind of information? So one of one of the pending requests I have into MC, PD is to provide a better breakdown of this data. That'd be great
to give us. Give us a snapshot, right? Or a synopsis of what is the categories of the types of controlled dangerous substances that are being recovered in our schools and that, and you know, to the best that they can, I
don't know, we need to look at it. If they could break it down by school level, that's I think that's probably more challenging. But to look at an overall number, we could probably see what the vast, you know, what those different categories would look like. Ms. Wolff. Oh, just a follow up to
what you just said. The police department would not be in on these kind of situations. Well, yes, they would be. And I'm going to I'm going to suggest. So for example, if marijuana is recovered at a school, the CEO
is called to recover that marijuana. Okay. Now they don't do anything in response to the incident, the actual incident, but they actually do take possession of the controlled date for it to be destroyed. And they document that. Okay, okay. Yes. But don't we
document it too? Well, we documented in our serious incidents, but we don't I don't think there's a breakdown of categories. Right. Okay. My my question was on slide five. It was mostly covered by Miss Montoya. The increase in the
number of black students that have been arrested. And I wasn't sure whether or not those were repeats or whether they were 13 individual kids. You know, there is I know of
one particular I think I stated this, there's one particular student that was arrested three times. I thought that. So he would probably he would be counted three different times in this data. Right. Okay. Okay. And then then Doctor Taylor said something that I just
didn't understand. I wrote it down. You said the numbers are lower than what we are allowed to disclose. So typically we do not disclose from a global look at our 149,000 students,
because these numbers are so low that they could be personally identifiable. Okay, that I understand that I knew. And so we would typically mask this data or say, end lower than what our disclosure would be. Okay, now I understand.
Okay, on, on slide number six, you said door sensors. And you said installation at all school levels. Is that are you prioritizing schools or are you
doing all schools? Well, I'm kind of doing both. So I we are doing all schools. All 211 schools will have door sensors, but we are prioritizing those schools that really needed the most. Who, who we have already
communicated with and have identified specific problems that they have. For example, with the Lopers or as just other safety concerns that they have with the misuse of unauthorized doors being opened. Okay. Right. And then my last
question is on slide number ten. You mentioned the program effectiveness, and that some of it is that we need to grow our understanding of the program.
So how do you grow your understanding? What's your plan for that of the CEO program? Again, I think a lot of this still I, you know, I've been involved with this since the
inception of this, the MOU. I'm amazed that four years after we've had this MOU in place, that the same question gets often asked by even people who are in the know. And even I say
this, and I think it's that we need to understand it because I often say to my own staff, as well as even law enforcement, that we often have to refer back to the to the MOU for people to understand, really, what are people allowed to do,
what's permissible and what's not. And so I feel like there's still a void about, you know, when we look at the program, how. So everybody does understand what are the rules of engagement? What is when we talk about the effectiveness of it, if you don't really
understand the baseline of it, I don't know how people can really know how effective it is, yes or no. And so, you know, as we have this cluster model, right? And I get a lot of times we'll Kim I can the police officer just stay at this
school all day as an example. And we look at it and we say, you know, that's not the, you know, we would love for the police officer to be able to stay there all day, but they have other schools that they're responsible for in that cluster and that they need to work out. You know, we need to work with
them effectively. So I think those are the things that we have to be have to work towards in order to help everybody understand how effective it can it is or can be. Is this anonymous or can you tell which schools responded? Because 40% of the school administrators
not understanding the effectiveness is pretty high? Yeah, I think it overall, I think it's anonymous. That's what I was told. Yeah. Thank you, thank you. Yeah. Thank you. I have one comment and then I have a question. So my comment
is related to what Miss Wolf has said. If you know, I'm I'm looking at especially the school based administrator data us that if the leaders in our schools are still need to
understand the program, that tells me that there are a lot of work to be done in. In law enforcement, I. Or safety and security. I'm told that is partnership, prevention and
presence. Three P's that matters. So if you don't. Even if. How effective a model can be, if the partnership and prevention portion. People don't know and not clear. So I'm I'm that's a comment. I'm
baffled. Now we have looked at a lot of data right now. So I am like my colleagues are very troubled by the data on increase of substance reporting
numbers. I'm relieved to see the decrease of fights, physical alteration. But my question is about our intervention strategy. Okay. Could you show me some data?
Good. So what are some strategies that we have employed that have created a result or help bring about the decrease in physical alteration? And what are some of the strategies and interventions
that we are employing now to combat the increase of drug and substance cases in our schools? Maybe differentiated by levels, right, giving elementary school
level. So I having a d is helpful, but we have to go beyond that step to say, now what? Now what do we do? So if you can. So I'll start with the fighting. And we're going to get, I think, even into more
detail around that, around the code of conduct, restorative approaches. I think that we're seeing a decline in fighting because we've put a significant amount of work into creating a structure where Central
Services was not deployed to go out to schools and support with restorative approaches or conflict resolution when it was the highest of the high. There's now more of a with the cross-functional teams, you have more people in the field that are supporting and
proactively doing that work, as opposed to reactively doing that work. So I would attribute that to the decrease. I think there's also been schools that have sought out partnership with the Conflict Resolution Center and really worked with their students and their school counselors to mediate situations, so they don't
result in physical violence or fighting. Then the third I would say is that again, we we for fighting an attack on others. We had a span in our code of conduct that went from 1 to 5. We no longer have a span of 1 to 5. I'd like to
think that, you know, elevating the level of expectations and thus consequences is a deterrent for things to happen. I think that is a component to that. And I think we're going to go a little bit more deeper into that. When our folks come up to talk about restorative approaches and code of conduct in regards to the, the, the,
the drug abuse, we have seen an increase in that. I think one thing that in having conversations with principals about why we've seen an increase is a lot of that information is being disclosed by students to trusted adults at staff asking for help. So I
believe we put in structures actually where we are having students disclose issues with drugs, whether it's themselves or a friend, and asking for support at the school, the support of the the wellbeing
team is a is a is a proactive and reactive measure to. When we find out that a student has a drug problem, we continue to have our partnerships with, with, with organizations outside of the school to support when students have a drug problem. But I think there's been a higher level of
reporting because I think our relationships, frankly, have improved over the last year and a half, and we're seeing people feel more comfortable coming forward and having conversations to to ask for support and help. So from what
you from, from what you are sharing, I'm understanding is our intervention method is refer it to the wellness team. And then so if, if a student is
found in possession of drugs or reports that they have a, a drug abuse problem or alcohol abuse problem, they are referred to the wellbeing team after receiving consequences in accordance with the code of conduct, and then they are
provided with school based supports and our external supports based off of our partnerships with, you know, Bridge to Wellness, all the different things that we're so fortunate to have specifically in our high schools. They commonly have a social worker
that is associated with that particular school that follows through and kind of tracks their case and brings it back to the wellness team each week when they meet. And then ensuring also, we've talked a lot about this, and I think this also equates to why we've
seen an increase in this number, is ensuring that they have a trusted adult in the building, and that that's actually a documented intervention for those two individuals to connect on a consistent basis. So, okay, referral and then having a trusted adult. So what
I'm hearing is right now, the system strategy is each kid individualized. We don't have a system wide initiative or anything, but individual support for students that is experiencing this, this issue
at the moment. Correct. And I think when you look at a number right within that number, there is a a spectrum of in terms of, of intensive supports that a student might need and might need, you know, treatment outside of the school that you partnership with the, the
parents to ensure that they can get residential treatment if they need it or through, you know, our, our placement process to ensure that they can access it. And then there's simply, you know, students that need a consistent, you know, check in support, ongoing communication with their
parents while also receiving supports via the bridge to wellness work with the social worker. You know, we're very fortunate to have a lot of internal resources in our schools, but we're also fortunate to have a lot of external partnerships that support with, you know,
students that are abusing drugs. Many of these numbers, though, don't necessarily represent an abuse of drugs. A lot of times they are a a possession of drugs. There's a large number of these that also are, you know, vaping, which is been a
major focus of, of, of ours. And in decreasing that that behavior at school. Thank you for that. What I'm looking for or would like to see in the future, because we see an upward trend, regardless of what is in these category, have
many I understand, but it is a upward trend that we think about prevention tactics that we can deploy as a, a system, and so that we don't see these numbers, right. It goes to
another direction. Thank you, Miss Stewart. Sorry, I already asked. My original question was broken down by elementary, middle, high and the three years. But I'd also like to
talk about the especially the elementary school level. You mentioned that it includes all these different things like Tylenol and including bringing edibles. Actually, I think I put the edibles category in a
much more serious category, in my opinion, because. They could be sharing with friends, not knowing what's in these things. I mean, it is is that tracked? Do we track the different items
that are. Yes, we do track and I didn't want to. I don't want you to think at all that I was diminishing the how how serious of an issue. That is because we have had issues where those are distributed. Students become sick. We've. We've experienced that in the past. It is a reality, though, that, you know,
there's there's a critical component to this that is a partnership between home and school, where we have had students, out of curiosity, bring things to school that look like they are something that they're not. And so that's what I was trying to outline with that. But we do absolutely
track what the substance is via our serious incident. It's put it's put in in that in that way. So but I don't want you to think at all. I was thinking, saying, you know, the reason I ask is because we know edibles is it's in the community more
and more. And so the exposure is just going to be higher. And so that's where education can come in, right? Because we can't get rid of these items out in the community. It will affect schools. So we need to
be proactive about education, educating our parents. I don't know if there's any more we can do there. Just something to look into and I would like it would be good to see again,
some trend data on like the, the vapes and the edibles along with, you know, the more typical, the way you see marijuana, but anything like that, just so we can catch
these trends and be able to be proactive, I think would be a great idea. I also didn't want to let it go by about the. Slide five. The you know,
there's some zeros on here. And I just have a hard time believing that we have zero white or Caucasian or Asian or multiracial that don't also
have infractions, you know, and so I do. The disproportionality is definitely still an issue in my opinion. So I would just point out, so this is physical student arrest data, not an arrest made on paper so that these are two different. Very good. Okay. Thank you for
reminding me. This is literally when the police department goes physically and in person to the school to bodily remove a child and charge them in the school. So this is what I'm going to say. So this is the data that
they have for that. What we don't have in this whole scenario is the juvenile criminal data, which is quite different in this data. It's not even technically criminal. Ms. Rivera-Oven. Because they're juveniles. It could be,
well, infractions, whatever you call it, but it's not even it's not even close to this. Right. So I think it's very important to put it in context when we're looking at what we have, out of 100 and almost 55,000 students in our system versus what the
police data has during the whole year, because we know that assaults happen outside school, assaults happen in metro stations and bus stations and neighborhoods during the weekend, in the evenings, before school. We have all that.
What I don't see in this report is. The overdose situation. So we had a pretty acute overdose situation in the 2023, 2024 even, I guess 2022, 2023. I
think it was actually when, when Ms. Yang and I joined the board, we had a very serious situation. I hear about them. I don't see them because there's no column for that. And again, as somebody who's making policy
and is looking, I, I need to have the tools that I need to have the knowledge of what's going on so we can actually make sure that we are one advocating for funding to be able to do that. This is the other thing I'm going to say.
Prevention and things like that cannot solely be on the shoulders of Montgomery County Public Schools. And with all due respect to my colleagues, I love you so much, but that is not the sole responsibility of
M.C.P.S. We cannot do it all and we really need to have a very heart to heart talk with our colleagues on what they're doing. We're talking about residential and all these things, and I was telling Doctor Taylor that we don't
have residential in Montgomery County for kids who have a drug addiction, can we just be honest about it? We don't. A lot of our kids are sent to Baltimore and other counties to be able to get and be provided with those services. If they
have insurance. So there's a lot of things that we're just, you know, brushing a little bit about when it comes to the situations. But when I see the data on page seven and we have
almost 260 drugs controlled substances issues between August 2026, 25 and March of 2020. That's a huge increase. That's a 10% increase from 2025.
So my question is not just M.C.P.S. what are you doing? It's what are we doing? What are we doing as a community? What is, you know, what are the programs that we're providing or not? And what jurisdictions,
right? What is HHS doing? There's a lot of nonprofits that are doing that are doing work in this area. So I would like us to at least maybe, and I know I have seen this in the past where we can have this with our other partners to say,
what are we doing? I know funding is tight, but we see our data and I'm sure the data of the police would reflect that. There is a huge issue with drug substance abuse with our young people, and we're seeing it earlier on. We're seeing it in middle school.
What are we doing? So I just want to say that not everything should be on the shoulders of M.C.P.S. but it needs to be a collective approach with that. Miss Montoya. Yeah, I just want to join those comments as well
as someone who has been working not successfully with our state counterparts and not the electeds, but the agencies to provide especially cannabis specific education and prevention, education and safety education, quite frankly,
two communities in light of the market that has been established in Maryland. And I just don't see it happening to the level that I believe it needs to be. And that is a community issue that M.C.P.S. is not responsible for. As a mom of a sixth grader who just finished health, it is in our
curriculum because my son came home and talked to me about it. Right. So I think that we are doing the things that we can do. And in fact, I have to wonder if the reason we see elevated infraction levels is because we're paying closer attention. Now, kids are getting in trouble now, right? It's not just being swept under the rug,
as I know that it has been in the past. So I'm trying to look at it in that light. Not that before it wasn't as much of a problem, but just now we're paying closer attention. But I have to agree with Miss Rivera-Oven that the school system cannot be responsible for everything parents, whether
it's alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, Tylenol, whatever, lock it up. We have to lock those things up so that children do not have access. That is our responsibility as parents in the homes, in the school system, we can only do so much. So I
just I really think this needs to be a community effort, and I will continue to do my part in the way that I can with the agencies, and I will be reaching out to some people when I leave here, actually, because this is absolutely long overdue. But I think that we have to control the parts that
we can. And that's both in the school system with the parts that we can do with providing education through a health curriculum, providing wellness centers and trusted adults. And then as parents, we have to also do our part. Lock it up, educate your kids, talk to your
kids. The question I actually have, though, is pertaining to the preliminary survey results on slides nine through 12. I just want to know the universe was this just high school family surveys or sorry, geared at high school? Was it a whole system? Because I guess what
I'm wondering ultimately is I'm an elementary and middle school parent. I don't know that I even know who the community engagement officer is assigned to my cluster, because I don't think I've ever seen them. And honestly, I don't know that I would expect to see them in my elementary or middle school. I don't know that my children
know who they are. They know who their security guards are, which is great. Right? So I'm just wondering if some of this don't know is from elementary and maybe middle school families, administrators, staff who are like, oh, is someone here? I don't know, you know, because that's what I would answer. So just to jump in on
that, it was a community wide survey. It was given out across the board, and we did work to promote it in a number of spaces, and also to work with schools around promoting completion. But so, so to your
point, it did was broad and not targeted. Michael, let's continue with you. I just wanted to follow up since you brought it up. I just want to make sure people know that when
I said reflection of the community, that also means we need to do work in the community. It's not just on schools, though. We can be part of the prevention. No, but we are a reflection of the community as well. Noted.
Michael. Good afternoon, president Rivera-Oven, members of the Board of Education and Staff. I'm Michael Lewis. I'm the deputy chief of Transportation Services and joining you today to share some important updates about safety in our really, really large network of student
transportation here in M.C.P.S. So just to contextualize everything, and I don't have a slide for this one, just wanted to let everyone out there know how many busses we have. We have over 1500 busses. And of those busses, 1204 serve routed routes every single day. We
cover over 100,000 miles of roadway each school day, and we transport over 100,000 students each day, 8000 of whom receive specialized services. My division's primary goal is that safe transportation of those students, knowing that this charge carries deep
responsibility and accountability, I take this very seriously and personally because back in 2000, this propelled me into this amazing work. I want to acknowledge also that this has certainly been an emotional and challenging school year for us in M.C.P.S. but also in the
Division of Transportation Services, particularly after the tragic accident involving one of our students in the fall. However, it is important to note that the student transportation industry at large is one of the most highly regulated forms of transportation in the United
States. There are very specific laws, regulations, and policies that govern our work, not just here in Montgomery County Public Schools, but across the nation. There are also serious consequences for violating any of these laws or regulations
and requirements set forth by agencies such as the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Maryland Department of Transportation, and the Maryland State Department of Education codified also in the Code of Federal Regulations, the Annotated Code of Maryland
and the Code of Maryland regulations. Prioritizing and ensuring safety, whether it's on our busses, at bus stops or otherwise. Commuting, requires great collaboration with many of the agencies that we previously mentioned, but also other M.C.P.S. offices. My
division is responsible for the safe transport of students on yellow busses and the location of bus stops. But we can't do this alone. We rely heavily on other public safety partners and others within M.C.P.S. as well as local law enforcement, to implement recommendations to
bring things forward to enhance safety. While these partnerships have historically been ad hoc and teams have worked together on an informal basis for as long as I've been in M.C.P.S. I'm excited to share that we have formalized these relationships in recognition of the need to initiate this critical work,
and that requires the voices of government and school district officials alike, as well as parents and other agencies. I'll speak a little bit more about that shortly. We're all aware Montgomery County is growing and changin a very fast pace, and my division is constantly reviewing and examining bus stop locations
and uses using a variety of industry standards and regulations as our guide to their placement and sometimes relocation. If conditions around a bus stop are modified either permanently or temporarily, then our teams will identify alternative locations for student pickup
and drop off, such as the experiences many of us are having down county. With the Purple Line. Greater communication from construction officials have certainly helped my team plan ahead in many of these cases, which has minimized disruption from the elementary to secondary levels for students in these communities. And in some cases,
we will provide temporary bus service in our walk sheds or our non-transportable areas if there are unsafe conditions that may exist. We also work diligently with families to help establish and encourage safe walking and bicycle routes to and from school for those in the walk shed. And while these
paths may not always be direct, we do our best to help families find alternative ways on foot and strongly encourage our walking school bus or a group of students and families that walk together. We have enjoyed a collaboration with Montgomery County Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School program and have
co-hosted safety days, bike to school days and walking school bus days with zeal. The zebra. I'd like to take a moment to also highlight. If we go to the next slide, please. Two great examples of some of the collaborative efforts between folks in my division and others that have yielded much safer
environments and transit for students. First is Woodland Elementary School in Silver Spring. There were shared concerns elevated by the school's PTA and the Civic Association of the neighborhood, as well as members of my own team, regarding the existing neighborhood sidewalks and streets around the school. When
this elementary school moved back to their home site in Silver Spring, a beautiful effort led by the MCPs, PTA, school Construction Impact Team or skit and leadership in my division lobbied Montgomery County Department of Transportation to modify and upgrade signage, crosswalks,
sidewalks, and other infrastructure that fell outside of M.C.P.S. jurisdiction. This engagement resulted in the creation of much safer conditions for students not utilizing the yellow school bus to and from school. A more recent example at the secondary level is at our Woodward site in North
Bethesda that currently houses Northwood High School for weeks before the school moved in. My team and I were working closely with school staff, the skit and our friends and facilities management to advocate for and suggest multiple traffic enhancements around the site ahead of their visit. Our
police partners also had a highly visible presence to help direct traffic and ease congestion during the opening weeks of school, and this dream team was able to successfully get the State Highway Administration to install and modify traffic signals to support arrival and dismissal. This work really couldn't have been done with the help of some
of our amazing friends in the MC, CPA, MCPs to miss McCarthy, Miss Cohen, Miss Howe, and of course one of my bus operations coordinators on my team. These two examples at both the elementary and secondary levels, really demonstrate the value we place in M.C.P.S. and
transportation on making students having access to their buildings as safe as possible. But it also shows how many people and how many agencies this really agencies. This really takes my team and I continue to appreciate and welcome the ongoing collaboration from parents and engage school administrators
and staff on these topics so that all of us can help make each campus and the journeys our students take to and from a lot safer. And next slide, please. I'd like to highlight some of our ongoing work, as well as some of the pain points, in the hopes that generating this discussion will yield
continued and greater support from our families, communities and those listening out there. I mentioned previously that my division frequently needs the help of others inside and outside of M.C.P.S. a call that many members of the Board of Education have said very clearly today, we can't implement or approve many of the recommendations or
suggestions alone, whether it be for a new crosswalk, a traffic signal change, or anything of that nature. And again, while these partnerships have been previously less formal in the wake of the tragic accident last fall, MC Dot began a Transportation Safety Workgroup in collaboration with M.C.P.S.
This incredible workgroup brings together leadership from MC, dot, M.c.p.s, transportation and facilities, and the MCPs PTA to improve coordination, communication with families and schools, and to be more proactive in identifying safety issues while also educating families on
pedestrian and bicycle safety. In the aftermath of the accident last fall, to be more responsive to this, my division held an in-service training for all bus attendants, bus operators and supervisors. This in-service included topics about defensive and professional driving and
identification of common driving errors, and the consequences if those errors became accidents. Additionally, I also enacted a change to our cycle of behind the wheel evaluations for our supervisors who evaluate attendance and drivers on the road. The Code of Maryland requires a behind the wheel evaluation to be
conducted once every two years, and I enacted a change to make our supervisors conduct that evaluation once annually. This means our supervisors have more contact with our bus teams with greater frequency and. This involves coaching, mentoring, and identifying areas of improvement to enhance safety
while riding or driving following any collision. Our bus operators are required to attend a post-accident training. I saw this as yet another opportunity to go above and beyond the minimum requirements set forth by several regulations, and ask members of our training team to enhance the rigor and frequency of our
courses. Instead of boilerplate videos that we've purchased over the years. We're actually examining actual accidents and that our bus driver bus operators have been involved in and tailoring the retraining and instruction about those accidents. We hold our bus operators to a very high
standard as they're classified as professional drivers. So the expectations that they successfully complete, all aspects of ongoing and retraining are high as well. What people do in their own cars when they have a commercial driver's license may have implications on their ability to operate a commercial
motor vehicle, myself included. Some of the pain points I've observed in my time as the leader of this division is that we did not have a dedicated member of my staff to be the point person for all of the safety issues that we shared today. To that end, included in our superintendent's
recommended operating budget for FY 27, we've included a new position, a Safe Routes to School coordinator. I'm incredibly excited about this position. My vision for this role is to lead the charge of ensuring our non-transportable areas, our bus routes, bus stops, and school campuses are
as safe as possible for our scholars while liaising and connecting with all of the people who can help make that possible. Another pain point has been the number of video requests from schools regarding student behavior. The process for retrieving video, reviewing footage in real time, and summarizing the findings is
laborious and time consuming. Last year we received 2415 unique video requests. This year, as of today, we've received 1975. Our IT team does an amazing job trying to be as responsive as possible, but we
need help. So also included in our FY 2011 budget requests is a video record specialist dedicated to the Division of Transportation. My hope is that this speeds up our process to then collaborate with school administrators and educators and families on any next steps that may happen. And to wrap up,
I want to share our continued need and desire for cool technology that comes with our busses. Busses are still the safest way for our students to access education, and we need a lot of them to move our students. We recently released a request for proposal for bus cameras. This includes interior,
exterior and stop arm cameras to help improve accountability for everyone. Our team is currently working with the Department of Procurement through this RFP process. In addition to cameras, our procurement of brand new busses is critical as there are many safety features that many folks may not be aware of. Our busses
have onboard GPS, so my team and I can account for every asset anytime, anywhere. My friends jokingly tell me, don't put your phone out at the table, but I'm actually looking at where all of our busses are at eight 9:00 at night if I'm still awake. We also procure all of our busses with really
cool technology such as rear view backup cameras. These have been installed in cars for years, but this is relatively new for our school busses. We also now have lane assist technology. Really cool right? So our drivers get shaken when they may be deviating from their lanes. And we also now have sensors for the front of
our busses to indicate decreased following distances while our professionals are driving. So all that to say, our goal is to make transportation in whatever form as safe as possible for our students. But my team and I need help. So again, echoing the sentiments of our Board of Education members today, it really takes a village from
school administrators, parents and families in our community partners as well as all of our government agencies to help make this happen. So I encourage those watching to remind our students that the yellow b is a privilege to ride, and that the same expectations for good behavior apply on the bus as they do in
the classroom. For those walking or biking to school, look both ways. Take your headphones out and be aware of your surroundings and parents. Please supervise your kids at the bus stops. Let us know. Contact my office if there are conditions or variables or things that happen in your community, so our teams can go
out and take a look and partner with you on how to make it better. We're here to support and want to make access to education safe and equitable for all. And thank you for your time today. Thank you so much, Michael. Appreciate, appreciate you and your work and your team's work. It's a big, heavy
lifting with 1500 busses under your belt every single day. So appreciate that our kids kiddos get to go home safe and sound. I appreciate the fact that Doctor Taylor listened to put in that position in for the
Safe Routes to School Coordinator. This is something that myself and many advocates have been advocating for years. I'm sorry that, you know, it was on the heels of another tragedy, but it's happening. It's needed. And like you said, people really need to slow down and just take their time. When
our kids are going to school, can you tell me where we are with the RFP for the bus cameras? Yes. So we had a meeting with some possible vendors the other day, and right now we are about to embark on our short list for selection processes. For the
next steps. Our anticipated goal is to bring this to the board in May. So this is a holistic approach of cameras, right? They're going to be okay. Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay, awesome. Miss Wolff, I just wanted to say how excited I am that busses have lane
control. You know, I really am. I mean, I love it on my car, but to hear that you have it on busses is great. And I also wanted to talk a little bit about the safe routes to school coordinator that the board had requested, because I've seen
posts on social media that we're just hiring another bus monitor, and that is not the purpose of the position. So I wanted you to just go over that again, what we're looking for because, you know, safety has to be a coordinated effort. It
can't just be the school system has to be the state, the city, because you're talking about roads that we don't control. So could you talk about that a little bit? Absolutely. So as the board made their adoptions for our boundary studies and the regional program models at the last meeting, that means
there's going to be a lot of changes for the service areas for all of our schools. And so that may mean shifts where students who did not ride a bus previously may now be eligible for transportation and vice versa. So we very much need somebody acutely aware of what those changes are to work with
both the communities and the schools, but also, again, all of these government officials to make sure that the roadways, the walkways and everything under the sun are ready for our students to make those transits to and from school. And so I envision this person sitting on some of the workgroups that I mentioned previously, and maybe
starting even some new ones as we uncover other areas of interest or of concern where we need the support and help from others. So now that is the person that I'll go to to complain that Norwood Road needs a sidewalk for the kids walking to Blake High School.
There we go. Miss Montoya, the car line pick up and drop off. Right. I'm around a lot of schools and a lot of different times. I see a lot of different things going on. I hear from families. I see a lot of things that should not be happening. It's not because school staff
isn't telling them, hey guys, this is the way the car line goes. This is how drop off is, this is how pickup is parents. It's us. Right? Folks are parking in the emergency lanes because you think it's just real quick, you're going to drop your kid off. You don't know if an emergency vehicle is on its way to that space. So I
guess I'm just wondering, not that you don't have enough on your plate, but is there a way to I mean, we send out messages for everything. I hesitate to say some messaging, but I just I don't feel like there's a level of seriousness being taken by us parents. I'm talking to myself as well,
right? We all need to make sure that little second does matter. And I'm just wondering if there's a way to help support our in school staff with getting parents like myself on board with, we really got to follow these procedures, whatever your school's is,
because each school is a little different. Sure. So my first response to that would be if your students eligible to ride a bus, ride a bus, because then we're taking more cars off the road trying to get to and from our school campuses. So that's the first thing. The second thing is there's been wonderful examples. Baker Middle School,
for example, in Damascus, where some members of the community were upset about the number of vehicles that were coming to pick up and drop off their students. And so what we did was brought this to our new work group to say, hey, we need police, we need MC dot, we need
facilities, and we need M.C.P.S. transportation involved to work with the school administration to say, this is what we've identified and this collaboration is going to say, these are the recommendations that we make. Then Doctor Moran and folks under DSS will come in and hopefully help us implement said changes to operationalize
these school arrivals and dismissals much better. But I would definitely say messaging is important. I know we don't want more messaging, but it's definitely the educational piece as well, but also the presence of law enforcement in many cases is a deterrent for people not doing what they're supposed to do. Right? Because
I don't necessarily see the issue in terms of the school staff not putting in a process or saying, this is how we do this or sending out, you know, I'm sure they send out messaging too, and things like that. It's the adherence part, right? And I'm sorry, I just can't imagine MC PD being like, sure, Miss Montoya, I'll come sit in this elementary school
parking lot. Like I just don't see them realistically doing something like that. Right. And so, and I'm not sure that's the best use of their time and resources either. Right. On a holistic view. So I guess I'm just, you know, that to me though is a student safety issue because one, again, there
could be an emergency vehicle on the way for some reason and you just don't even know, right? At any given time. I drop my child off for before care at 730 in the morning. I don't know if a fire engine is on the way. I better pull in and park and get out of the car and walk them up. Right. So I think that,
you know, again, it's it's not that school based staff is not, doesn't have a plan or we don't know what the layout looks like to, you know, configure one, it sometimes is literally just adherence, right? And I can see it when I drive by different schools that like, I don't even know what your plan is, but I
know it's not that. Okay. Miss Stewart, I want to congratulate you on having that relationship with the community and with MCPs to to make things safer and work better for all. I
think that partnerships really. They're paying off. I can see your excitement about that. So thank you. The additional safety features for our busses, I think is could be really
helpful. I have some of that in my car and it's made me feel safer. And I maybe made other people safer because face it, we're human, right? And we all get distracted not even knowing it. And that little reminder
can really help. And also keeping that distance from the car in front of you. Is there any other sensors? Like if something like a pedestrian
were, you know, might have been in a blind spot near a bus? Could are there any sensors out there that could warn a bus operator? So there are certainly technology out there. And as we're working through the RFP process for the bus cameras, a part of that is
inclusive of all of our internal cameras. And with that, there are technology components that are very much attuned to the AI, you know, support where there are notifications not just to the bus operator, but to folks monitoring cameras or for push notifications to say
there's a potential for distracted driving here, right? Or there's something in the danger zone. So those are things we're certainly trying to explore as we're looking through the technologies that are out there. That's really good to hear. Thank you. Thank you. And that concludes the presentation. We appreciate you.
Thank you so much for all your work. We're going to be moving to item 10.2. That's restorative approaches and student code of conduct. That's the next item on the agenda. Doctor Taylor thank you, Madam President. I'm actually going to forgo my introductory remarks. And while folks are
coming up and we're swapping out the slide decks, I just want to say we did make some significant changes to our student code of conduct this past year. We're anxious to report on those. One of the biggest changes was the mandatory addition of
restorative approaches and restorative justice. As part of our Code of Conduct response, we're delighted to be joined with a couple of principles. Our professional learning team, as well as our department that supervises the Code of Conduct
and Appeals, as well as Doctor Moran. So I want to advise my team to please be concise. We're running a little bit behind schedule right now, so I know that there's a lengthy presentation. To the extent that you can be crystal clear and concise, that would be
helpful. Thank you, Doctor Moran. Thank you, Doctor Taylor. Good afternoon, members of the board. As Doctor Taylor shared, today's presentation will highlight how we are operationalizing a unified strategy across the system. Specifically, you'll hear how restorative approaches in the student code of conduct are
being embedded as core strategies to support school climate, strengthen relationships, and ensure consistent, equitable responses to student behavior. Today, we're going to share updates on implementation, including how we are building staff capacity, aligning our work to district priorities, and using data to
guide continuous improvement. While you heard in the previous presentation on student safety the ways our school system is working to ensure our students and adults are safe, our primary approach is to move from a culture of compliance to a culture of commitment and
care. To achieve this, we believe that if we ensure systematic coherence between support and practices, and if we empower our staff through accountability, we will see the data driven results our community expects. The reduction and elimination of
disproportionality, and increased safety and well-being of all students. Today, you're going to hear about the direct alignment to our M.c.p.s strategic plan, specifically goal three, where we are defining a safe environment as one where students are
connected, not excluded. And at this time, I'm going to turn it over to our director of professional learning, Marjorie Loop. Good afternoon. Restorative approaches are a core strategy, not a separate initiative for achieving goal
three of the M.C.P.S. Strategic Plan. This work directly supports our commitment to safe, welcoming, inclusive, and equitable school environments by focusing on relationships, accountability, and belonging. Over the past four years,
M.c.p.s! Has moved from pilot programs to system wide implementation, embedding restorative approaches into discipline, school climate, and school improvement efforts. Next slide. I want to start by explaining what restorative
approaches are and what they aren't. Restorative approaches is a mindset and philosophy that shapes how we build relationships, respond to harm, and strengthen school climate. It's about proactively building community and also repairing and restoring relationships
when harm has occurred. The focus is on education and growth, helping students learn from mistakes, understand the root of behavior, and take meaningful steps to repair, harm and reintegrate successfully into the school
community. This work supports the physical, social, emotional, and academic well-being of students and staff. In practice, that means building caring relationships based on trust and responsibility, supporting self-awareness and emotional regulation, and teaching
conflict resolution skills so students learn how to recognize harm and repair it. Restorative approaches are not separate from accountability. They happen alongside consequences and emphasize that discipline
should be rehabilitative, restorative, and educational. Restorative approaches are not a replacement for consequences. They are not a single program, a script, or a required set of interventions. They are not
limited to circles or formal conferences, and they aren't one size fits all. There isn't one right way to do this work. It's it's a flexible philosophy and set of practices that adapts to the needs of students, staff, and situations. I also
just wanted to clarify why we say approaches. Two years ago, our district shifted from restorative justice to restorative approaches to align with the language used by Maryland State Department of Education. The term approaches signals that this is not a
single program or script. It reflects a whole school philosophy that is woven into daily interactions, discipline responses, and community building practices. It also reflects flexibility. Schools can apply restorative thinking in ways that fit their
community, while staying grounded in shared principles. Next slide. The restorative approaches work directly aligns with the M.C.P.S. strategic plan. Goal three positive, safe, and effective environments.
Next slide please. Now I want to share a bit about what the restorative approaches work looks like this school year. Every school has a person responsible for restorative approaches. It's a restorative approach as coach, and that
coach gets a stipend for their work. The stipend started in the 2122 school year, and that is the year we began to have centralized instructional specialists to support the work. In the 2223 school year, we expanded the team to eight
specialists. This year, those eight specialists moved to the professional learning specialist role, and we added five more for a total of 13 professional learning specialists who support the restorative approaches, coaches and work on cross-functional teams with a focus on
professional learning. These coaches are anticipated to continue the work again next year, too, so previously, schools often relied on the central office restorative approaches specialists to come out to their schools and do the restorative approaches work.
This year, the team has really been working hard to model how to do the work and then coaching their coach, the coach in their school to be able to lead that work. And we've been able to deepen our impact. We've also provided a differentiated professional
learning model, including monthly PLCs for new coaches, quarterly sessions for returning coaches, and ongoing office hours supporting both the skill development and continuous improvement. With this approach, we are strengthening alignment between
restorative practices and district priorities for student achievement, including the Maryland School Report Card. Together, these efforts ensure restorative approaches are embedded as a core strategy, not a standalone initiative for improving climate,
strengthening relationships, and advancing academic outcomes. Next slide. This year's RA coach plc Learning Progression has focused on coaching skills, leadership and capacity building, developing school
based staff to lead restorative work within their own buildings and ensuring sustainable, distributed leadership across the district. The learning model includes direct instruction, opportunities for reflection and practice, and practical resources to support
implementation. Feedback indicates that the RA coaches leave each session with a stronger understanding of restorative approaches and clear, actionable next steps they can immediately apply in their schools. Next slide. As I
mentioned, there is a restorative approach as coach allocation for every school. Each school receives an allotment of stipend hours for a leader or leaders of the RA work in the building, 96 hours for secondary schools and 48 hours for elementary schools.
We collect a monthly report to capture the areas of support the restorative approaches coaches are providing. The most common services are response and responsibilities. Our schools support meeting consultations, providing individual student support,
providing staff and classroom support, attending the RA coaches PLC meetings and facilitating mediations or responding to behavioral incidents. Next slide. For the past four years, our schools
have used a rubric based on the Maryland State Department Restorative Practices standards to evaluate the implementation of restorative approaches in our schools. School based coaches, in collaboration with their administrators and members of their leadership teams, conduct an annual
self-assessment and submit their ratings, along with the support of evidence to the Professional Learning Specialist team. You can see the results. For this year, only 2% of schools were rated as reactive, meaning they have yet to establish consistent and
proactive restorative processes and protocols. 30% of schools are now early implementers with some practices in place but not yet implemented consistently across the school, and some practices still missing or yet to be established. 54% of
schools have reached the intermediate stage, demonstrating strong evidence based processes that engage multiple stakeholder groups. We have 14% of schools in the mature category, indicating they have codified processes
that are implemented with fidelity across the entire school community. This data clearly demonstrates that the district's progress in scaling restorative practices from an initial reactive phase to a more proactive and well established established
framework. Next slide please. Our intermediate and mature schools are a key benchmark for successful implementation of restorative approaches. The data shows a steady and significant increase in the percentage of schools in the mature category, which has more
than doubled, increasing from the 3% four years ago to 14% this school year. And we now have 68% of schools at the intermediate or mature implementation. This consistent growth demonstrates that our schools are implementing
restorative approaches with greater fidelity. Moving from the foundational early stage work to more consistent embedded practice across the district. Next slide. Our data shows that restorative approaches is no longer just an
experimental program in our district. It's a foundational habit. Our strongest performance is our proactive work. Classroom circles and community building are becoming increasingly routine. We've reached a level of consistency where the restorative
environment is visible. The moment a student walks into our buildings, teachers are moving from beyond punitive and compliance based discipline and are now using effective language, language and reflective conversations to
foster genuine student accountability. Next slide. Recently, we launched a new initiative survey that Chief Jones also referenced. We solicited input from families
and school based administrators and school based staff on the use of the student code of conduct and some items that focused on restorative practices, as seen in the family's chart. On the left, there is a powerful supermajority support for
restorative practices. Nearly 60% of families support learning from mistakes and repairing harm. As an alternative to traditional punishment, only 17.5% disagree. Interestingly, as shown on the
right, the percentage of school based staff who feel confident implementing these practices almost perfectly matches the percentage of families who support them. This tells us the support is deep and consistent across both stakeholders. The
community and staff are conceptually aligned, but the practical capacity is not universal. We must move beyond measuring general support and begin targeting specific capacity building initiatives. Next slide please. Our work
ahead is about making sure the restorative approaches is more consistently and effectively used across all of our schools to have the impact that you're going to hear about from these two principles. I'm delighted to introduce miss Rose Alvarez,
the principal of Lakelands Park Middle School, and Miss Carla Lopez Arias, the principal of John F Kennedy High School, who will speak about the work they are leading at their schools to advance the integration of restorative approaches and its
impact. Good afternoon, everyone, and I appreciate the request that we keep it succinct. Everyone at my school at Lakelands is probably laughing because, you know, that's an effort for me to keep things safe. But I will try my best and I will invite you all
to come out to Lakelands Park, and I'll talk to you about it there. But there are a lot of a lot of work has been done at Lakelands over the last six years while I've been there, and especially the last two years, two years, we've really turned a corner. Our focus as a
school is really around community of belonging and high expectations. We all know hopefully about the warm demander teacher. The teacher is one who has high expectations and is deeply caring and loving of their students, and we believe in
that for our whole school. We try to embody that warm demander as a whole school, and that starts with creating a warm community of belonging where we expect only the best from our kids. And so our restorative approaches are really holistic. Across the whole day. We just heard how
important it is. Our foundation with restorative work is really the proactive work. So that's a little more what you see on this graphic. Starting at the top with our restorative framework, we set very clear expectations just in the classroom, in the hallways,
students have to know what our expectations are, what the standard is, and what will happen if that standard isn't met. So we have a school wide response system. It's a good example of this is our cell phone policy, where kids know it's about what happens
throughout the school day. It's not that you get three warnings in this class or that class. We are all communicating using technology so that we know it's one and done. And also we have invested in our teachers. We know what makes the biggest
difference for our students is those effective teachers. And we. They deserve to have specialized training in how best to support kids and create this climate in their classroom. We have Miss Bateman, who is our professional learning
specialist and our CFT has been a great support to us and our restorative approaches. Coaches Melissa Leyva and Jessica Goldstein, who are two of our team leaders, have been trained by the Crisis Prevention Institute in the Classroom
Culture module. So in this module, we are able to help our teachers have collaborative conversations around how to have a positive climate and how to respond when behaviors aren't met. One of the best learnings that comes to mind
from that is around how we want to start with kind of the power of the period. So if a kid walks into class and maybe they've been late before, but and maybe you haven't seen them in a few days and they haven't been in school, we're glad you're here. So that's the
first message the kids hear. And then later we follow up with our expectations. So it's about being warm and caring, but also setting a clear expectation and clear consequences. And so teachers are discussing that. We are
very strategic with how we involve our community in our restorative work and all our school improvement work quarterly. We have our school improvement plan, quarterly reviews in which our members of our community are caregivers. Our parents are invited in to
work with our leadership team and see the data that we have for our restorative work and our school consequences, along with all our academic data. And they are able to hear what approaches we're using and provide guidance and support. I will also mention that our cross-functional team is always
present at these meetings, and they too are providing guidance and support. So moving down to the restorative environment, I would like to highlight our Falcon Bucks reward system, which is a collaboration with our parents to provide positive rewards. Kids can buy things. They earn the the Falcon bucks
by exhibiting positive behaviors, and they're able to cash those in for fun prizes in the mornings and at lunch at a school store, run with our parents and caregivers. And they help us. They help provide the prizes as well. Sometimes
we have also tiered supports. So this is really important with our restorative approaches. It starts in the classroom and then it might go to the grade level team for a response. And then it might come to an administrator. Some things go straight to administration as
we know in our code of conduct. But for most behaviors, most middle school behaviors, it starts with the teacher and engaging the families. And we always work from a tiered lens as C, I have a lot to share. Let's see, how can I speed this up? So we do have the community
building. As you've heard about the circles in our classrooms, we build those into our classroom time. Classrooms need to have community building. Kids need to feel a part of something in that classroom. So that happens through the classroom, with the classroom teacher being the lead and our
interventions, we have matched the intervention to the students need. So while there are set consequences and restorative responses, oftentimes we find with repeated behavior that we need a response that matches to that child. So for example, one that
comes to mind is that if a child is repeatedly having issues in the cafeteria, despite our interventions, calls home and perhaps lunch reflections, it may be time for the child to eat somewhere else for a while with a smaller group. Not every child in sixth
grade, seventh grade is developmentally ready for cafeteria with 350 kids. And some kids find that very overstimulating and can be very hard for them. So let's give them a support, not just a consequence. And that's the basis of restorative approaches.
Finally, I would like to go on and on, but on this slide I will just share that we, along with our restorative approach coaches, Miss Leyva, Miss Goldstein, we also have Mr. Rinker and he is also an alternative one teacher. And so he supports through a case management model, students who
may have significant concerns or repeated concerns with behavior, attendance or academics. But in addition, we have used some of our teacher staffing to fully release him. So he is available throughout the whole school day. And that staffing is absolutely critical. I'm very fortunate to be able
to do that at my school, and he works with the students, not just on his caseload, but also any student who may need in-school intervention to provide a restorative response. So after whatever consequence is appropriate in the code of conduct, we then also will have
something matched to them a learning experience. We do use AI to help us create learning opportunities for the students that are matched to exactly what has occurred, and students have a deep opportunity to reflect on what's occurred. We
can go to the next slide. So if you'll take a look at the pyramid. So we have approximately 1000 students right now at Lakelands Park, 92.5 or 925 students are successful with just these proactive measures or perhaps minimal interventions from
their teachers and team leaders. We have 5% of students who have been in the in-school support in school intervention and student support room with Mr. Rinker, and those students have not repeated. So once they have that opportunity, they have not
gone back for that behavior. And then we have 2.5% or 25 students approximately, who have had a suspension this school year or have had to return to Mr. in the student support room and receive more
supports. I want to just highlight how important it is to have the support of our. Miss Bateman in providing guidance on the types of supports we can provide in
different ideas. She, as part of our CFT, works with Mr. Rinker, especially in our other restorative approach. Coaches to guide them. So some other results we've had are. Two years ago, we had 59 suspensions for the school year. Last year that dipped down to
nine, which was the lowest in many years. And then this year it's gone up a little bit. I know the matrix is in the code of conduct is might be connected to that because we do have higher level of accountability in our code of conduct, but we're very happy
with those results. And students are not repeating because when they come back from suspension, we have very strong, robust reintegration with their family and the supports in the school and our school wellbeing team. And a final result that we have is
our our school climate. Data from our staff, our parents and our families has I just highlighting some of the green on there because we are doing really well compared to previous years and compared to other schools. And we're really
proud of our results. This wouldn't happen if it wasn't a school wide effort. And also, we need to continually have that shared leadership where we're listening to our families, our staff and our kids to refine our processes and an
ongoing data cycle. Thank you. All right. Next slide. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Carlos Lopez, alias proud principal of John F Kennedy High School. So you are going to hear quite a bit of the same things that Rose Alvarez spoke about, which is what is the
high leverage points for restorative approaches at any school. So John F Kennedy High School or work has been grounded in strengthening our overall school culture and climate. This year, we started by establishing clear expectations and structures, ensuring that every adult
understands their role in building relationships with students and also understanding our protocols that we have in place for student behavior and response, and our tier support systems. At the macro level, we align this work to our school
improvement plan where we build, we build clear school wide systems and response protocols and leverage shared leadership across administrators or restorative approaches coaches. So at Kennedy, we have to identify coaches who are fully released. Again, you know,
using our staffing to ensure that some of this work is done with fidelity. Our counselors and teacher leaders, we are also using ongoing data cycles to monitor our trends, adjust our approaches, and ensure that higher level tier of supports
are provided to students through our school Well-Being team. At the micro level, this work is visible in daily practices. It starts by the minute as students walk into the building by greeting them, establishing relationships, establishing rapport, addressing conflict in real
time through those restorative conversations and our support teams, helping students reflect, take accountability and repair the harm, which is at the base of those relationships, is at the base of building the community. We also strengthen our school intervention space
to provide targeted, individualized support. And a lot of the data that you're going to see in the next slide. It is really a reflection of the work that we have done in this space, in this alignment between our systems and daily practices that ensure students experience both high
expectations and a strong sense of belonging. Next slide. So in here, our impact thus far, we have seen meaningful progress as a result of our intentional systems and structures that we have put in place this year. So
90% of our success rate among the students who are participating in restorative circles, that means that the conflict, it is resolved in that space, and they're able to walk away and not come back with the conflict with one another. 90% success rate for students supported through the
reentry plans. So when we are talking about when consequences are provided, students are provided in out-of-school suspension, we are coming to the table as a team with the families, caregiver, support team, counselors, anybody that wraps their arm around the
students to discuss what is the next step, and what are the supports that are needed to ensure the student is not coming back to this same space. So in those reentry plans, we share them with the teachers. So everybody again, is part of the student circle. We have
seen a significant decrease in referrals to our school intervention program and our out-of-school suspensions. Again, it is about the work. It is about providing learning opportunities in that space. So when we assign a student to an in-school intervention, it is about reviewing what is the
incident that took place that got us there? Having a meaningful reflective conversation, but also learning as to how does this behavior change? What is it that we need to do and create a plan for that, and then a timeline as to how often are we going to be checking in on that student?
And many times with the students that we have those reentry plans, they come and check in with the teacher there. So they sometimes, you know, when they're having those days, we all have them at the high school level where we need a little bit more support or say, hey, I miss, I need to check in, you know, I will find the
student in there just doing a check in. And then she walks them back to the class because sometimes it is about resetting, getting our minds in the right space for learning to take place. And of course, the students that we have seen in this space, we have a low rate of recidivism. So, you know,
when we think about the pyramid, what are those zero one supports? What tier two supports, you know, or tier three number of students is very low because we are doing, again, the intentional work of changing behavior in this space.
So the progress is grounded in ongoing real time data monitoring. We're using multiple data sources to identify patterns early, respond quickly to their needs, and continuously refine our practices. So this is an ongoing monitoring and looking
at what are we missing? Where is our gap and how we can fill it. Most importantly, we're shifting from being reactive when it comes to discipline to having proactive structures and conditions for student success. As a result, we are seeing fewer escalations as stronger
relationships and a more consistent and supportive learning environment. Well, we are proud of this progress. We also recognize that this work is ongoing. Being here only the first year at Kennedy. This is definitely an ongoing and a long term plan as to how do we
continue to scale this up to be something that is standalone in every single classroom at Kennedy High School? So we remain committed, committed to deepening our implementation and ensuring that every student at Kennedy High School experiences both accountability
and care. Good afternoon everyone. Today, I'm going to speak about the student Code of Conduct. We're going to frame this conversation around the three pillars that were introduced earlier by Doctor
Moran. Systematic coherence, accountability and data driven results. Next slide please. Goal is for relationship focused approach towards discipline with disciplinary measures are restorative, rehabilitative and educational.
Educational extends not only to school based staff but also extends to parents and community members and students as well. The Student Code of Conduct is our primary resource for providing guidance and direction for school disciplinary decision making in the school building. Next slide
please. When we reflect on the Student Code of conduct from FY 25, the three main school practices and structures that were elevated in FY 25 student conduct are highlighted here. They are grade level interventions, exclusionary responses at level four and
five, which are out of school suspensions and behavior interventions at the teacher level, which would be one and two. And administrative levels are three, four and five. Feedback from diverse groups of stakeholders led to changes which transitioned into the next slide, which would be FY
26. And FY 26. We noticed that these changes came through a following strategies and practices. So there were specific strategic leadership moves that were being implemented at the school level. School administrators are considering both mitigating and aggravating factors, mitigating
factors or components such as age, grade level and cultural linguistic linguistic factors in aggregating components such as prior misconduct, imminent threat, and injuries that may have been caused to a student at the school level. We're also experiencing consistent implementation of student
supports and interventions such as restorative approaches, student well-being teams, behavior plans while using a tiered response approach. Next slide please. On this slide, we highlight the systemic alignment between school and central office with the revised
Student Code of Conduct. We're experiencing a consistent variety of supports that are proven to be effective towards reducing student disproportionality rates for school suspensions. Some of the sports we're witnessing, some of the supports we're witnessing, school administrators implemented at the school level are
relationship building between students and staff tier supports and a focus on early intervention, prevention and restorative approaches at the central office level. Some of the supports are being provided to school system leaders,
coaching and consultation, with specific focus on reducing disproportionality rates aligned to strategic goals, focus on student groups and stakeholder feedback. Next slide please. On the next slide, six through nine, we're going
to take a look at reducing disproportionality student suspension rates. So in this first slide that we see here, this highlights suspension rates for Black and African American students. We want to highlight that the changes from FY 24 to FY 26. Specifically,
we're going to highlight Kennedy High School as their. Here at the table, you'll see an FY 24. There was a 7.48% suspension rate for Black or African American students. That has now been shifted down to
3.05% in FY 26. That's a 4.43% percentage point change. To be more specific, if you look at the numbers over the course of the year from FY 25 to FY 26, Kennedy has reduced the suspension rates for Black and African American students from
35 students to 16 overall. When you look at all suspensions, it has gone from 89 to 40 suspensions, which is something to be celebrated and acknowledged. We also decided to specifically focus on middle and high school data for. This is where M.c.p.s. Has seen the largest school suspension rates,
whereas elementary schools have lowered to none, extensions of school suspensions existed. Next slide please. On this slide here you see that we've highlighted students receiving special education services. Or in other words, students who may have an individual education plan or an IEP.
You'll notice here also we see a decrease in student suspension rates from a select group of schools. And in this slide we selected schools from across the county so that you can see that there's a variety of schools and that are having a positive impact on the data that we are experiencing. Next
slide please. On this slide, we elevated Hispanic or Latino students. We know that these this slide in the next slide are strategic focus areas for us as a school system. Whereas the previous two slides were aligned with our strategic goal. On this particular slide, we'll highlight Lakelands Park Middle School, who is also here at the
table. If you look at FY 24, they had 6.88% of their Hispanic Latino students who were suspended. If you look at the reduction now to 1.99%, that's a 4.89% percentage point change. Next slide please. And on this next slide, we also
want to elevate our emergent multilingual learners as well. Lakelands Park is at the top. We highlight them as well. If you can see they have a tremendous percentage point change from 7.1, 7.81% change. If you go from FY 24, 8.59%
down to 0.78%, which is less than 1%. Next slide please. This is a survey results that were launched for independent family, school based administrators and school based staff on the student code of conduct. This slide represents
respondent groups from each of the following questions for families. My child's school has clearly explained the behavior, expectations, expectations for the code of conduct to our family school based administrators. The simplified behavior categories level one through five and revised Code of Conduct have improved the
consistency of disciplinary coding at my school too. Since implementing the revised code, I have observed a decrease in the use of exclusionary practices like suspensions for minor infractions and for school based staff. The revised Code of Conduct provides clear, actionable guidance for managing classroom behavior
before formal referral is needed. Responses strongly agree and agree are combined and are indicated as agreed. Responses are strongly disagree and agree are combined or indicated as disagreed as noted on this slide. Next slide please. Here are some thoughts and actions that we're
considering for FY 27. School administrators and school staff. Supports with alignment of restorative approaches and student code. Student code of conduct interventions. Responses for elementary age students. System wide professional development for all stakeholder groups. We have designated Friday, June 26th,
as that first professional development for all school based administrators. And then the third action is focus student code of conduct support for new school principals. As we understand new school principals moving into a role that brings on a lot of new challenges, we want to make
sure we provide specific support for those new administrators at that level. Thank you, Doctor Coleman. Thank you, Doctor Coleman. So as you can see, we are not simply managing behavior. We're cultivating a community by aligning our code of conduct
with the restorative approaches. We ensure that every student in M.C.P.S. is held to a high standard of accountability within a framework of unconditional support at this time. Doctor, doctor, president Rivera-Oven I turn it back over to you and the board for
discussion. Very much. My colleagues have questions, Miss Montoya, and then we will. Miss Stewart, I sure do. Thank you so much. Before my questions, though, I just want to say congratulations to both of you. This is really wonderful to see, and I'm really excited that
you're excited. And for our students and families and staff, and no offense to you, Miss Alvarez, but especially for Miss Lopez Arias. This is your first year as a principal at Kennedy. It's your first year as a principal. So I just want to applaud you for a second because this data is just amazing. Like, I'm just so
happy to see it. And I'm sure your family is in community as well. So I just want to say, hats off to both of you and I appreciate it. I do have some hard questions for the rest of you though. So on. I want to
start actually with slide 14. Thank you. Yep. 1414. There we go. A couple more forward. Yep.
There we go. Thank you. I feel a little frustrated because restorative practices or approaches or whatever term we want to use, and I do think we need to be consistent in our terms, right? That term is not even consistent with what the title of the slide is, right?
Restorative approaches, restorative practices. And it might seem like, well, it's kind of the same thing. And I hear you, but again, for someone who's looking at it, right, for the receiver of the survey, like it's really important when we're taking surveys and data collection that we are consistent because
it doesn't necessarily mean the same thing, right? But what I'm most frustrated about is that restorative approaches are not alternatives to consequences. They ride alongside each other. Right. And there may be an
instance where, for example, you were talking about the lunchroom, and that totally resonated with me because I have a sixth grader and it's nothing about the school or the students. It's just loud. And a lot of kids like that just doesn't work out for them. Right? And we want them to be regulated. So we try to find
other spaces for them to be. So I just really appreciated that example of a space where we can look at that and go, what's really going on here? Right? But there are some instances where there absolutely needs to be a consequence, right? If a student assaults another student, then there needs to be
a consequence. Now, I'm a former public defender, a juvenile one at that. And we still also have to ask the child who assaulted somebody, hey bud, what's going on? And we still have to talk to the family, right? These are not one or the other. They literally ride alongside of
each other. And you can have that restorative moment, whatever that looks like in your space for that situation, even without the victim being involved, right? Because I've had some people tell me that, oh, well, no, they don't have to be involved. It doesn't have anything to do with them. And
quite frankly, I'm not sure how many students who just get assaulted want to sit down in a restorative circle with the person who assaulted them. Right. And that's understandable. So I just want us to be very clear, because I will tell you that a lot of the pushback that I get from the community is that we don't have consequences because we're
doing this restorative justice. Now, I know that that is not accurate in terms of the way that this model is supposed to be implemented, and I'm happy that we are implementing it with fidelity as to what it actually is, because I think it was getting kind of a bad reputation unfairly. But things like this do not help that
cause. And quite frankly. I don't see how this data is even valid when these are the kinds of questions that we're putting out there for the community. So I just feel extremely frustrated that this was not caught until I'm saying it right now. Right. And I know we even had a conversation about
how I need you to make it very clear to the community that these are not pick one or the other, right? Because they do go alongside each other. So I just have a whole problem even just receiving any of this data because of that. So I just, I really need us to be mindful that if we are going to say
certain groups of people feel this way or that way, well, they don't if our questions are not even appropriate. Right? So I just, you know, we can all do with that peace, I guess what we will, but I want to also then go back to slide 11. The
implementation progress. Oh, did you I didn't know if there was a thing to respond to. Yeah. So, I mean, I wanted to acknowledge that. I think there could have been more clarity around this. The intention behind it was to was really around the alternative to traditional punishment, and really trying to make it
explicit that it is not one or the other, but both. But but I hear what you're saying around the ensuring that they're not that, that that it's not a replacement for consequences. I think it could have been asked more clearly, but I just I wanted the traditional word as
an alternative to traditional was, I think, what we were trying to ask. Right. But those terms in itself, like, are they defined somewhere so that the person, the parent reading it understands that that's what we're being. Right? So do you see what I'm saying? Because when I'm just reading it just like this, and I'm going to put
myself out there, I did not look at the survey as a parent and take the survey. Okay, so this is the first time I'm seeing it. That is not at all what I see there. I because alternative means it's this to something, right? Instead of this, we're doing this alternative thing, right. And I, I just can't even understand how someone would take it
another way, quite frankly. So I just, you know, I just want us to be mindful about the wording that we use in these surveys because every single word matters when you're asking someone to subscribe to that statement, right? We change a word. It could mean a whole different thing to somebody. Agreed. Before you go, I just
like to remind everybody that we have a hard stop at 535. So if you have a question, ask your question and then move on. Thank you. So as to slide 11. I just wanted to know. Not right now, but is it possible to know which are these middle schools, high schools, elementaries,
like what types of schools are in what state, what level of progress. So if we can just get some follow up on that, that would be great. Thank you. Zimmerman. Thank you. And I would also love to sing all of your praises, but I've heard short timeline, so please know
they're heartfelt. Anyway, I also have some data based questions I'd like to see like some of this implementation progress data. Where that's coming from specifically doesn't have to be right now. And I also bring up some of this for my fellow board
members, I would I know that we did an evaluation in 2324, like a program evaluation. I think now that we have implemented some of those things, it might be something worthwhile to reexamine again in the future. And then I also wanted to ask
something a little bit more specific about the training that folks are receiving. I know that M.C.P.S. utilized the Positive Behavior Intervention strategies, or PBIs for many years. I'm wondering if there was something specific in regards to like how PBIs and
restorative approaches are different and in which ways they could coexist. But as we all know, in many ways they cannot coexist. So that's something else. That's part of that training. Thank you, Miss Stewart. I would like a breakdown of the implementation
progress along with the suspicion data to see if there's any kind of correlation there. I know you picked out certain schools, which is awesome. I love hearing about the wins, but there, you know, that was a select group of
schools, right? And so I would like to see how that is working with the levels. Thank you, Miss Wolff. I want to know if we can get a breakdown of which schools fall in these four
categories, so we can sort of cross-reference it with the discipline data. That's one thing. And the other thing, I just want to thank Miss Alvarez and Miss Lopez Arias for coming. Secondly, on page on slide
number ten is this when you say 96 stipend hours, is that a train? The trainer model at 48 hours for elementary, is that a train the trainer model because 96 hours for 65 middle and high
schools doesn't sound like a lot. No, it's per the the coach gets 96 hours of, of stipend money per school year. So it's not it's not a train the trainer model. So that's how we pay them. I know that, but it
just doesn't sound like they could be doing a lot with 96 hours. Well, yeah, I mean, yeah. Okay. I'm just curious about that. So I thought that they were training other people in
the building to do it. They could be training, they could be training other people. They could be having circles. They could be working with individual students. But that's what they do with their 96 hours. Over the course of the school year. I'm just curious
as to whether or not that's sufficient. I don't know if you could tell. I think we'd always love more. Yeah, they would always tell us that they would love more. You hear? You see these understand you correctly that this is in every school now. Yes. There there's a
restorative approaches coach in every school. Thank you. Thank you very much. Carla Rose, I have been to your schools before these this data and now. So I am extremely happy. And congratulations to both of you. We're lucky to have you and to
the staff. Thank you for the presentation on your hard work, safe travels. We will move to 10.3 proposed amendment to the calendar. So if you are. If the staff could please come down while we're switching out the slide decks. We saved the the
the most painful for last and we will make the presentation part quick because the choices before the board for consideration are few, but they are substantial and we are going to be making a pitch for some community involvement at the end of our presentation,
because winter weather and emergency planning, as well as our state Board of Education, have thrown some curve balls to us this year that we need to account for next year's calendar. This is very late in the process of making modifications, so the sooner
that we can communicate any changes to our community, the better. And so the sooner we can solicit feedback from our community, the better. I'll kick it to Miss Maguire to run us through today's presentation, and I promise to be very brief. I'm going to really highlight
here the middle bullet, which is to mirror what Doctor Taylor just said, which is that truly, given the structure of the M.C.P.S. calendar, our community values, which are so important to us as well as the state requirements, our options to increase make up days within
the calendar are extremely limited. So this really is just meant to illustrate the extent of regulation and policy that does govern the creation of the calendar. And I will note that while some of it is Montgomery County, a great deal of it
comes from the state. The state does have a number of very definitive rules around how the calendars can be structured. And this timeline really was just intended to highlight that.
While we have adopted the calendar on March 24th, you'll note that that is when the state board convened to hear and ultimately approve the Montgomery County Public Schools request for a waiver of
making up the full number of days that we were required to take off this year in their action to do that, the state board also. Added some additional guidance and really more than guidance, added some
additional requirements to what all school systems need to do in their school year calendar. The end of school must occur no later than the Juneteenth national holiday, and that includes the days that are required to extend the calendar
at the end of the year. As part of the inclement weather planning. The state also emphasized that the school systems need to have make up days embedded within their calendar, and emphasized having them in the spring semester. And as you'll see shortly,
that's particularly challenging for us. The school system, the I'm sorry. The state board also emphasized the need for a virtual plan, which of course, the board has already taken care of and has already adopted recently. The next two slides. I will not spend time reading
them all to you, but these are intended to outline the scheduled Noninstructional days that are currently in your approved 2026 2027 calendar for next year. And really, the important piece about these
charts is that it shows that each day is associated either with state law, a contract requirement, or a religious observance. What you will see is on this page, which really reflects essentially the first semester. You'll see that there
are two days, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and again the Wednesday, December 23rd before winter break. Those are the only two days in this chart that the board could schedule instruction. And if you look at the next page for the spring
semester, again, what you see is the same pattern. Each day is associated with state law, a contract requirement or a religious holiday. And what you see here is that in order to add any days back in the semester, you would be looking
at shortening spring break. Which brings me to my handy summary here. Of the three options that do exist for the board in in terms of adding back any additional instructional days or adding
capacity for makeup days to address possible inclement weather. Really, you have three options. One is to open school on those non-instructional days that are also associated with religious observances. Now, certainly, if we were to take
this option, those absences would still be excused. We would take steps to minimize the instructional conflicts. And those are approaches that were taken many years ago, before the system began to routinely align with those days.
The second would be to reduce the length of winter break and or spring break. Winter break can only be reduced by one day, but M.C.P.S. does have some additional days of spring break that could be scheduled for instruction. And the third option is to start the school
year earlier in August. Not to be difficult, but I am going to reiterate that really, given the structure of the calendar and of what the state Board has put forward, these are the options that exist. So the superintendent's recommendation
is to start school earlier. There are pros and cons to everything. The advantages to this approach are that we do front load instruction earlier in the year. We do provide time for additional professional development opportunities. And
we do again, really focus on instruction and give us more time to have instruction ahead of the end of the year requirements. Of course, there are challenges. There are shorter windows for summer programing and summer cleaning, and our operational issues.
Many operational issues related to construction, and certainly families and community members have expectations in many cases that involve time off in August. Nonetheless, again, as we've outlined, we are in the place of nng to bring to you
proposed amendments to the calendar. And so what we have done here is essentially show the first day of school on August 19th, which is transition day. What that would do is add, again, add some
additional days, essentially start the school year a week earlier and bring the. The pre-service week to August 12th through the 18th. We've identified the 10th and 11th in a different shade here because
we would like to consider those for additional professional development opportunities as well if we take this approach. But again, that would require some ongoing conversation, of course, with our employees association. So you see those there as an idea. But again, the five days of pre-service
would be the 12th through the 18th transition day on the 19th and our first day of school for those not in transition would be on the 20th. What we did try to do in each of the calendars, and I won't walk you through
all of them, but what we did try to do in each of the months was make as few changes as possible for a couple reasons. One, as we already talked about, many of the days are already assigned to requirements. And two, we know that families have already begun to build plans
and expectations based on the calendar for the next year. So again, in the interest of time, folks can look at these. What we would do is for semester one, we would identify that December
23rd as the first makeup day. If any emergency closure occurs prior to December 15th, we felt that that was reasonable to say that on December 15th, that would give folks enough time to plan for school on the 23rd.
And certainly there could be occasions where that is necessary. So that would be potentially the first makeup day. Again, when we look at the end of the year under this scenario. Again, sorry, I should highlight also, we did
leave spring break intact again on the on the idea that to make as few changes as possible and also acknowledge that people do plan ahead, the last day of school then would be on the 17th, with the 18th being the Juneteenth holiday next year,
because the 19th is on a Saturday. So very briefly, to map out what the inclement weather days would look like in this scenario. Again, that first day could be December 23rd if school closes prior to
the 15th of December. The second makeup day is by default, June 11th, the last day of school. And it's a makeup day because that's our built in extra day. That is day 181 in our calendar. And if we go all 180 days, then the 181 day is extra. The third through the
sixth makeup days are June 14th through 17th. And with that, this approach does allow us to extend the school year into that following week. Without going past the 18th. So and again, the board approved virtual learning plan would be
implemented as appropriate. We would certainly need to see in the moment where those whether an extended closure was occurring. And so that brings us again to our recommended adoption amendments. What we would like to do is with the
board's tentative support, we would put this out for public review and comment so that folks could, you know, see and engage with the calendar. We'll put out a very brief survey, and I'm sorry. We'll put out a very. Oh, there it is. That's
the. Thank you, Doctor Taylor. That is the very brief survey right there. It's super brief, I promise. And folks can start to weigh in there. We will, of course, have the the calendar options available for people. The presentation is available
online and we will distribute the proposed amendments because of how late in the cycle this is. We would want to bring this back to the board for adoption or consideration on April 30th.
Questions. Okay. I have one little question, and I'm I feel like the answer is going to be no, but I'm looking at the proposed calendar in October. I see a day on the 16th, which is no school for students, and then on the 26th, no school for
students. I'm asking for all the parents out here. Is there any way to make that day on the 16th, on the 23rd? So it could just be all in one chunk so that there would be just like a four day weekend instead of a day off on the weekend, and then a week of school, and then another three day weekend. That
just those choppiness is what is hard for families. No, we appreciate that. So the 26th is the end of quarter one. So that's a grading and reporting day that would need to stay there. The 16th is associated with our contract, but I think we could look at the placement.
However again we would just need to look at so we can we can look at that. Yeah. If we can just take a look it might be possible, might be that it's not possible. But just to take a look. Thank you. Yep. Miss Zimmerman thank you. I just want to acknowledge the difficulties with this and how so many folks have made plans.
And we're starting to receive some feedback from a lot of our educators in particular, about some of the difficulties of this and considering things like child care, especially for that pre-service week and things like that. And even looking. I know we talked about the contract and working with our partners. There are things
about pre-service outlined in there. So I just want to say that this is not anyone's like really excited. We're none of us are really excited to do this, that this is painful for for everyone here. I just want to acknowledge that. Miss Zimmerman Stewart, I just want
to reiterate how I'm not exactly sure how, if our union partners have okayed this particular plan or not. So we're in an interesting position because the state is
telling us we have to do something. So it's critically important that we collect feedback on which of the three options we have to utilize, none of which we really wanted to go with right out of the
gate, or else we would have started with that in our initial calendar and our calendar committee, which works hard to make a recommendation on our calendar, has already brought forward something that was adopted. And so I think we're to echo Miss Zimmerman's
point, you know, we're we're stuck with some difficult situations that we have to stay compliant. Now in defense of a lot of the feedback that we get during the winter holidays, that there there is often a request that we build in more
time to account for winter holidays, excuse me, winter, winter, inclement weather. And so, you know, there there is some merit to that. We don't like the time pressure in which we have to do that. We'd love to think through that process more thoroughly in a future year calendar. But as as fate
would have it, we have to address it in this upcoming year's calendar. So as challenging as it may be, these are the situations that we're confronted with. We don't like the timetable. We don't like the urgency. We'd much rather do this a year from now. But the reality is we have to do it
now. One other idea that was brought up to me, and believe me, none of this ID is ideal is make some of our. Grading days half days instead of full days. I just wanted to bring that up
before we close this out. And again, that is a contractual thing. So we we would have to go back to our association partners to, to negotiate that as part of that. So these are within the constraints that we have right now. We are
obviously subject to, you know, the will of the board and what you direct in terms of the actions that we go from here. I'm looking forward to seeing the feedback. Thank you. I hope folks do participate in the feedback. I think this is
really important, but I also know that, you know, this is not something that we are choosing in a sense. And but we are a very diverse community, right? And so we have certain
responsibilities. And honestly, we cannot gamble with this again, this year with Mother Nature because we lost we lost badly against Mother Nature. And so there is a lot of things to consider. So these are our choices folks, and it is what
it is at this point, not because this is how we would like it, but this is the the hand we were dealt with. So with that being said, thank you for for the work for the staff. And I hope that we see the results. And I'm sure folks
will be voting. With that. Are they is there any new business? No. Okay. Can I please have a motion? So moved. Second. There's a motion to adjourn and a second. All those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank
you very much. The staff and everybody. And blessings to all and safe travels. The meeting
is adjourned.