Good afternoon everyone. My name is Thomas Taylor. I'm the proud superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools. Thank you for joining us today. For years upon years upon years upon years, the Board of Education has adopted resolutions recognizing special people, special months, special
occasions. And we've done something a little bit different. This year. We started a new tradition where we could have some celebrations and bring those words off the page and bring them into life. And having the people that we were celebrating in the written
word be present and to receive their laurels in person. Today, I'm delighted to kick us off for a few recognitions today and celebrations today that were adopted as part of the board's regular business. At
their last business meeting, we have a resolution celebrating Women's History Month, honoring the invaluable contributions and history of women who shape our community every day. As being the proud superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools and working for an all
female Board of Education. I'm very. Yes, that's worthy of applause. I see every day how our community is shaped by women who care and who want to make a positive difference
every single day. We'll also be celebrating the month of the military child, a time where we can recognize the unique resilience and quiet sacrifices that children and parents who of children, of parents who serve in our nation's armed
forces make. Last year, we had our very first Purple Star School, which recognizes support for military families and will bring that to light in today's celebration as well. We will wrap things up in terms of resolutions with a celebration
of National School Social Worker Week. This is a critical group of teammates who work very hard to make sure that the well-being of our young people stays on track, and that our kids are poised for success not just in school, but in life.
Our last recognition is a special one. We have been so fortunate in Montgomery County to have a number of state championships this year. Today we're going to be recognizing swimming, and we have three state championships that we get to recognize. So to kick off
our celebrations, it's my pleasure to ask our Vice President of the Board of Education, Brenda Wolff, to please come forward. Thank you. Thomas. So as I was sitting
here thinking about making something special out of today's occasion, what would really be special? And I thought about it. So hit it, boys. Hit it. Girls who run the world. Girls who run the world.
Girls. Girls who run the world. Girls who run the world. Girls. Okay, for those of you. For those of you that might be just a little too old to recognize
that that is Queen bee Bey, Beyonce. How many knew that? How many? Yeah, we knew that, right? She said it best girls run the world. Happy Women's History Month to all the
incredible women here today. And to the incredible women that I work with every day. Seems like every day, doesn't it? This month, we honor the trailblazing women educators, mothers and community leaders
who have served as the primary architects of our public education system. From the classroom to the boardroom. Women have long championed the belief that every child deserves a safe and equitable
environment to thrive. In Montgomery County, we recognize that our progress is built on the resilience and vision of those who break barriers to ensure inclusive excellence for all our students. By
celebrating their legacy today, we recommit ourselves to empowering the next generation of girls to lead with courage, curiosity, and unwavering commitment to the public good. Today, we want to recognize
Christine Tina Clark, an icon of Montgomery County. Come on up, Tina. Come around, come around. Growing up during segregation, she turned adversity into action, joining
the NAACP at just 13 and dedicating her life to advancing equity and justice. She went on to serve Montgomery County for 30 years as a public health advisor, working to expand access and opportunity
for underserved communities. Her impact earned her induction into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame and recognition as an African American living legend. Even in retirement, she continues to
uplift others through education and service. Can you believe I went to South Lake and she was teaching the music class? Tina Clark's legacy is one of leadership, resilience and
lasting change. Please join me in celebrating her. The second person that I would like to recognize today couldn't be with us because she is handling
the business of Montgomery County. She serves as a delegate delegate. Bonnie Cullison, who couldn't be here with us because of that. She is a powerful advocate for our community and a champion of public health, education and
equity across Maryland. Throughout her time in the House of delegates, she has worked tirelessly to improve access to health care, support working families, and strengthen the systems that serve our most vulnerable
residents. Please join me in honoring Delegate Bonnie Cullison for her years of service as she starts. This is her last season and she is retiring, so please join me in
thanking her. Thank you. Front, front. Front. Brenda, let's
come to the front. I. I'm
standing. Right here for you. And catch you with that camera.
Right here. 123. Thank you. Thank you all.
Laura's next. Laura. Laura. Laura. Yes. And then Carla. Good afternoon. I am proud today to be able to
present for the Military Child Month. April is the month of the military child. A time not only to recognize, but to truly honor the strength behind the service. At this time, we invite a few very special
guests to join us at the front. Please welcome Glen Haven Elementary School Principal Tara Strain, assistant principal Eric Susskind and Doctor Frank da Cunha, military and family life counselor, along with incredible military
families here today. The McGowan family, the Marshall family and the Bailey family.
These kids are truly the faces behind this month's celebration, and especially in this time in our country. While their parents wear the uniform, these children carry different kind of responsibility, one that asks them to be brave and new
places to find belonging again and again, and to remain strong through moments of uncertainty and separation. Their resilience is quiet but powerful. Their sacrifices are often unseen but deeply felt by
our community, and especially by me, because I also was a military child. Although my dad was stationed in DC, almost entire military career over at the ninth Street, I spent my primary primary years on
Bolling Air Force Base. Separation from friends that had to leave was not easy for me. Most families have many added pressures, including transfers and family members deployment to far away places. Here in Montgomery County, we
are committed to making sure every military connected student feels seen, supported and valued not just this month, but every single day. And we are especially proud to recognize Glen Haven Elementary
School, which received the Purple Star School Award last year, and I was able to witness that it was a beautiful thing. That was an honor that reflects a deep commitment to supporting
military connected students and their families. And I saw it firsthand. Today, we celebrate not just what these children go through, but who they are adaptable, courageous and essential and a part of our community. So that concludes
our celebration. Except for the picture. Of you. Purple, of
course. Purple, I know. You got I got purple, I still I still wear my T-shirt. Yay! That one's like a barista. Vintage. And our kids wear it all the
time. Yeah. Awesome. All right, all right. We all ready? Are we.
One two. Three. Thank you. And right here. We're trying. 123. Thank you. So much. Good to see
you. Yeah absolutely. I saw this. This is.
Sure. Thank you for your service. Thank you for
that. All right. Up next, we want to recognize our social workers here in Montgomery County. Now, we added social
workers to our staff during the pandemic. And it's a position that we've known we've always needed to support our students because our students come and bring their whole selves and they sometimes they need support. So this is a critical position that really makes a huge difference in in our
school community. So I'm very happy to present this today. So National School Social Worker Week is held during the first week in March, and it's a time to recognize the dedicated professionals who serve as the vital link between home, school
and community. At this time, we'd like to invite a special group of social workers to join us at the front here. Miss Victoria Ellis, Miss Lisa Conlon, Miss Margaret Flagg, Miss Shanahan and Mrs.
Christina Hicken, please come forward. These outstanding individuals were selected and highlighted by their colleagues. Those who see up close, the
care, skill and commitment they bring to supporting some of our most vulnerable and impacted students and families. That impact is exactly what this year's theme is all about. Unite to ignite celebrating our impact. They support students
through challenges, advocating for those most in need, and ensuring every child is ready to learn and thrive. Their work often happens behind the scenes, but its impact is felt in every classroom, every family and
every student they uplift. They do more than support. They ignite, change, foster belonging, and help build stronger, more compassionate school communities. Today, we honor their commitment, their expertise, and the difference they make in the lives of our
students across Montgomery County. Please join me in celebrating them. And up front
for the picture, please. There you go. Perfect. Okay.
Everybody ready? Ready. Thank you. All right. Here. Thank you. Ladies. Hi, doctor. Taylor.
Used to it. Here. The honorary. Now we're going to honor our
champions. So. Yes. Let's go. Champions. Ironically. This is, you know, this is for the wonderful folks who when it
comes to excellence, these teams do not just test the waters. They own the pool and make waves in every category. So today we take immense pride. No, seriously. We take immense pride in you guys. Ironically,
this board member doesn't know how to swim. So because of you, because I had some trauma when I was young, I almost had a I almost drowned when I was five, but because of you, I'm going to be inspired. And I promise this year I'm going to learn
how to swim. So I'll take. I'll take pointers. So it is with great pride and joy that I. This time I'd like to invite our champions teams to come forward. That would be Walter Johnson high school boys
swimming and diving team for A3A champions. Winston Churchill High School girls swim team for A3A champions. Poolesville high school girls
swimming and diving team 3A2A1A champions. And again Poolesville high school boys swimming and diving team 3A2A1A champions. There you go. This
is what champions look like you guys. Well now let's talk about what makes these teams truly special. Walter Johnson did not just have a great season. They went undefeated. They defended
their state title. They broke records and deliver high level performances. Safe to say they they did not just raise the bar, they resetted it. Then Winston Churchill girls made history.
Undefeated Metro champions and sweeping regionals and states for the first time in years. That's not just a win. That is a statement. And Poolesville, they decided one championship
was not enough. So they took both boys and girls with dominant performances across the board, multiple first place finishes and a full team effort. Way to go, Poolesville! They
proved what it truly means to be a powerhouse program. Together, these student athletes have shown us what it looks like to commit to preserve, to hard work and to finish strong. They represent
their schools with pride and all of us with passion and excellence. So, ladies and gentlemen, let's give another round of applause to our champions. So now let's take a
picture. All right, guys, come on in front. Yes, sir. Oh. Thank you. Yes, sir. Thank you very much. So, people. Yeah,
that would be. Yes. The tall guy should be in the back. The little people like me should be
in the front. Right? Okay.
Right here. Big smile. You guys champion? One, two. Three. Thank you. Hey, champions on three. I want to hear it back
there. I want to hear those voices. Okay, so 123 champions.
I learned how to swim. Is it?
Good afternoon and welcome to the March 26th, 2026 Board Business Meeting. 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, including my mom,
happy birthday mom, and let us begin by standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. The flag is in the back. My 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. I will now ask board members to please introduce themselves to establish a quorum. I will
start on my left. Good afternoon. A student member of the board. Good afternoon, Natalie Zimmermann. I represent district two. Good afternoon. Rita Montoya, board member at large. Good afternoon, Brenda Wolff, district five. Good afternoon. Julie Yang, district
three. Good afternoon. Buenas tardes. Carla Silvestre, school board member at large. Good afternoon, Laura Stewart, district four. And good afternoon. My name is Grace Rivera-Oven and I am the president of the board representing district one. I
think we're asking for request to turn up the volume a little bit. How do you do that? That's beyond my job description, but I will ask the people who know
how to do that, to do that as we begin, there is a change to the agenda. There is no action to be taken on item 10.3 legislative positions. So the agenda will be revised to remove that item. Is there a motion to approve the revised
agenda motion? Second, there is a motion and a second. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous and it passes. The next item on the agenda is association comments. I will
ask any designated representatives and I believe we have Kember Kane from MCE. Hello, miss Kember, if you could please have a seat and begin with your comments when
you're ready. Alrighty. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, Doctor Taylor, president Rivera-Oven and members of the board. It's a pleasure to be
here with you this afternoon. My name is Kember Kane, and I'm MCE treasurer and vice chair of our union's bargaining team. In April, we're planning on starting bargaining with M.C.P.S. on our collective bargaining agreement. We've assembled a passionate team of
educators representing work locations and job types all over Montgomery County Public Schools. Bargaining is a core pillar of our Democratic Union member led member driven. This evening, I urge the board's team to join us in supporting
open bargaining in the upcoming MCE M.c.p.s. Contract negotiations this evening. We are particularly excited to be engaging with the board's team in open bargaining for the upcoming contract negotiations. Open bargaining is simple. It
allows management and union members to observe negotiations as they happen without interference. It's a proven way to build trust in what can otherwise feel like a closed and confusing process. Trust is essential to bargaining. It
must exist not only between negotiating teams, but also with those most impacted by the outcome. Our educators open bargaining helps ensure that very trust open bargaining may sound like something new. It's
not. MC A and M.c.p.s have successfully implemented open bargaining for the last two cycles, and districts across the country have done the same, including a neighboring jurisdiction that actually livestreamed its negotiations, something we are not calling for at this time. MC A and
M.c.p.s have successfully implemented open bargaining for the last two cycles, and districts across the country have done so successfully as well. This board understands the importance of transparency. As I speak, my very words are being live streamed on the Board of Education's website.
This meeting is open. The people sitting behind me are attending. Thank you so much, Miss Kane. Appreciate. The next item on the agenda is public comment. While the board
encourages public input on policy, program and practices and will consider the comments received, it is not the board's practice during this public meetings. To respond to questions, provide, comment or take action on the issues
raised. This is a public meeting and the board expects the conduct of all speakers and members of the audience to be within the bounds of proper etiquette, inappropriate personal remarks, retorts or other such behavior is out of
order and will not be tolerated. Those who demonstrate disruptive or disrespectful behavior during public comment may be asked to leave the room. In addition, public comment is not the proper avenue to address specific student or employee matters. Such matters
should be directed through the complaint or appeal process. Each speaker has two minutes to deliver comments. When your name is called, press the flat button and speak clearly into the microphone. A yellow light and single beep indicates you
have 30s remaining a red light and repeating beep signals at the time has expired. Once you have finished speaking, press the same button to turn off the microphone. Following live testimony, audio and video
testimony will be played. Copies of the testimonials are posted with the other materials for this meeting on board docs. With that, I am going to call the first six speakers. If you
hear your name, please come up to the table in the order that you will called Heather two Shelley Zhang, Alisa. Sue Kovac, Justin. Brandon. Darryl Negi
and Kelly. Brandon. Can we start with Heather two, please? Good afternoon, members of the Board of Education. My name is
Heather two and I'm a current junior at Springbrook High School. I'm here to urge you all to vote fully against the proposed boundary study that would replace the consortium structure of the Northeast and Down county consortiums in favor of a regional model. As a student in the NSC, this is my
reality. It's walking into school where opportunities feel limited while knowing that just a few miles away, students have access to far more. And for many students, the gap goes even deeper. Esol students are expected to keep up with the curriculum, but you can't expect students to succeed in a language they're still learning
without the support to access it. One Sherwood parent in 2013 refused to make students from Sherwood, which was predominantly white and affluent, with Springbrook and Paint Branch, which were poor and majority minority. That mindset didn't disappear. It shows up today in how resources are distributed and in who gets
access to opportunity. The NTC and DCC were designed to narrow the achievement gap in the eastern portion of the county. Yet in the 2024 to 2025 school year, John F Kennedy had 11 advanced Placement courses, while Walter Johnson had 41 AP classes offered. That gap is
not a result of a consortium model failing. It is a result of inconsistent investment. Placing these schools in the same region will not change the fact that one has more resources than the other. I'm asking the board for two things. Commit to targeted funding that directly addresses long
standing disparities and resources. Second, expand the consortium system without having to dismantle existing ones, ensuring transportation access so that choice is truly accessible for all students. I urge the Board of Education to carefully consider the long term impacts of eliminating the
consortium model, instead of dismantling a system that was built to expand opportunity, we should focus on investing directly in the schools that need it the most. Don't redraw us. Invest in us. Thank you.
Can we go next to Shelley Zhang? Hello, everyone. My name is Shelley and I am a first grader at Folsom Elementary School. Since last December. My mom has been really sad. My friend's parents are sad too. I often
hear grown ups talk about what they say in my clothes. I see adults sigh, look upset, and sometimes even cry. I asked my mom why? Why cold sweating? Who wants to close with him? At first I didn't really
understand. I just knew something really important was making clubs sad. Then I thought about something really important to me. I saw that was my favorite doll. I got her when I was three years old. She was always with me. We played games together, went on events
together, and even went on picnics together. When I was four, her dress and legs broke. She was putting a box. I felt really, really sad. My mom bought me new dolls that I play with them too, but I still loved my old outside door the
most. So my mom and I fixed her with fabric and cotton. Now the Elsa stands in my dollhouse. Even though she has stitches, she is still shining. She is still my favorite. Then I understood a little bit. Something special. You don't
just throw it away. Walton is like my Elsa doll. Walton is not just a building. It is not just a school. It is people. It is families. It is a whole community that loves Walton, protects it and fights for it.
So I asked her again, why Co-q10? Why can't I stay? Please keep water on Walton Parkway. Thank you. Can. Eliza.
Can I go next? Doctor Taylor is on record saying the state has no role in this. Respectfully, sir, when the state has given us close to $100 million in funds, they absolutely have a role in this. The state is on record saying Crown can be
permitted as a permanent high school to add capacity. The state also okayed Crown to be a short term holding school, with the long term goal of becoming a permanent high school to add capacity with the state was never consulted on with the state, never okayed was the relocation, quote unquote, of a
beloved neighborhood high school in a way that would never add meaningful capacity. Moreover, unlike Crown, which has been deemed to be the ideal holding school, there has been no third party independent study on Wooten. As a holding school, that means no viability
study, no financial feasibility study, no real independent data. But let's be honest here this is not a relocation. This is not Blair. This is a de facto school closure. In the Blair case, there was nearly a decade of engagement. The public was engaged before location was
even chosen. The public was asked when, where and how that relocation would take place. The project had intentionality from the very beginning to the very end. The purpose and scope of the relocation was clear. In our case, we've been misled. We've been blindsided. We've
been given a bait and switch, and ultimately we've been blamed for the outcome. So, Doctor Taylor, I want to be very clear. Our community asked you to fix Wooten. We never asked you to close Wooten. Due
to this. Due to this profound loss of community trust, it is unsurprising that nearly every candidate for BOE opposes option H. In fact, many of those candidates are right behind me in protest with the Wooten cluster, the only candidate who supports option H
is President Rivera-Oven and Ms. Rivera-Oven. I sincerely hope you reconsider your position. Please restore public trust. Vote no. Mr. Brandon,
when I testified from this same table in late January, I still had a shred of hope that M.C.P.S. leadership valued truth and reason when making major decisions. I still wanted to believe that this board took its oversight responsibilities seriously, rather than treating its power as an opportunity to
protect certain favored corners of Montgomery County at the expense of all others, that hope is gone. So my appeal today is not to the people seated in front of me, shuffling papers and quite literally, looking down on us as we plead for sanity. My
appeal is to the elected and appointed officials with authority and influence over this board. Hold M.C.P.S. to account. Montgomery County is a critical economic driver for the entire state, and public education is its bedrock. What this superintendent and board
have done is to accelerate the exodus of families from the system. Those with the means will increasingly opt for private or home school, solidifying public education as a second class system for those left behind. That is not equity. It's abandonment. M.C.P.S. has
a recent and prolific history of fraud, incompetence and cover ups. I am calling on Montgomery County Council, which controls this system's budget, to demand answers. I'm calling on inspector General to investigate the misrepresentation of data that
has driven this entire process. I'm calling on Attorney General Anthony Brown to examine whether M.C.P.S. has violated its obligations to the public. I'm calling on Senator Brian Feldman in the Office of Legislative Audits, which has already flagged this system's failures to hold hearings and
shine a light on what is happening here. And I'm calling on the Maryland State Board of Education to exercise its authority to intervene before this board does more damage. When M.C.P.S. is untouchable and this board is left unchecked, all of Montgomery
County and the state of Maryland suffer. Good afternoon, Superintendent Taylor and members of the board. My name
is Darryl. I am an M.c.p.s. Parent and I'm a physicist. I have a PhD from Cornell. I've studied a lot in my career. I've publications in low dimensional quantum states. I have pens and laser scanning for autonomous vehicles. Now I'm studying MCs M.C.P.S. data
and it is flawed. The clearest example is new enrollment from the Grove. The Grove is a 646 unit townhome development within the Stonemill cabin. John and Wooten boundary. It is not a plan. It is currently under construction and
partially built. It has already increased enrollment in that area by over 120 students to the cluster. As construction finishes and families move in, enrollment will only increase. Yet M.c.p.s! Is projecting the opposite. Declining enrollment
for these schools. It does not reflect reality and shows M.c.p.s. Has failed to account for new housing and its projections. When the community has repeatedly brought this up. M.c.p.s. Responds with our data
is right. Trust us, you've lost trust. You've lost touch with reality. The projections are already wrong. Crown will be overcrowded in 2029, the very first year the superintendent's
recommendation fully rolls out. M.C.P.S. data is not credible. This process has been flawed. There has been no transparency. Members of the board. We cannot wait. I urge you to reject the superintendent's recommendation,
a proposal that fails to reflect reality. Yeah, yeah. Miss Brandon. Good afternoon. My name is Kelly Brandon. And I
have a fundamental question for the board. In the 65 days between the announcement of option H and the superintendent's recommendation has M.c.p.s. Engaged in an equitable, transparent and community driven process. If
you have any shadow of a doubt, you must vote no. A no vote stands for equity. True engagement requires that all families, especially the 79% minority population of McGruder
and the 44% Asian American population of Wooten have the time and multilingual resources to participate in decisions that change their lives. A no vote stands for stability. We must protect students from
unnecessary disruption and preserve established neighborhood school communities, especially when alternatives exist, like making Crown the holding school a no vote stands for walkability, safe pedestrian access increases
participation in learning, extracurriculars, and critical support systems before and after school. A no vote stands for hearing. The thousands who have voiced concern and honoring the silence of those
who could not speak freely for fear of ice in public spaces. A no vote demonstrates transparency. A decision of this magnitude requires complete data and a full understanding of long term
pact on our communities. Do not settle for a rushed, flawed process. Choose a path that honors every student and every family. Vote for equity, stability, walkability,
transparency, and listening to the community. Vote no on modified option H. Thank you. I will be calling the next six speakers. Robert Stolz. Adam
Bangrak, Lee Chee hyung who? Shushan Chai and Tracy Willis.
Can we please start with Mr. Robert Stoltz? Thank you, members of the Board of Education for allowing me to speak again. The last time, a few weeks ago, when I was able
to address you, I urged you for bold leadership, and I still hold out hope that you will rise to the challenge. And it is a challenge. I told you how much I understand that when the plans are in motion, disrupting
them can be difficult. But I would think by now you have had had the time to hear and study this issue enough that it should be overwhelmingly clear that this plan is flawed. I
really don't see how you could support this recommendation. Honestly, given the numerous flaws in enrollment projections, bad data, walkability studies which are bogus. But above all,
if you really stand for equity. Tell me how it's going to look years from now. When we see the affluent Wooten community got a brand new school, and the less
affluent schools, what did they get? Did they ever get that rebuild? Did they get a new school? It's hard to say. I don't know, but it's not going to look good on you. That'll be your legacy. Those will be the
optics. And you're going to have to live with that in your community. And I hate to say it, but this won't bode well for your future political aspirations. But I give you the benefit of the doubt. You're going to do what you think is right. And I thoroughly, deeply believe that if you look at
this critically, you will see that voting no is the only right way to go. Thank you, thank you. Mr. Bacharach. Good afternoon, members of the board. I know you've heard from the
Rockville Mayor, Ashton, myself and other members of the council many times regarding our strong opposition to this recommendation and support for the modified amendment. But today, I want to personally offer a different perspective rooted in collaboration. While
many. When many communities and entire clusters joined together with serious opposition and serious concerns, the answer is not to move forward. The answer should be to pause and work together. There are still serious unresolved questions such as how is growth being
projected? What development is being ignored? What's going to happen to the Wooten building in the future? Why did the public overwhelmingly vote against this option, and what where's the transportation study? It hasn't been done. And importantly, we have not yet seen a united effort by this
board and the superintendent to go to the county council, together with the communities here and the PTSA, to specifically advocate for funding for Wooten and Magruder. So I want to make this invitation directly today. Join us. Join the mayor and council,
join the thousands across the county and here today to advocate for a real solution. When communities are asking you for leadership, when data is questioned, when one decision directly threatens multiple communities, the strongest leadership is not choosing
which community to sacrifice. It's standing together to refuse to sacrifice any of them. Let's work together. Let's lead together. Don't close a school because funding is hard. Stand with us. Join with us before the county council. Fight for
our students. Because leadership is not choosing which community loses. It's refusing to let any of them lose. Lychee. Good evening,
members of the board. My name is Lee key and from Wooten community. Today is the world day for Wooten. Perhaps the decision has already been made, but I still want to make a final effort to tell you, based on not widely proposed
projected enrollment data, Klausing Wooten High School is a big mistake. Using Wooten as a holding school doesn't save money for M.C.P.S. If Wooten is used as a holding school immediately, it could cost $20 million more than Wooten stay at Berkeley over the next ten
years. If the building remains vacant for at least eight years, and could cost over $400 million to rebuild in the future, no matter used as a holding school. Also, the overcapacity issue in this area. I'm also confused if M.C.P.S.
budget is tight, why Doctor Taylor wasted millions of dollars to do the boundary study, but the results were discarded. Doctor Taylor's action also caused the community concern because that's maybe put M.C.P.S. at risk of reduced state funding.
State Senator Muskegon already emphasized this boundary study decision must be based on accurate data driven analysis and collaboration instead of insults is essential for both capital and operating funding
from the state to a community. We have also heard a proposed 6% property tax increase is coming. What does that mean? That means all county taxpayers will pay some for Doctor Taylor's mistake. No, we don't want that. A lawsuit to option
H is on the way. Maybe the fact is uncomfortable, but it cannot be ignored. I believe the board conveyed the risk both financial and long term versus option H. So please say no to H.
Thank you. Next we have Jane who. Dear BOE board members and Doctor Taylor. My name is Haijing who I am a former wooden parent, a resident and taxpayer. I'm here to ask the
board to reject option H. I oppose option H because it relies on biased data and ignores the clear will of our community. I have three points. First, community preference in two separate surveys, option H
was the second least favorite choice. Why would the board proceed with a proposal that the community has so clearly rejected? Second, the enrollment data while birth
rates are down, Montgomery County remains a high migration area. In fact, the number of children aged 5 to 19 has increased over the last several years. If the youth population
is growing, but the CPS enrollment is dropping, we must ask why? Why families are choosing private schools over our system before we commit to option H. Third, fiscal
responsibility. As taxpayers, we deserve a well-considered decision because we are the ones paying for it. I urge you to make a choice that reflects the community's will so that future board members do not have to be dismissive of the
decision you make today. Adam mentioned collaboration. We have incredible expertise in this area. I hope you will listen to the talent in our community so we can work together on the best options
for the county. Thank you, thank you. Next we have Yu Chen. She. Good afternoon everyone. So my name is and I'm a scientist working on
Alzheimer's disease. So I'm here to present my opinion as a scientist to say that option H definitely is not a scientific data based research result. So actually two years ago, there is a very famous nature paper
being retracted related to Alzheimer's disease research. That is a big bump in our communities. It's not only misleading billions of dollars from pharmacology research or from the basic research, but it
also distracted the trust from the public to the science communities. That's a very bad lesson that we should learn. Scientific conclusion must be based on reliable and completed data. So however, I don't want
to repeat so many disagreements and so many arguments on the data that we, based on the based on which we make the conclusion, go to the option H. But I want to ask, how confident are everyone sitting
over there with all this data? Have you been able to answer all the questions raised by the community? I think the answer is no. Actually, I have a second concern is how about the decision making process? I
printed a sign over here. I think a lot of Chinese people is very familiar with that. Maybe 20, 30 years ago when the government wants to do something, want to get a new road over there, they destroy the road, all the buildings in the road by posting this sign
on the building. So no transparency, no negotiation and no accountability. That is somewhat people think about fear, about innovation edge today because most of you guys
did not go to the PTSA meeting holding Wooten and. Thank you. We have the rest of your testimony. Miss Willis. My
family moved here to live within walking distance of an excellent high school and hoped our kids might access the nationally acclaimed Blair Magnet program, the superintendent's recommendation to shutter Wooten and dismantle these programs is devastating, and based on data that has been manipulated to mislead this board and the public, don't
allow these lies to justify the destruction of the Wooten community in an attempt to solve fiscal challenges, which could be addressed in other ways, M.C.P.S. is misleadingly implied that there are fewer available potential students because of declining birth rates. Despite declining birth rates, the number of school aged children in this county
has slowly increased for years due to migration, according to the census. Enrollment is not declining due to a shortage of kids, but because families are choosing private and home schools in greater numbers. Furthermore, M.C.P.S. forecasts declining enrollment for the next five years while refusing to share their models. But the
local forecasting authority used by state and county planning departments predicts a county population growth of 4% by 2030. Therefore, M.C.P.S. is predicted. Enrollment decline is a forecast of their own failure to capture and retain students. A closer look at
enrollment data shows the preference for private schools occurs in grades K through eight, not high school. For the past decade, 95% of our high schoolers attended M.C.P.S. Furthermore, the county's growing high school age population exceeded the total planned high school capacity
for the first time in 2024. If a recession occurs and private school students return to the system, we will have nowhere to put them. Preserving the 2000 seats at Crown is prudent. Finally, the plan to regionalize magnet programs will dismantle the excellent programs and consortia that
attract students in ninth grade. It weakens existing programs by shrinking cohorts and reducing staff. It underestimates true costs, creates logistic burdens by limiting transportation, lacks clear evidence of student demand, and diverts resources.
In conclusion, our high schools are the primary reason families stay in this county. Do not vote to permanently reduce high school capacity. Do not. Thank you. We have. I will be calling
the next six speakers, Joe Williams, Pang Lee, Usman, Kawas de Silva. Rebecca
Kosmider. And Theodora Iscaro. Can we start with Mr. Williams, please? Hello. The data is
clear. This county student population is rising, yet an increasing number of families are choosing private schools. Importantly, this is not happening in Howard, Anne Arundel or PG County. Why are we unique? Families in our
county are fleeing to alternatives because they no longer trust this school system. I have a question for everyone in this room. If you're living with your child and the ceiling collapses at your home and you see your daughter suffering from mold in your house, what
would you do? By a show of hands, how many of you would delay fixes? Let your child suffer and deny an option for a new home? I'm surprised the board did not raise their hands because this is what you've done with Magruder. They've denied those students the
opportunity to use Crown, a brand new facility. That's not equity. Equity is when you prioritize a school that is 79% minority with a 44% farms rate. Miss Zimmerman, you represent half of the schools that feed
into Magruder. How can you support an option that ignores your students health? Miss Yang, you fought tooth and nail for Churchill, which has a 10% farms rate. How is that supporting equity? As a reminder, this board this board authorized $1 million contract
for a boundary study, only to have the superintendent cast that work aside to propose an alternative. This lone wolf strategy, ignoring data and legal processes is a tactic we see daily from President Trump. When you ignore the research
you paid for. You aren't just wasting taxpayer money. You are telling the community that their input is a formality and the fix is already in. We need board members who are brave enough to vote with their conscience and prioritize student health over political influence. Vote no or abstain
today to rebuild trust and regain public school enrollment. Yes. Pang Lee. My name is Lee. I'm here to respectfully ask the board to reject the
superintendent's recommendation, because this option does not meet your own standard. First, under the M.C.P.S. policy FAA, you are required to evaluate options based on four factors utilization, proximity, stability and equity. However,
there has been no transparent scoring or comparison for the eight options in this boundary st Without that, it's unclear how the modified option H was selected and why Wooten was proposed for closure. Second, according to M.C.P.S. own survey data, the
superintendent's recommendation is among the least supported options. So this is the same question why ignore community's inputs and also select modify H to close out? And third, M.C.P.S. kept saying there has to be a holding school, but
there is no plan for any school using the holding school for the next 6 to 8 years. So why is that used to justify closing it? And if there are real facility and safety concerns that make Wooten unsuitable for its current students, and how can it be considered suitable
as holding school for students from other schools? And fourth, this recommendation, I repeat, is, you know, goes beyond the board approved the scope from last year, October 30th. If M.c.p.s can discard its own rules and also, you know, to
discard the community inputs, how can we ask the community to trust your process and decisions? So, taken together, I urge the board to reject the superintendent recommendation and take the time to ensure any decision fully aligns with the board policy, community input
and data, and long term planning. A vote to reject this recommendation is not a vote against the process. It's a vote to get this right. So I respectfully ask you to take that step. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Lee. Miss Uzma was. Greetings. My name is Uzma. I'm testifying today to urge the board to vote against modified option H. While this plan is being presented as visionary for the wooden and brown communities, in reality
it is inequitable, rushed and built on questionable data with limited due diligence. It undermines stability, equity and long term fiscal responsibility. Since this recommendation was sprung on the public, the vast majority of impacted families have
tirelessly advocated against it. You've witnessed it firsthand. The idea of a silent majority supporting this plan is far from any reality. Modified option H is an inequitable shell game. It turns the wooden building, already identified as
needing major repairs into a multi-year holding school for Magruder. By M.C.P.S. own data, Magruder's building is in far worse condition, and its student body has a higher frame rate. Equity and common sense, say Magruder, should have access to Crown now. Instead,
this recommendation risks creating an equity paradox. Even your own commissioned study noted that using Crown as a swing space could save hundreds of millions and better serve system wide needs. We all support progress in safe schools, but this last minute
proposal, with limited multilingual engagement and misaligned priorities is not the right path. Please do not dismiss our concerns by saying we agree to disagree or change is hard. We welcome a progressive change. Modified option H is not that change. I
implore the board to ask your conscience is this decision grounded in reliable data and sound judgment, or are we building on a fault line that will fail our students? Will you uphold your promise of looking out for all M.C.P.S. students? Please reject
modified option H and pursue solutions that truly serve all students and vote against shuffling your students like pawns on a chessboard. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Carlos Mr.
Dansilva. I'm Dan Silva, and believe me, I'm even more disappointed than you are to have to hear from you again. All I ever wanted from this process is to be able to send my elementary school daughters to a safe and healthy environment for high school. Sadly, it seems that window is closing to say that I'm
disappointed in all of you and how you failed the Magruder community would be an understatement. You may be quick to dismiss this as they're just mad because they didn't get what they want. But you're wrong. On March 9th, Magruder families packed this room begging to be heard. Not only did I testify, but I
followed up with individual emails to each of you from my official MCPs PTA account, but not one of you replied. I sat right here in this room during your last workgroup session as the lone public observer, and I lingered after the meeting to give any one of you the opportunity to come and address
me. But not one of you did. The closest thing we got to a response was a couple of closed ended questions specifically designed to shut down options, not seek them out. Now, one of you asked, without this holding school, what paths does that leave Magruder with? Not one of you has pushed to explore. What
positive solutions do we still have, and still not one of you has even acknowledged that relocating Wooten to Crown does in fact have a negative impact on Magruder. It's amazing to me that you've not only passed this over, but that you've actually found a way to push us backwards. We're now further away from finding a solution
than when this whole process started. It's pretty clear to me that our fate is sealed for today. But I'm here to tell you that your silence is now the fuel that feeds the fire in my community. You may reset the playing field today, but I'm still here to play the game. You can change the rules and your teammates will inevitably
change. But I'm right here with my sleeves already rolled up, ready to get to work on finding solutions for Magruder. If any of you are finally ready to start facing the problem with me, you know how to get Ahold of me. But just in case, at the risk of doxing myself, along with my written testimony, I'm submitting my full contact
information. I'd be lying if I said I was optimistic, but for the sake of my daughters and my community, I have to remain hopeful that you'll finally reach back out to the hand that I've extended many times before.
Thank you, Mr. Silva. Miss Koschmieder. M.C.P.S. did not present an impact study on how the regional model will affect school students and curriculum. So I tried to do one 3500
students a year, participate in the DCC and NCC choice process. More than 2500 get their first choice of schools. The results of the choice process are consistent with local demographics. The new regional model would eliminate school choice. Students will compete for applications program seats
only. I estimate that that will result in a loss of program access for over 200 black students, 500 Hispanic students, and 1600 low income students per year in East County due to loss of choice and program admissions policies that systematically disenfranchize lower income students and
students of color. Changing enrollment patterns in regional IB magnets may flood those pools, with wealthier students pushing out the low income students currently served by the programs. But low income students will see an increased access to career and technical education programs for entry level jobs such as medical
assistant, lab technician or IT professional. M.C.P.S. per an email to me, does not intend to hire additional teachers to staff programs. Program staffing will come out of school based allocations. If that leads to staffing shortfalls, schools may have to cut higher level courses or
elective courses. I estimate the regional model will require 180 bus routes for an annual cost of 9,000,018 million, or 22.5 million, depending on which of the M.C.P.S. per route cost estimates you choose. There have been several
students will apply to new programs in the fall of 2026. Curriculum won't be developed until the spring of 2027 in. The budget won't be approved until after that. I can't predict the long term educational impacts of the new model. No one can. There's not enough information. I suggest
you pause the vote, demand information on budget, staffing and curriculum. And I don't have standing for civil rights complaint, but someone will.
Thank you, Miss Schneider, Miss Theodora. Cell towers do not belong on school property. Our children deserve safe learning environments. Research finds that children are more vulnerable to cell tower radiation because they absorb this radiation deeper into
their still developing brains and bodies. And school boards nationwide from LA to Loudoun County, as well as entire countries, have banned cell towers at schools. Now, when I asked T-Mobile for the Wheaton High School cell tower radiation measurements, they said it was proprietary. When I
asked M.C.P.S. they told me it would cost $500, along with other basic information. Fairfax County Schools posts all the radiation measurements online, revealing that at several schools, the levels have significantly increased over the last decade. Since the
towers were erected, a 20 2022 review found. The majority of studies found effects including cancer and a just published analysis in environmental health by a 28 year former NIH scientist, Doctor Melnyk and Doctor Moskowitz of UC Berkeley
found. Using EPA methodology, FCC limits needed to be reduced by at least 200 times to maintain an acceptable cancer risk based on U.S. government. $30 million National Toxicology Program study, and by 4200
times based on the Ramazzini Institute studies. Now, compliance with US FCC limits does not ensure safety. They are unchanged and unscientifically reviewed since 1996. They only protect against short term effects, not long term effects like cancer. Other
countries. I'm sorry, other countries have limits which are 10 to 100 times more stringent, meaning lower than what is permitted in the United States. Hundreds of scientists caution that exposure should be reduced. It is time to overhaul M.C.P.S. cell tower policies in order to
ensure transparency and safety for students, teachers and staff. Thank you. Thank you all for your testimony. We have two more speakers Nelly, chick,
chick and Lilianne Karic. If we could have Miss Nelly Chick
start, please. Yes, chick. Good evening. I'm the mother of two children and M.C.P.S. one in third grade and one in seventh. During the snowstorm earlier this year, many parents were talking about school closures, childcare challenges, boredom,
frustration. I was quiet because I am one of the many families for whom school is inaccessible on a regular basis, not just during closures. My children are often labeled as school refusers, though that term misses the reality. They
are not unwilling. They are unable to attend school consistently. Both are neurodivergent and both have experienced burnout. School once again became a place of intense distress. What I need you to understand is this when children cannot attend school,
it is not a motivation problem. It is a nervous system problem. But schools continue to respond with behavior driven approaches, focusing on compliance, attendance and consequences rather than what is actually happening internally with the child. We receive attendance
letters and truancy notices, but behind those letters are families not neglecting education. We're fighting every day to help our children access it. Too often, the system escalates the very distress that keeps them from being able to show up. When we rely on behavior based models, we measure compliance instead of
capacity. We respond to distress with demands. And over time, children don't just fall behind, they burn out. Eventually, they can't come at all. We need schools to adopt a different lens, one that is nervous system informed and regulation. First. Safety and connection must come before
learning, not after compliance. Dysregulation is not defiance, it's communication. This means earlier intervention, intervention, flexibility and supports that meet students where they are before they hit crisis. It means shifting from how do we make this child attend to what does this child
need in order to be able to attend? Most of all, we need to shift from blame to partnership, because every child deserves to feel safe enough to show up.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. President Rivera-Oven. Vice president Wolff members of the board and Doctor Taylor, I'm presenting key findings from my research on the family engagement specialist role and urging you
to reinstate the 16 eliminated phase positions. The report you received yesterday addresses three questions. What phase do, how their work and impact are measured. What research shows on standard allocation and
workload nationally. District staff one phase per school with a sustainable caseload of about 600 families, numbers alone can't capture phase work. Much of it happens in the gaps between systems where families,
schools and services need someone to connect them. Two cases show how a phase creates system level improvements one advocating for one Metz, now slave student without summer program transportation led
M.C.P.S. to extend transportation to all students in the program, expanding equitable access to academic resources. Two coordinated documentation on inadequate mental health services led CPS
to assign an authorized provider, giving my cluster a direct referral pathway and free in-school therapeutic care. The FBI's role is central, not supplemental, to equitable family engagement and student
success. They build trust, remove barriers, and coordinate the systems around students, reducing 16 phase positions will significantly limit the district's capacity to provide equity support, especially in schools with the greatest needs.
As the budget returns from county Council, I respectfully urge the board to reinstate these positions. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to M.C.P.S. families
and to the work of. Thank you. This will conclude public comment. The board's next meeting to receive public comment is on Thursday, April 16th. Online sign ups will open on Thursday, April 9th at 6
p.m. in addition to online sign ups, same day, in-person sign ups are permitted when space allows, with unallocated slots filled on a first come, first served basis in person. Sign ups will close 15 minutes before the start of the open
session, or when all slots are filled. Additional information regarding upcoming meetings can be found on the board's website. With that, I would like to see if any of my colleagues have any comments. Seeing none, I'm
going to move to our next item, which is item seven. Are there any consent items board members would like to request to be pulled for clarification?
Seeing none. Is there a motion and a second then to approve items 7.1 through 7.31 and block. So moved. Second, there is a motion and a second. All those in favor, please raise your hand. That will be
unanimous. Madam president, there are a number of announcements tied to resolutions that were adopted on your consent agenda. We had a number of staff members who passed away recently, and the board recognized those staff
members with resolutions. At this time, we'd like to observe a moment of silence in memory of a few of our staff members who recently passed. Miss Pamela Adamo, a paraeducator at Gaithersburg Elementary School,
Mr. Charles Ellison Jr, a building service worker at Roberto Clemente Middle School. Mr. Pugh. Amina. Amina, a pair
educator at Wheaton High School. Mr. Ezequiel Jarmin, a maintenance carpenter at the Down County Maintenance and Operations Service Center. Mr. Mark Wilhelm, a bus operator at
the West Farm Depot. Mr. Israel Weihao, a bus operator at the West Farm Depot. Mr. Philip de Gustafson, an IT system specialist in school technology support in the Department of
Cybersecurity and Technology Infrastructure. The board also passed several resolutions in recognition of special moments and celebrations. First in the month of April, recognizing
Arab American Heritage Month, honoring the rich history, culture and contributions of Arab Americans. Second, the board recognized National Autism Acceptance Month, highlighting the importance of awareness, inclusion, and
support for students with autism and their families. Third, the board approved School Library Month, which celebrates the role that school libraries and library staff play in supporting literacy and student learning. Fourth, the board recognized National
Paraprofessionals Appreciation Day, honoring the essential contributions of our paraprofessionals and supporting instruction and student learning. We've just got a few more. Fifth, the board recognized National Volunteer Week honoring the thousands of volunteers who support our schools through
their time and commitments to our students. Six the board recognized Administrative Professionals Week, which is really the kickoff to our end of school celebrations, celebrating the dedicated impact of our administrative support staff who helped to ensure that our schools and
offices run smoothly. Seventh, the board recognized School Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week and School Lunch Hero Day, honoring the staff who provide millions of healthy meals to our students in Montgomery County. And finally, the board
recognized National Bike to School Day, encouraging healthy lifestyles and promoting safety when biking and biking to school. These resolutions from the Board of Education has approved will be shared in celebration at the April 30th Board of Education meeting. If
you have time and you attend Board of Education meetings on the regular and you'd like to participate in one of these celebrations, we invite you to come a little bit early and check out all of the fantastic celebrations and recognition of these special occasions, and we certainly appreciate and honor
the memory of our service work force and those that passed recently. Thank you, Doctor Taylor, and we join in that as well. And we send blessings to their families and friends and coworkers. With that, we will be moving to item number eight. That will be the boundary
studies. The secondary regional programs. Doctor Taylor, back to you again. Thank you, Madam President, there is a memo for your consideration. The subject matter these resolutions is
linked and connected across all schools in the district. As a result, the superintendent recommends that these three agenda items 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 are listed, be moved in block and acted upon as one matter.
Thank you, Doctor Taylor. The cover memorandum prepared by the superintendent recommends that the postal resolutions listed with item 8.1 survey attendance recommendation for the reopening of Charles W Woodward High School and expansion of Northwood High
School. Item 8.2 superintendents recommendation for the relocation of Thomas S Wootton High School to the Crown Farm site and expansion of Damascus High School and item 8.3 superintendents recommendation to establish
secondary regional programs. B moving block and acted upon as one matter. Is there a motion on the superintendent's recommendation? Motion to approve the resolutions listed with items 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 in
block? Is there a second? Second, there is a motion and a second for discussion. We will begin with Miss Stewart working our way down. First of all, I want to acknowledge the crowd
here. You all obviously care deeply about your children and your schools, and so does everyone on this board. Many months of presentations, questions, design teams and testimonies led up to today's
vote. I'm proud to represent our engaged Montgomery County community. I ran to make hard decisions knowing that our performance as a system was not meeting our potential. We were not taking care of our
buildings, not even requiring children to read books and not creating strong programs at every school. We depended on our wealthier parents to fill in the gaps. Now is the time to make needed change. Throughout the process, board members
checked in with M.C.P.S. staff, principals, students and heard from advocates. The programs and boundaries went through an iterative process, taking into consideration feedback as they were adjusted in response. For instance, the Einstein High
School Regional program model was changed to include music because of strong advocacy and feedback. Also in my district, we listened to the elementary school families who wanted to stay together as a cohort as much as possible. I always lean
into more engagement, not less, and will continue to do that as a board member. When some Wheaton Woods family members didn't feel heard, some of our board members personally met with parents and heard their comments. I listened to them and started to work with other
county partners to try to leverage ride on bus lines so there would be more access. I also need to acknowledge that we have not maintained our buildings, causing huge amounts of deferred maintenance. It is my job as a board member to
populate as many staff members and students and healthy learning places. With the resources we have today, I cannot undo past decisions. The board must use the data we have. I am for more regular check ins
on our population trends so that we'll be ready for future growth, something that Miss Wolff will take up in the policy committee. In my heart, I know that Wooten will be rebuilt in the future after we rebuild Damascus and Magruder,
just as Northwood and Woodward were rebuilt. We cannot leave a partial skull at Crown. The superintendents recommendation. We're going to ask you to leave. If you cannot, please respect
Miss Stewart's comments. We heard you. Please do the same for us. Thank you. The superintendent's recommendation does two things. It relieves some capacity and it gets more students and staff in healthy learning spaces. I felt so
badly when I went into that building and saw some of the conditions, and I heard from students too. I did talk to students, and it also means that we can concentrate on upgrading Magruder, that they can be lifted up in the next CIP. And I want to apologize to
Mr. Silva for not for missing the email and not reaching out. I did reach out to Magruder Advocates in other ways, and I will be happy to talk to Mr. Silva and we can have a long meeting. I also know the risk
of changing course like we are today, especially in a huge system like M.c.p.s. This is why I support adding a requirement to report on the program performance, metrics, budgets, admissions and transportation. M.C.P.S. must
acknowledge challenges and make changes as needed. We need to be more nimble. I did not run for office to rest on the status quo. I ran for office to expand opportunities for children more equitably
throughout the system, and I hope that you all continue to engage, because I want to continue that engagement and help make us a better system. Thank you, Miss Stewart. Miss
Silvestre, I want to start out by thanking all of you watching and here in the room for your incredible advocacy, for your children, for our children. I know that we all want the same thing. We want to have excellent schools and excellent
school buildings, and we are committed to ensure that our schools are the very best. I have heard from you. I have met with many of you. I've listened to multiple perspectives. I've read hundreds of emails. I have
reviewed the data. I have asked the questions that you have asked me to ask, and I feel I'm making the best decision for the entire school system. I said it at previous board meetings and I will say it again I support rebuilding Wooten. Once we have the
funding in the CIP and the student population growth to support it, we will be exploring public private partnerships and I look forward to working with the City of Rockville in the work that comes ahead. In terms of our
program study, this is the right thing to do for our students and it must be implemented well. So I plan to work with my colleagues to have excellent programs in the home schools and in the regions. So we're giving our students what
they need. I believe that our home schools must have excellent programs, and I recognize that we have students that need special programs, and we must do right by them. I appreciate all your advocacy, and we need you to continue to
make this a wonderful school system. Thank you. Miss Yang. Yes. This is so important. So I wrote down what I want to say. So first I see some staff sitting here. I want to thank
you for your hard work. This has been a very long process, and there have been a lot of work that went into it. Because of that work, we have made improvements, we have made
meaningful improvements, including adjustment to the split articulation in many elementary schools, better alignments with geographic proximityand better program planning. I'm grateful for your
work. I strongly believe in expanding access, addressing inequities, and drawing school boundaries that enhance the teaching and learning experience for all students and
staff. The regional program resolution and the boundary studies reflect important and necessary goals. However, I'm not convinced we have done all that we could to achieve the
right balance or the right implementation. Too often we are flying the plane while building it. Our countywide programs, Fine Arts and Einstein Stem at Blair and
Poolesville and IB at Richard Montgomery have taken decades to build, and our nationally recognized. We should absolutely expand, access and replicate success, but not
without clear answers on quality control and evaluation metrics that define what success looks like. Until those are in place, I cannot support
moving forward. I have heard consistent concern from both community members and staff about implementation. Please let me finish. We need to continue to work on accountability, but at the same
time, we must stay focused on strengthening core instructions. So every student at every high school receive a world class education. Now for the boundary study. I have unresolved
concerns regarding middle school articulation for traveler and Strongmail Elementary School, the Chinese immersion pathway for tomorrow for elementary, and the outreach to Winton Woods
community. I have raised this issue. During the process. I strongly believe as a county, we need to develop our economy and able to generate the funds to rebuild Wooten and Magruder
to modern standards. So thank you everyone. Miss Wolff. First, let me say thank you to all of you for coming. We may agree or disagree, but we do appreciate
your input. Also, I want to thank the staff. I know this has been a long journey and this has been tough on you and your families when you have so much of the school district undergoing the boundary process
at one time. It's intense and it has been intense. I want you to know that I actually am brave enough to vote my conscience. Somebody seemed to question that, but I am brave
enough to vote my conscience. I do take exception to people accusing us of being incompetent, covering up data and. Being guilty of fraud, because I think that we all
have the same goal. What is in the best interest of our students? You have to remember this is a system of schools, not one school. We have to take responsibility for all schools. So I intend to support the
superintendent's recommendation. I believe it has been a rigorous and engaging process. Regardless of today's outcome. I want to take a few minutes to talk about the process. I think there is a general misunderstanding in the
community about how this process works. I understand, I understand why there might be misunderstanding. We all have a lot going on in our daily lives, and a lot of us, including
myself many times, don't pay attention until it affects me personally. This process began when the board approved the scope of the boundary in 2024. In April of last year, we began
engaging the community. In April, there was a survey, community meetings, another survey, and more meetings. All through the fall of last year, using all of the information and guided by the requirements of our policy. The
superintendent published options. These were explicitly not a recommendation and were intended to serve as a catalyst for community engagement. The community, as intended, engaged
around these options, provided feedback, offered suggestions and critiques. The superintendent took what he heard, looked at the requirements of the policy and the needs of the school system, and offered his recommendation to the board. This was always
an iterative process. It was a community discussion. The recommendation didn't come until February, I think, because people may not be paying close attention until they hear, until they hear their school community named.
It may feel like the process was short, but we have been working on this for years to understand. Excuse me. Please give the respect to Miss Wolff that she deserves. Please give
her the respect that Miss Wolff deserves. Thank you. If you cannot, you can leave. But please give her the respect she deserves. Thank you. To understand my vote, it is important to note that I represent district five East
County. East County has been a program desert with few to no programs offered. Our students, like our student board member, have had to travel significant distances to access programs. I
ran for the board to correct this inequity. That is, for those of you counting seven years of hearing me talk about equity and access, but seeing little to no progress inM.C.P.Se
have been promises made. This is the first time that we are actually doing something to fulfill those promises to those who have urged us to slow down, to wait until every minute question is answered, I say
that we have waited long enough. We will not let perfection be the enemy of progress to those to those who suggest that the expansion of opportunity will dilute quality, I categorically
reject the false dichotomy that pits equity against excellence. I would say that this entire county rests on the idea that equity, married to excellence, is what makes this such an exceptional place to live.
Program expansion is messy. Systemic reform is messy. It will be hard because systemic reform is hard. There will be bumps in trials ahead. But if not here, where and if not now?
When? As a board, we need to hold the system accountable for delivering on its promises. But we also need to create a space where we can have honest conversations about challenges and provide the support that will be needed to implement
this significant effort. As for the boundary studies, I want to acknowledge the concerns of the Rockville government. Mayor Ashton has been a particularly eloquent spokesperson for the concerns of the city. I think
as painful as this process has been, the lines of communication between M.C.P.S. and the governments of Rockville and Gaithersburg have been strengthened. I know we are looking forward to growing these partnerships and working
more closely together. My decision on the question of Wooten is based on my fiduciary duty to the school system. I would find it difficult to justify using the beautiful brand new Crown Farm site as a
holding school to rebuild schools when there is no money to do so. I believe that this recommendation offers the best utilization of our resources, and I plan to vote for it. I know the scope and implications
of these changes have been hard for our community, but I remind us that there are many who are waiting for and anticipating change. I could not conclude my remarks without sharing how
disheartened and disappointed I am by some of the rhetoric that has been used during this process. Disagreement is to be expected, but some of the language that I have heard has definitely been disheartening.
Our own thinking is made better by a robust argument. I'm a lawyer. I love to argue. Just ask my husband. But now. But how you argue. What you say and how you label children and
communities matter. It is my hope that all of the folks who have argued, organized and agonized through this process will turn that energy toward building community, helping us implement a transformational
initiative and move forward in the interest of all of our students. If the outcome is not the one you wished for. If you truly believe in equity, you will have the opportunity to help make access and opportunity a reality for so
many of our students. It's easy to be the critic. It's hard to do the work. I'm reminded of Theodore Roosevelt and man in the arena. It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles, or where the door of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who
strives valiantly, who airs, who comes short again and again. Because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. But you can stop him. But who does actually strive to do the
deeds? Who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions? Who spends himself in a worthy cause? Who at the best. Needs to go? Yeah, yeah. You can't tell me to shut up.
No. If he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. I believe that we all want what
is best for our students, all of our students. And although we may not agree on how to deliver on that promise, we can agree on our shared intent. Thank you. Miss Montoya. Blair.
Math and science 75%. Poolesville math and science 85%. Poolesville ecology 83%. Poolesville Humanities 73%. Richard Montgomery, Inter
Baccalaureate 82%. Those are the percentages in those particular programs of only Asian and white students. Those programs the NSC, the DCC, they were established to make access
greater for all students, not just some students. So why do I support the idea of expanding access through a regional program model? Because black and brown students deserve access to these programs as well. So I want to be clear to this community and to all of my
colleagues, that a vote against this model is a vote to perpetuate the racist access to these programs. That has been going on for quite some time now. I'll wait. I have heard I
had a lot of talking points prepared today, but let me just go into the crux of it. There have been some really ugly words spoken in really ugly ways throughout this process.
In this room, in emails and messages, handwritten letters in in-person meetings and virtual meetings, in phone calls, at community events. We can disagree. You can even not
like me as a person. But it is not okay to speak to myself and my colleagues or any of our future colleagues in disrespectful ways, in threatening ways. And it is absolutely not okay to yell at me while my children are standing next to me while I'm
in the community. Despite all of that behavior, I pushed it all aside because as an attorney and a trained litigator, I am trained to just see the message. So I looked at your messages. I looked at your
data, your charts, your alternative solutions, whatever you gave. I spent hours preparing for some of the meetings that I had with some of you in the community. I can appreciate that. Some of you wish the data included
different data sets. Our data came from municipalities with Montgomery. I work with Montgomery planning from the various vendors that conducted various analyzes, whether it was looking at designs or traffic or boundary lines,
neighborhoods, populations, projections, enrollments, you name it. It's okay to disagree. It is not okay to treat anybody in this way, including other members of your school communities, other children,
other staff. Now, I know that these kinds of issues are hard. I'm a parent as well, right? I'm living all of these decisions and I don't always agree with all of them, as some of you know. Right? My colleagues know too, because I live them every day, just like
you do. But we need to be mindful that the ways that we behave and the words that we use, our kids are absolutely hearing them and they are seeing them. They are seeing them and deciding whether they are calm and collaborative or
they are aggressive and hostile. Now I join many of Miss Wolff's comments. I have been very disappointed by some of the rhetoric. Throughout this process. I've been disappointed by the deliberate fueling of misinformation by some of our
trusted community leaders, and I've just been disappointed at the use of historically significant and racially charged language like segregation, bussing, and redlining in situations where
that is not what's happening. Because when you do that, you dilute the power of those words and the things that were experienced by the Black and African American community. As we inch forward into other hard decisions, because we have a
lot of hard decisions facing us. My role as a board member, the reason you elected me in this county was to look at where is the money going to make sure that we were fiscally sound so that we can all have as much of
the things as we want? And that is what I will continue to do and why I support the recommendation of the superintendent. Thank you. Miss Zimmerman. Thank you. I have considered this vote so many
times. It has kept me up at night for more nights than I can count. In fact, I think I received 73 emails last night between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. So truly keeping me up at night. But I have always felt that there is a solution
out there that can do the most good and to find compromise, to find common ground. And what I have found in the reality of the situation, it is so difficult. We have buildings with dire need for renovations across our county, and very little funding to meet those
real needs. We have students and staff that spend every day in these buildings. We have enrollment changes for our schools across the county. And more importantly, what I've really come to discover is that we have a community who is so passionate about their schools
and about local politics, and we are truly so fortunate to have that here. It's part of why I love this job and why I love where I live. There are people here who speak up and dive into data and connect with their communities, elected leaders, and I'm really grateful for that engagement
during this process. All of this to say is that our community deserves real leadership. Real leaders don't back down when they're faced with painful decisions. It would be extraordinarily easy for me to abstain from this vote today. But my own convictions and my belief in
what our county should receive from their politicians is leaders who are willing to represent their constituents by hearing their concerns, voicing community questions, communicating with their colleagues, and then making a decision whether it's liked by all sides or not. So no matter what outcomes come today, I know that I'll have a full
inbox tomorrow from the community that I care so deeply for, and some of those will be positive, some of those will be negative. And I'm honored that I get to receive all of those, and that I get to continue the conversations that have been started here and that I know
will be ongoing. Thank you. First, I just want to thank everyone in the community who has reached out and shared their concerns, especially the students from Robert Frost Middle School. It was very sweet to receive all of your messages yesterday, and I want
to say that these concerns have not gone unheard. Ultimately, after much deliberation, I am supporting the superintendent's recommendation. I know implementation will be difficult and there will absolutely need to be adjustments made along the way, but we cannot miss this
opportunity to expand opportunities to so many students. I think back to the reason I truly ran for this position. I am a student from the Northeastern Consortium who attended Bricks Cheney Middle School. Countless students in my community have the academic drive for selective programs,
but could not afford the longer commute. Today, I am voting for the students from these underrepresented communities and really all over the county to have more equal access to these opportunities. Now, my enthusiasm and passion for expanding this means that I am
even more vested in the execution of the secondary regional program model. We must monitor execution every step of the way, adapt when needed, and hold ourselves accountable to the community's feedback. I want students in all six regions to have the benefits
that I have had by going to the math and Science program at Blair. As a blazer, I have had the privilege of having high quality teachers steeped in and passionate about their subject matter. Extracurricular activities, field trips, and competitions designed to expand learning and ignite curiosity.
Rigor linked with support and well researched programs that provide benefit to their school communities. Beyond the students in the program, Blair is truly special, and it shows how complex making a successful program is. Care must be taken with the implementation of this model, and in order to truly be
successful, we need to carefully monitor it every step of the way. And that goes to my colleagues and Doctor Taylor as well. I know that change on a scale this size will not be perfect, and that we will have to constantly review and adapt, but we can and must be clear about our goals. I also believe
the superintendents boundary recommendations strike a fair balance under board policy. FAA and make the best use of the capital resources available to us now. As the student member of the board, I am charged with making decisions that benefit the school system as a whole and looking into the future.
Ultimately, my commitment to M.C.P.S. students is unwavering. Supporting the superintendent's recommendation is how we turn that commitment into lasting impact. For every student who walks through M.C.P.S. doors. Thank you. Thank you so much to
my colleagues. I would like now to turn the meeting over to Vice President Wolff. Thank you, president Rivera oven. Are there any additional comments?
I have additional comments. Go ahead. I'll be the last one to go. I too want to thank you all. I want to thank especially the parents who have been here over the last year. I feel like I
have known get to got to know some of you. I know you now by name, some of you by last names. I had the honor to visit your school to meet with some of you. I have worked very closely and at least in my area, in the county with the Clarksburg cluster, the Damascus cluster
and so on. So I want to speak to you truly from the heart. Just very sincere. As a former M.C.P.S. student, as a product of the school system, as a proud graduate of Gaithersburg High School and now as the
board president, but also as your neighbor and as a mother of students who went to M.C.P.S. Just like my colleagues, I ran for this position because I care about my community. I truly do, and I
have personally lived through boundary studies. I know the knots in your stomach when you look at a map. I know the fear that your child's sense of community is being rewritten by a pen stroke. I have sat where you are sitting and I carry that weight with me every time
I vote on a consequential, consequential issue. But as a leader, I have a second, equally heavy responsibility to the school system and also to be a fiscally responsible steward of M.C.P.S. resources.
We all want the absolute best for our children, and the most responsible thing we can do as board is to make decisions that are sustainable, smart, and rooted in the truth of our students daily lives. In a
situation like this, there is no map, no map that is going to make everyone happy. And if we wait for a total consensus, we will never move. But our job. Our job is not to make everyone
happy. It's to make decisions that make sense for the entire system and for every child. The right thing to do is to use resources wisely and provide an equal opportunity for every student, regardless of their
zip code. I have heard the concerns that this process was rushed unseen. To that, I want to share with you a glimpse of the initiatives taken by M.C.P.S. and the Board of Education. M.C.P.S. administration conducted multi-channel campaigns to ensure families were informed.
MCPs share information to families through 11 specialized communication streams, including things to know newsletters, staff bulletins, direct SMS text alerts. They. They just did not just send one email. They shared constant reminders to keep the community
engaged, and. CPS held 23 targeted meetings ranging for in-person cluster parties and community meetings to virtual Zoom webinars. We even met during the storm. As some of you remember, we met people in
their neighborhoods ensuring the scheduling wasn't a barrier to participation. M.C.P.S. also had 42 distinct engagement assets that included distributing fliers and mailers to libraries, recreation centers, religious organizations, and summer meal
sites. The purpose was to meet people where they live and work because, see, I know what it feels to be excluded. And I president of this board, I did not see that happening to our community. They provided all
digital tools, newsletters and dedicated videos and playlists and on and on and on, 1500 targeted calls to ensure that data represented the entire community. M.C.P.S. review over 17,000 survey responses. The board established an advisory committee to help disseminate
information through their networks. We provided the committee with copies, information, office hours where they could come and their understanding of information and the board staff. Thank you to our board staff and thank you to M.C.P.S. to everybody, to all the people who worked on this. They answered thousands,
not hundreds. They answered thousands of phone calls and emails, which is not. We didn't just sit on the stages of forums. We sat across the table one on one with PTA leaders and community groups around the county. We were on the ground with parents clocks for church
on wooden. We were in the breakroom listening to staff at Silver Spring Creek, Eastern and Woodland. We didn't just collect data, we talked to people to understand their concerns and my long relationship with M.C.P.S. I have never experienced such an extensive multi-layer, multi-channel community engagement. You can agree with
what happens here today or disagree with that, but this has been an impressive effort to ensure that the community had a voice and could make their feelings and concerns known. Some people have asked for more time, but more time
will not change. The realities confronting us. To take no action today would be a profound disservice to the future leaders of M.C.P.S. To our students. Our students cannot wait any longer when we have the ability to. Greater opportunity through equity
means looking past the loudest voices in the room to find the truth for every child, including those who are not represented in this room. We have done the work. We have chased the data. We listen, we have review, we have study. And now, for the sake of our
students and the future of this district, it is time to act. And for that, I would like to say some of these words in Spanish, but Nuestra familia en espanol. Como su vecina yo. Ustedes viviendo angustia
escolar cambiar. Pero Como presidente del Consejo educacion S asegurar el futuro de sus hijos. No dependance codigo postal no estamos viendo lineas. Estamos abriendo puertas ventanas Los datos nos muestran la realidad de
nuestras escuelas ignorar estos irresponsible. No hemos tomado decisions a la ligera M.C.P.S. trabajado sin descanso produciendo information mas. Realizando llamadas para
asegurar bosses. Voces escuchar nuestras reuniones sintomas en cuenta Consejo escolar no solo analiza datos fuimos a sus escuelas hablamos con ustedes con Los maestros con Los Estudiantes escuchado preocupaciones y la verdadera
equidad significa no solo tomar decisiones basadas en las voces mas fuertes, sino en Los datos. No conclusion Clara para garantizar el mejor futuro para Los ninos en el condado de Montgomery. Hemos escuchado hemos investigado y ahora bien
de nuestros Estudiantes y por toda la comunidad. ES este es el movimiento de actuar. So therefore, I will also be supporting the superintendents recommendation. So on behalf.
Also on behalf of the board, give me the give me the gavel. If we can't, if we can't respect the speaker, we'll have to have you removed. I would
like to say, Janice, you like to say it in Chinese? Okay. Well, I was asking if you would like to say some some words in Chinese, but she's not going to. So with that, on behalf of the board, I'd like to move to amend the superintendent's
recommendation to include the following language to immediately precede the final result in the resolution for items. 8.3 superintendent's recommendation to establish secondary regional programs. I'm going to now be reading the. Resolved the beginning in the
2026 2027 school year, the Superintendent of Schools will provide the Board of Education with quarterly or regular updates on the status of secondary programs through the full implementation and the 2030 2031 school year, the
board should receive regular updates. These updates should include accomplishments, challenges, budget implications, key implementation metrics, application process, teacher recruitment, curriculum selection, and others. Other
metrics of success, as well as any recommended adjustments to ensure successful and timely implementation. President Rivera-Oven has made a motion to amend the resolution for item 8.3 superintendents
recommendation to establish secondary regional programs. Is there a second? Second, there is a motion and a second, is there any discussion on President Rivera Evans motion to amend the resolution for
item 8.3? Seeing none? Oh, sorry, I didn't see you, Julie. Go ahead. I think that it's a positive move in terms of accountability for the program. I appreciate very much, but I
still remain concerned about the evaluation metrics in the future. But I, I remain committed to working with the community and staff with any upcoming opportunity in improve
the whole process of thoughtfully. Thank you, thank you. Seeing no other comments, we will proceed first with a vote on President Rivera Evans motion to amend the resolution
for item 8.3. All those in favor of the motion to amend, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous. I will now turn the gavel back to President Rivera oven to
preside. Thank you, Vice President Wolff, the motion to amend the resolution for item 8.3 having passed, we will now continue with consideration of the motion on the table. Is there any additional discussion? For clarity, I would like to
request the board's unanimous consent to amend my motion to approve resolutions listed with items 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 in block to confirm that the block
includes the amended resolution for item 8.3. Vice President Wolff has requested unanimous consent of the board for a clarifying amendment to her motion to confirm that the block includes the amended resolution for item 8.3. Are
there any objections? Seeing none, hearing no objections, is there any remaining remaining discussion on the amended motion to approve and block the resolutions listed with items 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3, as amended?
Or has relied on. Laura, I have a point of clarification. The now, I believe second to last resolved on 8.3. Says program designations related to
secondary program structures. I just want to. Of the point of clarification is will our middle school programs continue after this? Because we didn't talk about middle schools? Yes. Thank you, Miss Stewart. As a
matter of fact, they will continue as is. We do have some changes at the state level that are pending and have maybe even been thrown a new curveball by the state. At their most recent Board of Education meeting at the state level. That would have to come back to the board
for consideration. This does set up a framework and an infrastructure to support a regional model, but it doesn't change any of your existing middle school programs at this time. Thank you, Miss Yang. Yes, there are many things in the
three separate resolution that I support, and there are many things we actually work on together as a community. However, because all of these are bundled together, I will
vote no to the whole package. Miss Wolff no. If there is no further discussion, we will now proceed with the final vote. All those in favor of the amended motion to approve the
resolutions listed with items 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 as amendment. Please raise your hand at this time. That would be Miss Stewart. Miss Silvestre myself, miss Rivera-Oven, miss Wolff,
Miss Montoya,iss Zimmerman, and miss. Those against. That will be Miss Yang. For racism.
The motion has passed. Thank you. We will now move to recess for item nine. We will be back
in 15 minutes. Three. Two. Thank you so much. We are back.
We are on item 10.1. This is scope for school consolidations and closure study for elementary and middle schools and countywide elementary and middle school boundary study. So I'm going to ask Doctor Taylor. Thank you. Madam President. Members of the board,
we presented on this item previously and have drafted a resolution for the board's consideration. It is detailed in the memo entitled Approval of Scope for School Consolidations and Closures
study for Elementary and middle schools and countywide elementary and Middle schools boundary study. I think it would be appropriate. It is rather lengthy, but I feel like reading. I would like to read theolved rather than do a a redux of the previous
presentation. Resolved that the community engagement sessions be aligned to Board of Education Policy f a a Educational Facilities Planning and Board of Education policy, ABA community engagement and be held for the options prior to
the Superintendent of Schools recommendation and be it further resolved that in accordance with the Code of Maryland Regulations 13 a .02.09.01 adoption and procedures to govern school closures, closings. Board of
Education Policy f a a Educational Facilities Planning and Board of Education Policy a b a community engagement. Any final Board of Education decision regarding school closings, closings or consolidations must be preceded by procedures that include a
process for seeking input from multiple stakeholders on the staff. Developed options for proposed school closing, which includes board outreach to affected communities. A public hearing to permit concerned
citizens and opportunities to to submit their views orally or to submit written testimony or data on a proposed school closing adequate notice to parents and guardians of students in the attendance in attendance at all schools that
are being considered for closure. Written notification of all schools that are under consideration for closure. Advertised in at least two newspapers. Having general circulation in the geographic attendance area for the school
or schools proposed for to be closed, and the school or schools to which students will be relocating, and the newspaper notification shall appear at least two weeks in advance of any public hearings held by the local school system
on a proposed school closing. And may it further be resolved that the Montgomery County Public Schools will follow the Board of Education's established process for boundary Studies under Board of Education Policy, FAA Educational Facilities Planning and Montgomery County Public
Schools Regulation F a r a. The Educational Facilities Planning Regulation and may it further be resolved that that following the Board of Education's decision for any closures and or consolidations, Montgomery County Public Schools will
enter into a boundary study process for all elementary schools and any secondary schools that will be impacted by factors such as noncontiguous, boundaries, capacity and and consolidations or closures. And may it further be resolved that the scope of
the boundary study include all elementary schools, except any elementary school approved by the Board of Education for closure or consolidation, and include new boundaries for any secondary school that will be impacted by factors such as
noncontiguous boundaries, capacity and consolidations or closure, and may further be resolved that the Board of Education directs the Superintendent of Schools to establish a timeline for the facility portfolio review and recommending considerations for
consolidations and closures with proposed implementation for the school year of 2029 to 2030. And may it further be resolved that the Board of Education directs the Superintendent of Schools to establish a timeline for this. For the system wide elementary
and middle school boundary study with proposed implementation for the school year 2029 to 2030. Thank you very much, Doctor Taylor. Is there a motion and a second to approve the resolution on the
table? Oh so moved. Second, there is a motion and a second, is there any discussion? I'll just add one piece, madam president, to help create some clarification. I read a lot of legal language, and I think it's worth it for community
members who are interested to go through and take a look at this. But essentially, in taking a look at our elementary boundary study and considering some changes in enrollment patterns, we're starting to see a significant trend pointing in a certain direction. We are
introducing the possibility that there may be closures or consolidations. It's not a guarantee. It's not a predetermination or anything along those lines, but it is introducing that possibility. So it is a centerpiece in this particular boundary study
because it may drive some boundary decisions. For example, the board just made decisions on a secondary study that included adding schools. And as part of that process, it does move districts around. Similarly, when you make
modifications that reduce number of schools, it has a similar effect, but in the reverse. So what we're trying to do with this scope of study is to really keep all options on the table, and really to leave as many doors open for consideration, and that there
may be many opportunities to explore as a result. Thank you, Miss Wolff. I just have a couple of questions. When we if we do close schools, years ago, we used to sell off the property or get rid of it. I
believe now we retain the inventory because this question came up quite frequently regarding Wooten. What will happen? Those schools remain in our inventory in case the enrollment goes back up, right? Yes. And I'm so glad that you brought that up, because the
board actually cannot profit from the sale of any properties. As a matter of fact, you cannot financially benefit from any any sale. And it can't help us balance books or anything along those lines. The properties get surplus back to the county. If we've determined that there
isn't a use or a future use. So we do actually retain a number of properties in our portfolio We actually have 238 buildings, even though we have 211 active schools. Some of those buildings we use for for office space, some of those buildings we use for storage, and some of
those buildings we use for holding school space. And so there is an inherent advantage in terms of your long term planning to consider what things might look like down the road, and whether or not there might be temporary changes that are needed, or whether these are long term changes to
maintain a healthy portfolio that can balance both current and future needs. The the other thing I wanted to say is that during this process that we just completed. We had serious conversations with Rockville
and Gaithersburg about how we determine enrollment. I would like us to continue those conversations in an attempt to work more in partnership to understand how how their process differs from ours and whether or not well differs
from our planning board, I should say, and how we might be able to build on that. Thank you. Mr. Silvestre question about the timing. The second to
last resolve says implement proposed implementation for school year 2930. Can you speak more about why that timing makes sense and could it be made? Could it be expedited and done sooner? It could. We
presented three options for the board's decision making. That's not reflected directly in this resolution. The board would have to come back and take a look at that and make a determination about which timeline it would like to do, whether you're on the very fast
timeline or the second option, the recommended option that we had or the elongated timeline. You're really looking at the fall of 29 or later, and that this really is the the sooner
of the available timelines. Okay, so this work would go underway. And because it has a couple of components, one would be the consideration. Do you have any room for consolidations? Do you have any room for closures? That step
really does need to be completed first before you can adjust and decide boundaries, because it will inform that boundary step in the process. And so you have two really meaty public engagement components that need to take
place, and they need to take place in successive order, not concurrent order. So you you are still looking at over a year's worth of work that's tied to this. And with a year over a year's worth of work, you're already looking beyond
the fall of of 28. So. Okay, I need to think of the year's. Thank you. Okay. I don't know if Miss Andrea would like to add anything else. We're good. Okay. All right. I don't see any further comments. So we're
going to do the vote. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous. And the motion passes. Thank you very much. Moving on to item 10.2. That would be the approval of 2026 2027 inclement
Weather Virtual Learning plan. I will ask administration to I'll jump right in. Thank you so much for coming. Yes. Thank you, Madam President. Members of the board winter certainly reminded us of something that we already know that weather is
unpredictable. Today we're bringing forward a state required inclement weather virtual learning plan. This is a new expectation from Msde and something that was encouraged in the past, but is is expected
of us to to complete and offer to the state Department of Education. Due to a number of weather events this past year and the strong likelihood of future weather events in the future, we experienced loss of instruction time, disrupted
schedules, and a lot of challenge making up our days that were lost and we really had to work to find ways that would make this work for students and families. And I think that there's universal agreement that a lot of this didn't work for students and
families. And so it's incumbent on us to try to find ways to both meet the academic social development and, of course, the logistical and safety needs of our families. This plan is not about replacing snow days, nor
is it a plan about replacing instruction like we did during the pandemic. Rather, it serves as a thoughtful, structured insurance policy for when disruptions extend beyond just a few calendar days or 1 or 2
days. And these should be things that we can plan for and things that we can adapt to. You'll hear that we are also not interested in returning to a state of a 1 to 1 Chromebook environment. We're not resourced for that. As a matter
of fact, we don't have that capability, and nor are we financed or planning on returning to that state. Although we do acknowledge and will show that we do have the need for some electronic technology and capabilities that are going to be necessary in this plan. This plan is also
aligned with the state expectations about what the structure of this plan should look like. We didn't just come up with these requirements all by ourselves. We had a lot of help from our partners at Msde, which have set out expectations for districts as to what would
constitute an approved virtual learning plan. One of the greatest strengths of this plan is that we're actually not rushing into it. Even though you are looking at an approval today. We have a long runway several months before our next anticipated moment, where we
would have to intentionally prepare for an occurrence such as this. So we have a lot that is still yet to do, even if this plan is adopted. This allows time for us to train staff, to practice with students, and to communicate with families about how this would work to ensure that we
have equity of access and readiness across the district. Today, we'll share how this plan works, the ins and outs when it would be used, what students and families can expect, and how we are preparing the system to implement this successfully. I want to turn things over to our
Chief Technology Officer, Miss Kim Fields, and to our Director of Curriculum Development, Tamara Hewlett. Doctor Hewlett, thank you for setting that up. Doctor Taylor. Good afternoon, members of the board. My name is Doctor Tamara Hewlett, and
I'm here with my colleague Kimberly Fields, Chief Technology Officer. And we're here to share the inclement weather learning plan. Next slide please. So like Doctor Taylor outlined, we've had quite an inclement weather
season, and that impacted our ability to have all of our planned instructional days. Maryland State Department of Education has issued a mandate for all local school systems to develop a virtual instruction plan for the 2026 2027 school
year. This plan must be approved by the local Board of Education. The purpose of the inclement Weather virtual plan is to minimize the disruption that a weather event could impose on a school system, and
to do so in a meaningful way. Meaningful way that optimizes learning time. You will see that we have developed a comprehensive plan that allows us to be prepared for next school year. The event that schools have to be closed for multiple days due to inclement
weather. Next slide please. It is important for us to outline the requirements that Maryland the Maryland State Department of Education has issued in statute seven Dash 103.2 Msde requires all submitted learning.
Virtual learning plans to communicate the conditions necessary to activate said plan. Some of these conditions include that there must be a minimum of four synchronous, which means live together hours
provided to students every day that you're in the virtual setting. Students must continue to receive their English language development services and special education services, and it must be adopted by the
local Board of Education. There are other requirements and you'll get to hear about those as we continue. Next slide please. Now we know one of the very first questions our students and families are going to have is, does this mean we
will no longer have snow days? No fun? No. The answer to that question is no. Snow days are still a possibility. All we need is snow and a Doctor Taylor video. As a reminder,
the conditions to activate the virtual learning plan are that we would have to have used up all of our built in days first, and then we would have to be
able to predict that there is a weather event coming so that we can provision, and we have enough time to provision to our families to turn virtual. Next slide please. Just a quick question. Does it have to have
certain days? Does it have to have a minimum like three days? Or could it be one day? We have we have decided to ensure that it's a multiple day event. So it's not the one off days. That's when you would use the
snow day. If we. And then we use up all of our built in calendar days for those types of days. And if it's a consecutive weather event, that's when we would consider the superintendent would be able to consider going virtual.
Okay, keeping all of these things in mind, we have developed a comprehensive implement, whether virtual learning plan. And in this plan, we address topics such as system wide communication, school schedules, service
continuation, and digital access. I'll turn it over to Kimberly Fields, our Chief Technology Officer, who will give you a brief overview of the technology services. Thank you. Doctor Hewitt. The Division of Technology Services plays a vital role in ensuring
the district that every student and family can engage with the digital tools that support learning. We manage the Community Technology portal and the IT help desk to essential resources that allow users to request support, report issues, and receive timely assistance during an inclement weather
event. Clear and timely communication becomes even more essential, especially with the ability to pivot to virtual learning. The M.C.P.S. website will have a web page for this event by coordinating messages across the district website, the community technology portal and our IT help Desk will be
able to help to maintain continuity of learning and reinforcing our commitment to keeping everyone informed, connected, and ready for whatever the day brings. Next slide. Please to support our schools. The Division of Teaching and Learning is providing targeted lessons for
every elementary grade and high enrollment secondary courses. These lessons focus on core semester one standards, reinforcing student learning and providing essential opportunities to demonstrate content mastery. We expect
students to participate in virtual learning days, with attendance being recorded as usual through our synergy module. All assignments given during this time are graded. Students unable to attend the live sessions are responsible
for completing this work. Upon return to the school building following the deadline set by their teachers. Finally, our English language development and special education services will continue to the greatest extent possible. Service
providers will collaborate with content teachers to determine the best schedule and approach for each student, utilizing breakout rooms or co-teaching models to ensure seamless support in the virtual
environment. Next slide please. For our student schedule, students will be working asynchronously and synchronously each day. Asynchronously essentially means on your own and
synchronous means live and together. So there will be moments in the day when students are working on their own, and then there will be moments in the day when students are working live and together with the teacher as mandated by the state, all
students start their day with asynchronous activities while the teachers get prepared for the four hours of live Together instruction, our high schoolers start their live instruction at 945, and our middle schoolers will start their live
instruction at 10:15 a.m. Elementary tier one start schools will start their live instruction at 11, and the tier two start schools will start at 1120. Our elementary students can start logging on 15 minutes before those time, because that
time, because we know it might take them just a little longer to get on online. I will now turn it back over to Mrs. Fields to discuss our technology readiness. Next slide please. Technology
readiness will be important in pivoting from a traditional classroom model to a fully virtual learning environment, and a short time frame requires careful planning and strong coordination. The chart provides high level information of what to expect for students, families, schools, and staff based on how you identify, and
a category will determine the column for reviewing students column. This will be important for elementary and middle schools that have a cart model. We know they will need a device and a charger and a book bag to safely carry items. Home internet access can be obtained through the school administration or an M.C.P.S.
staff member. We could have identified. We have identified the potential learning tools that could be used by their teacher, which is defined in the first column. When we take a look at the families column on the district website, there will be documents on technology access and guidance and other materials from teaching and
learning. Internet access can be obtained through the school administration or a staff member for family without home internet options, we have created user friendly training documents and resources that students and parents, through logging in, accessing virtual classrooms, and troubleshooting common issues. By combining
proactive planning with accessible support materials, we are trying to make the virtual learning experience more manageable and ensure every family feels equipped to stay connected and engaged. When we take a look at our final two columns, schools and staff communication modes
available will be Parent Square, Parentvue, Studentvue and through M.C.P.S. classroom tracking of distribution will be critical. Staff will need to know how to submit a request for a hotspot on behalf of a family. Training documents and resources consisting of text, short videos, quick guides and
FAQs will be available and they can contact the internal help desk for assistance. A best prac device distribution guide will be available as well for checking out and an inventory. And if there are technology related questions for M.C.P.S. internal staff
support during virtual learning instruction days, M.C.P.S. employees will continue to have access to the internal technical help desk and for non M.C.P.S. our community members support open to parents and in use. Now. More staff will be dedicated to supporting the
Community Tech Support portal on virtual learning days to further ensure readiness technology will be participating in the preparedness drills with teaching and learning on the designated days. This preparation should allow for transition with minimal disruption to learning and
ensuring families receive clear, timely guidance on what to expect during the shift. Next slide please. So we are in a position where we have some time to ensure that we can communicate well with all of our constituents. We will be
starting our communication campaign in June, where we will first engage with our school leaders so that they know what they need to do and plan for during their summer. Instructional leadership teams, and to be prepared for the start of the school year. Our
campaign will ramp up in September to start reaching out to our families, because we want to ensure that our families have access to the technology they will need, not only for a virtual event, but to navigate their way through the school year. We also have
some deadlines for our schools in the month of September to have their virtual courses set up and ready to go, so that in October we can hold our first preparedness drill for our elementary students. These preparedness drills will teach
students how to log on to the computer, how to access their virtual classroom tile, how to get on Zoom. The second preparedness drill will take place in November. Our communications team and school teams will spend December
reminding our families of the inclement weather virtual plan, and then if there's a weather event, we are ready. Next slide please. And this slide we're going to discuss challenges and
offer solutions. So when we look at elementary and middle schools, we are reviewing and updating Chromebook inventory controls to ensure that every student receives a properly configured and secure device. Accurate checkout and check in of the equipment will assist in managing resources responsibly
and maintain accountability. We don't foresee the need for purchasing additional Chromebooks for this event. However, we are taking an inventory, especially of our chargers, and there will be a need specifically at our cart model schools and middle schools. We are taking into consideration our schools that
our Cart models, because of the speed to pivot from a cart. We don't want anyone disabling a cart for chargers. We want to be able to do a grab and go as to not impact valuable instruction time. When we talk about internet access, ensuring that every child has reliable internet access during an event
is essential to maintaining learning continuity. When the district shifts to virtual instruction for families who may not have connectivity at home, the district currently provides support through already established processes that allow for the opportunity to request hotspots for. The
purpose of this effort is simple. No student should be left behind because of a circumstance beyond their control. There will be a survey in the fall to assess the technology preparedness. Also, I want to add that the district. Provides standardized devices
to ensure every student has access to the full set of learning tools, application security protections required for instruction using district issued equipment also allows for our technology team to troubleshoot issues quickly and effectively. By keeping students on district devices, we create a consistent, secure
and fully supported learning experience for the students and families. Now, doctor will speak to the Virtual Learning and Food Services section. And so we've identified the student and family challenges that might present themselves in terms of students, not, you
know, knowing how to get on to the the classroom and whatnot. While Covid seems very close to many of us, our, our elementary students are very far from that experience. So that that's precisely why we are building
in those practice drills to happen at school and why we have those family guides. So anticipating the challenge, we are prepared to support our families along with those resources that the technology team has in terms of the
community. Portal, that that will be available during that inclement weather event. And then we have the challenge of food services in the case of unanticipated school closures, including virtual instruction, the M.C.P.S. operations team
will prioritize reopening schools, providing the most nutrition access to all students. Additionally, our Department of Food and Nutrition Services will assess the need for supplemental emergency meal distribution as
follows. Emergency meal sites will only be for students enrolled in the school. Distributing meals and meal sites will not be open to all students. This is different than how emergency meals have been provided during recent weather related closures, and
is likely to cause some confusion. The federal and state waivers only allow for students enrolled in school, distributing meals to receive meals on operating days, including a virtual day. There's also the waiver approval. Approval to serve
meals will require MSD approval at the time of the anticipated school closure. During days one and two, the team will apply for the waiver and prepare meal distribution, and then we have our emergency meal service day, which is day three based on the
safety, accessibility and accessibility and deliveries, staffing and utilities. A limited number of Pre-identified meals distribution sites located throughout the county may be opened for meal distribution. Next slide please. So here we
are. MSD has required us to develop a plan for virtual learning in the event of inclement weather, and we're here submitting that plan to you for approval. Virtual instruction isn't mandatory. It's an option without submission and approval of the
plan. It is not an option. So if this plan is approved, it will help to lessen the disruption to schooling and do so in a meaningful way. This plan is here as an option for the superintendent to enact in
the event of a predictable, inclement weather event that would close school for multiple days, we are now ready for questions. So it's like jeopardy, right? All right,
let's see. I've got to start with Miss Zimmerman because she was the fastest one. She's so fast fingers that that helps me win. I like to hear that. So as someone who has taught young learners online, we really we
know that this model is just not accessible to every student. Even if we do what we can to put devices in their hands and connect them to internet at home, there are still going to be families with students that are asked to monitor younger students during their instruction while adults are at
work, but my other concern is that many students will still be unable to access the actual instruction that's being given to them while they're away from a classroom space, and I appreciate that students can make up graded work when they
return. But on the back end of that, there's the educator that is going to take the additional time to work with them. If we're looking at this for multiple days of virtual instruction, then there's multiple assignments across multiple classes. And then also
ensuring that students will have ample time to make up that work. I think having some more stringent guidelines on when that work has to be due could be really helpful. So students aren't keeping track of timeline for teacher A and timeline for teacher B to get
that completed. We are thrilled that you brought this up, because we think the exact same way. To say that this is suboptimal is probably the best description because of the
equity of access issues, the fidelity to instruction. There are a lot of challenges with this. For those of you who were wondering about virtual instruction, as it may have been conceived in other localities this winter or even
during the pandemic, it was an awesome it didn't go great. And there's a lot that needs to be done to, to make it better than even that and better than what we've conceived. We do see a need for a couple of reasons to
to have this in place. One, it is required. Two, there is an inherent advantage just to check in with kids to the extent that we can, and to keep the academic engine running, you bring up a really important point, which is how do you
select the content that's most appropriate for this time? This is not the most appropriate time to cover a complex or new topic, when not everybody might be as engaged as they normally would be in the classroom setting. So this is an ideal
time to take advantage of some of the flex periods that are built into our pacing calendar to do review work and anticipation for end of quarter district assessments or end of quarter end of course, assessments, and to revisit
concepts that previously have been covered to cement them for future learning. Does it mean that you can't have some kind of graded work and make it meaningful? I think we absolutely need to strive to do that, but in terms of what content we cover, we this is the right time to to revisit
old content and, and make it solidified, not necessarily to cover new ground in, in a less than optimal way. Okay, happy to hear that. Are we going to have a second round? Probably not. So ask you a question.
Okay. Sorry. I just also wanted to the teacher in the group, so I think I'll give you that. Thank you. I also just wanted to express the need for additional communication around
device and device care to our families. I think so many of us can speak to seeing devices come back in suboptimal condition, but that and that's to be very generous to some of
them. But I know that when you're in that classroom and now it's time for testing and you have 20 kids in front of you and only 15 of the devices work, that's unfortunately only going to become more real if
one of the devices in your cart comes back with a smashed screen. So I think that additional communication there, but then I know the 1 to 1 is also part of our technology goal. Thank you miss. Hi. All right. Three quick things. So
first off I noticed that we'll be using Zoom again. So as a student that obviously, you know, did experience virtual learning during the pandemic, I am curious if there are other platforms which students will have available during virtual learning time, such as many of my teachers would transcribe our meetings so that if
students couldn't access the meetings during the Zoom time, they would then watch them on YouTube or later in canvas announcements. So if whether or not that will be a possibility and we could look into that, that would be great. The second thing is community engagement. I would like to recommend that we use canvas announcements to
reach out to students and get their opinions and inputs on that. I think that it worked very well from what I heard for school safety earlier this year. So I would like to elevate that. And the third thing is that during advisories, I would recommend doing checks with Chromebooks at that time for students as well. Thank you,
Miss Montoya. Thank you. I would like to join Miss Zimmermann's comments regarding contents. Virtual learning is just not for everyone. It's just not even great students that could not work out for them. So I do just want to make sure that we're using it in a
way that does not disadvantage some students who may be on. But again, learning something new is just not going to work. As a current parent, I'm just going to say that I know we have to have this plan. It's not ideal. I don't expect that my kids are going to love it or
come across as like, this was the best school day ever. I learned so many things. We just have to make it work the best that we can because again, we have to have a plan, right? So I can appreciate that one thing. I just want to request that goes into this whatever packet type thing that parents and
families will get. Some kids don't remember their login credentials when they get home. And as a parent, I have no way to access that information. So for example, when I had to log in to my child's account to fill out one of these parent review forms, I couldn't do it
because I didn't have my child's credentials. But that's the only way that you can do it. And so then I'm trusting that my elementary school child's going to come home and remember those things, which also have to be changed. That's a lot for a child. And so virtual plan or
not, I just think we need some way for parents to have that information, but especially if you're expecting them to get onto this. Thank you. Ms. Wolff. I just want to second Miss Molina's comments about looking at other platforms. I do,
however, think that most of our kids know how to use that computer. But I have a conceptual question and it may just be that I don't understand, but are you going to issue Chromebooks or computers or
whatever automatically? Because otherwise, how do you know necessarily when it's going to be inclement weather and you got to switch to virtual or in the alternative, are you going to use a snow day and then they have to come get it? I mean, I don't understand how this is
exactly going to work. So this is not going to work for every inclement weather day. This year is a great example of when we would would have used something like that, because we had anticipated that we had a large snow event and that we
were going to be out for multiple days, and that there was a high probability of it, and we had multiple days to prepare for it too. Not enough days to put together a state approved virtual plan, because it did require a public presentation and a few other things. But but as part of that,
planning to have planned distribution, when you know that a snow event is coming or when you have enough advanced warning where you can distribute. One of the things that Miss Fields mentioned that I want to elevate is that at the beginning of the year, we ask parents routinely to fill
out a number of forms that provide a lot of information updates on medications, updates on addresses, registrations, things of that nature. Adding two questions to that registration form will help us tremendously prepare and plan. Do you have access to a
computer that you could use during a virtual inclement weather day? And do you have home internet access? If the answer to both or one of those questions is no, we have a mechanism to plan for and just be ready for distribution so that when we when we mobilize
devices, we know exactly how many and which students need to receive them. Okay, that helps because I was trying to figure out when Natalie said, and they come back, I said, well, didn't we have to issue them to them to start with? Yes. Well, this is going to be very interesting
because we know the shape that they came back in before. Thank you. Yes. You answered a number of questions also. Did we did I miss that we surveyed their Chromebook, whether they whether they can have access to
a device. Do we also survey whether they have broadband in their household? So we haven't done any of those surveys. We would include this in our back to school registration information. So we would be asking this every year of every student as part of our back to
school forms. Okay. My another question is now we have a virtual plan. When does the virtual plan kick into action? Like this year we have the snow if we were out six days. So on day number what? This will kick
into our anticipation would be that it would be day three. Day three. Okay, if we have a multiple day snow event between day two. Day three okay is really what we would be looking at. And it really is circumstantial. And it really does depend. What we're asking
for is to be compliant with the state regulation and having this as an option to exercise. And there's a lot of caveats in here. We will have exhausted all of our built in days. We will have the opportunity to plan in advance. Many of our
weather events, we don't have a lot of time to plan in advance. So this may get exercised and it may not, but it is important to have a plan and to have a backup and to be prepared. Something that we learned this
past year is that we had a particular a particularly difficult snow event that under normal circumstances may have cleared up in a day or two, really ended up sticking with us because of cold temperatures for a total of six days, six
business days, which is really an extensively long period of time through two weekends worth of activity. I mean, it really was very significant. So we hope that we don't have those in the future. But if we do, and we have as much advance warning as we did last time,
this this is a viable option. And it's a great way for us also to check in on kids, to check in their mental well-being, to to also make sure that we're getting services and support to them if they need it as well. Okay. And my last one will be really
quick. Four hours of live instruction, especially for our secondary students. I really don't want this four hours to become just screen time. It should weather reveal whether whatever it should be
meaningful. I think for our students. Last question. How are we going to help our special education students and ML students during this time? It's a challenge. I'll pass it
to Doctor Hewlett for more. Yes. So both service groups have to continue per the plan. It's going to take a lot of coordination so that those those very first two hours where the students are working asynchronously, the teachers are working. So the teachers.
That's the time when the special education special education teacher, the English language development teacher, they're working with the content teacher to map out a plan. So like, you know, your, these students are in this period, I normally do it, you know, provide services at this
time. Here's what our topic is for the day. Let's talk about which model of instruction would be the best to meet the needs of these particular students. So those two hours that the students are working on, they're asynchronous, you know, by themselves work, the
teachers are working, but they're, they're working together to thoughtfully plan for exactly those, those two different students, groups of students that are receiving services. Thank you. Sylvester.
Thank you. We've gotten a lot of emails in the last couple of days, and I just wanted to clarify something. The some of the emails say that students could be assigned work from the C, K, L, A and Eureka workbooks
to do at home and with explanatory videos that can be accessed from a smartphone. I think the concern is just. Just going back to one on one distribution, just more screen time, I guess is the overall
concern. But I wonder if you could address because this this plan does have a lot of flaws, a lot of assumptions. There's Wi-Fi at home, there's a parent at home that's going to make sure for especially for the little ones. So you know, why not? Is the Workbook's
suggestion a possibility? Instead of Chromebooks and doing virtual learning. So that does not actually satisfy the SSD requirements. So it might be a good idea, but that's not what MSD is asking us to do. We
acknowledge that. That's a great suggestion. Look forward to doing that. That could certainly be part of homework that gets assigned, but our understanding is that that is not fully compliant with the MSD requirements. And just can you clarify again, do we have 1 to 1? Not not for the
elementary. We have it for secondary. Is that right? At our high school level, we have 1 to 1. Our elementary they have the cart model where if they need a device, they pull out, but it's not assigned. And that's what we're planning to use for inclement weather. Is
the cart. So to clarify, we are asking parents who has access to a computer at home, who has access to internet before we distribute those in preparation for an inclement weather day. You don't need to correct it. We're not going to buy additional. This is not a
budget item. This is not a budget item very intentionally. And I want to be crystal clear that this is not a budget item. We are not requesting funds with this proposal. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Couple questions. I
know what you just said, which sounds great, but on slide ten, I thought you said something about how to be district devices. Is that did I misunderstand that? It's okay if it's yes and no. When I had mentioned the Chargers, we were doing an inventory of the
Chargers are okay with the device. Yes. That makes sense. Okay. And then my other question is again, just a little clarification on page nine deadline for teachers to create and publish their canvas
courses. Is that just the framework? Okay, great. Yes. The goal is to, you know, our the central office is going to help with a lot of the creation of the lessons. We also will plan to create a model. This is
very like Teachery. The teachers are going to understand. So I'm going to explain it so you could understand. So canvas you have a tile like your classroom. It's like a a square. We plan to create a model that model class that teachers can just pull into the content. So the
lessons and stuff will build a lot of it and they can just pull it into their classes, but they have to first have a class created so that students we don't want when the weather event happens, we're like scrambling for links and all of these things. And so we want it
created. So the link is there. When they have the preparedness drills, the students are going to the actual class that they would have to, to go into. And then when the content is created, then, then the teachers will pull it in. So it's just like, you know, along the way, we're going to do
little pieces at a time so that we're ready. We have a main document for each school that will have all of the links. It will be on our website, just, you know, thinking about our parents, thinking about our students, just having
everything easily accessible, ready at different times of the year. So it could be. Yes. Appropriately. Yes. Okay. That helps me understand that. The last question is a bigger question is sometimes there's emergencies that happen in
buildings that aren't weather related. For instance, maybe an Hvac goes out and or plumbing or flooding or and that could possibly keep kids home for more than one day. Is there are we considering using this
platform for any other types of emergencies? Again, if it meets the criteria of us being able to plan ahead where we could do a distribution and there could be some intentionality behind it, and it meets this criteria, that is a viable option,
although, and I'm going to use Miss Zimmerman's favorite new word, suboptimal option. It is something that we have to be sensitive to given the state of our facility condition across the county. Thank you. I think,
you know, be being ready for the surprise is good. So I think this could help us even though it is, as we say, suboptimal. Thank you. You went over the food services very
quickly and there was really not much information on the slide. But you said it was changing a little bit. Concerned about that. And can somebody explain to me what are those changes. Because you said we're not going to be serving other students that are going
to be picking up food from. So I just want clarity on it because I was not getting that. Yeah. So when we were distributing food earlier this year, during the six day event, we were able to set up the emergency food sites. My understanding is with the
virtual, if it's a virtual learning day and if it's not the, you know, typical emergency where we're out for multiple days, but we're doing virtual, you know, virtual learning plan, then this, you know, the waiver is only to distribute food out of the
schools. If it's, say, one of our elementary schools, only the students that go to the elementary schools are able to pick up the food from there. Okay. So, so that's very concerning to me on a couple levels because you have a
family that might have three kids in that elementary school, two middle schoolers and a high schooler. So they will only be able to pick up for the elementary school children. No. So the food service would be set up at the schools. And we will obviously try to set up as
many as many places as we can. I get that. So the so we can set up in high schools, middle schools and elementary schools, and whoever is going to those particular schools will be able to pick up at that from that cluster. Correct. Okay. At that
location, from that cluster. Correct. Okay. That's not what I'm hearing. No. Sorry. Can I just. So can I just ask an example because I'm not clear either. And I have some same concerns. So if child goes to Candyland Elementary and they go to, you know, Chutes and Ladders middle School, but we
only have a site at Candyland Elementary. Can only the elementary school student receive a meal or can their sibling, who goes to Chutes and Ladders, also receive it at Candyland? Because based on what I'm understanding, it's no. Only the Candyland student could receive it, correct? That is correct. So then my my other
concern with this is that and there's a presumption built in here that we would likely look at our list to see where our high percentages are for students who qualify for free and reduced meals. Right. Which makes sense to me. That makes sense to me if we only have so many. Right. But my concern,
though, is that to the child who may be the, you know, one of 5% of free and reduced meals, qualifying students at the other school, they're still not going to eat, even though 95% of their peers at their school don't qualify. And so maybe they don't need food because we're putting it over at
another school. Do you get what I'm saying? Like we still have groups of children who are going to need food, and they might not be at a high rate school. So we might not think to have a food site there. Especially in a weather emergency, right? Which again, all as a practical matter makes sense to me, but I still have
kids who need food. And how are we getting those kids food? So essentially my understanding with the changes and we can come back and, you know, try to answer more in more details is the with this waiver that, you
know, with the changes that we can only set up and provide food from, you know, if the child is attending the elementary school, they can get food from there. If we are set up there. So I guess, you know, our plan would be based on the weather conditions to try to
set up as many locations as we can. However, the the look, you know, the 19 or 20 locations we set up where we could distribute out to anybody who showed up. That model is no longer because they won't allow. Correct. I think we need to
come back to this point. Maybe not tonight, but I think. Can you bring some light into this because I'm still very concerned. So yes, I can a little. And again, I think to your point, we're happy to get the details together and be sure that we can be more clear
for the board. But we are following the state requirements and the federal requirements of funding reimbursement under the school lunch program. So, for example, when we were able to do the emergency food distribution, that's an it's under emergency because we're not in school, right? No one's in school. And
so we have different waivers and different allowances for what we are able to provide. And we can do those in more of those group sites. There was one waiver under Covid, but there's a different waiver when again, the schools are out of session. And that's typically how we provide our food during
when the schools are closed. I think the issue, if I can say it from a funding perspective, is that when you're in virtual school, different rules apply for what we're allowed to do with food and who we're allowed to serve the food to and still get a claimed reimbursement.
And so it does that. That is the set of rules that we would be operating under in a virtual food environment. So I just want to be really clear that we didn't decide this was a great idea. Okay. We are following the state reimbursement rules and we're happy to bring that
back and get some more clarity. But that's essentially the outline of this for clarity. Then what you're saying is you get virtual, but you get no food. And again, that's in a sense, that's not not us. We did not say that the guidelines are under the state. That's
correct. And their wisdom or lack of what they're saying is, okay, so you have virtual, but then there be no food. And I think those are the rules that are operational under this virtual learning plan, not the rules that we would choose. Okay. So can you clarify a
little bit? Added clarity is that when we do virtual school, as Miss Maguire said, it's considered an operating day, right? Versus an emergency. They don't qualify. They don't qualify. So you can only serve to the students that are going to be coming to that school who thought that that was a good
idea. So how much does it cost if we foot the bill ourselves? And we would have to get back to you with that. And we're happy to do that. But I think those are those are numbers we would need to look at. I guess this would be a good thing. I mean, we don't make those rules, but this might be a good thing
for the legislators to kind of look into it, to revisit because in a sense, we want our kids to get an education, but we have a large farm population. But you get the virtual, but then you're no longer qualified
for the food assistance because it's an active day, like you're having instruction, therefore, you have instruction at home and therefore you don't qualify to be able to get the food. So,
okay, a couple of things to recenter us. Okay. Yes, is the short answer to that. We received a number of pieces of feedback from constituents over this past winter. Why on earth
haven't you done virtual days? I think you're starting to see some of the reasons why this is not the best alternative for for us to use, and why it's important that there be really significant conditions for this
to be even an option that's on the table, because it's not the best option. It's not the best option logistically, it's not the best option. Instructionally it presents a number of challenges. None to say the least. We are still
expected to have a plan. Should we have this as an option? And so we have developed a state compliant plan with its strengths and weaknesses. For your consideration. But we have
to do it for our consideration. And to be candid, you do not have to approve this plan. But the state is expecting that. You have to approve a plan. We have we have a plan that is compliant with the state
regulations. Yes, we see limitations as to why we would not use this plan regularly for just the reasons that you all have pointed out, but it is a tool in your toolkit, and it's very difficult to predict the future. As somebody who is
routinely asked to predict the future, I can assure you it is very difficult to predict the future, particularly on inclement weather days. And you are expected to have a virtual learning plan. And this is a state compliant virtual learning plan. Okay. Thank you,
Doctor Taylor. With that, then I'm going to have the administration read the result. Can I have a quick really quick introduction on this? Okay. No I'm sorry. Go ahead. Okay.
That's okay. I just think it would be good to look our last inclement weather event. Look at how much food we did give out to the community. And look
at that daily cost so we could get some kind of number in case we could fund that. But I don't know how much that would cost. So could we look into that? Yes, we absolutely could. And we actually may want to look at our last weather event where we
were able to do full food distribution. Not necessarily this most recent weather event. And the reason for that is our intention was to do a lot more food distribution sites than we were actually able to. One of the challenges with this past
weather event that was so significant is that we, one couldn't physically open some of the sites that we had identified for food distribution. And two, we couldn't get staff there because they were in fact snowed in. So those challenges may not be the best reflection,
but we can go back and take a look at historically what our highest date was and use that as a cost basis for determining what that might look like. That would be very useful. Okay. And with that, we got to somebody please read the resolve. That'd
be great. Resolved that upon approval from the Maryland State Department of Education, the superintendent of schools may use discretion when transitioning to virtual learning. When inclement weather prevents in-school attendance. If all of the
designated make up days incorporated into the calendar for emergency closures have been exhausted. That's it. Okay. Thank you. Is there a motion? So moved. Second, there's a
motion in a second. Where is there any discussion? I think we had the discussion ahead of time. So with that we're going to vote on it. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is unanimous. And it passes. Thank you so much to
the staff. We're going to be moving on to item 11.1. That will be the Thomas s Wooden High School after action report. And that's a presentation by administration Doctor Taylor. Thank you, Madam President.
Just a little over a month ago, Thomas Wootton High School experienced a catastrophic event on February 9th, 2026 where a student was injured by a gunshot wound on campus in one of our schools. I want to
take just a moment before our team briefly outlines the after action report that's presented for your consideration and for your review to thank our law enforcement partners throughout Montgomery County, the City of Rockville, our Montgomery
County Police Department, our sheriff's Department, our county emergency services. They really were phenomenal in their support of our students, our families. And of course, responding to the scene itself. I'd also like to thank the
staff at Wooton High School and the staff of our Central Services team that helped both during the event and after, to support our students and our our staff. This was a traumatic event. There's no way to to
sugarcoat it. And our staff really behaved in the most model, professional way, supporting our kids, supporting our families. And they deserve a ton of gratitude. I'd also like to thank the parents and
community members in our Wooton community who came out to support our kids, and many of which provided food for our staff the week after the event and really wrapped their arms around our staff and our kids to provide as much support as
possible in our audience. Today is the principal of Wootton High School. I want to thank Doctor Bostic for being here, and I know that he appreciates the support that that he's received from his community and from the staff here. Before I
hand things over, I just want to say one last little bit, which is to say how grateful I am at the the positives that we uncovered and even the challenges that we uncovered. We got very lucky. We got lucky
in the in the outcome of this event, it could have taken many turns that would have been terrible and, and tragic. There's still a lot of work left to do in terms of action steps. I've reviewed the after
action report, and I want to thank the staff that that put this together. They took a very honest and thorough look at what went well and what needed areas of improvement. And I'm grateful for their very thorough work. It's evident
that they have learned from past events that have happened throughout Montgomery County and grown from that to, to really address some of the needed areas. So with that, I'll turn things over to Doctor Peter Moran, our chief of
schools, Marcus Jones, our chief of safety and system wide security, and Mrs. Jewell Sanders, our director, who supervises the Wooton cluster. Thank you, Doctor Taylor. Good evening. President Rivera-Oven, Vice president Wolff, members
of the Board of Education, and, of course, Doctor Taylor. As chief of schools, I'm proud to be joined by Jewel Sanders, director of the Wooton Cluster and the lead for the development of the extensive after action report that you have, as well as our Chief of Safety and Security, Mr. Marcus Jones. Today we are here to discuss an incident that is the
greatest fear of a student, a parent, an M.C.P.S. staff member and a school community, a school shooting. I want to begin by stating that our care, compassion and concern for the staff, students and families continues to be front and center. We recognize that these
are just words, and our actions reflect the care and compassion that must be delivered now and in the months and weeks to come. As a result, our commitment of resources today and in the future will continue as we support the community through this journey of healing. As you
are aware, on Monday, February 9th at 2:13 p.m. a student discharged a weapon, striking another student. The safety response that occurred within the following minutes reflected a staff and their students, who had been well trained and understood how to immediately respond to the communication of
school leadership. A principal and administrative team who quickly assessed the information they had access to and immediately moved into a safety response and then elevated it to the highest level. Staff who administered life saving measures to the injured student that
represented their preparedness and courage, and an incident command structure that resulted in close collaboration and coordination between the Rockville Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, and Montgomery County Public Schools. While
many structures and processes were implemented in a timely and effective manner, an organization that experiences a safety and security incident of this significance must examine and interrogate it from every angle, identifying any
opportunity for even the slightest improvement to make students and staff more safe. Today, you'll hear about our immediate safety response, long term safety response, the valuable lessons learned, and the system wide safety actions that have and will result from
these lessons. If we go to our next slide, please. So I'd like to frame our discussion this evening around what our commitments are as a school system. First, let's begin with the fundamental statement that
must be the foundation for our safety and security work. Learning cannot occur unless students are safe and feel safe across our system. Administrators, teachers, staff, and families work very hard together to provide the five
levels of Maslow's hierarchy. The overarching goal of this is that people must be put first. Their physical safety, their emotional needs, their connection and relationships to form community and their belonging to something bigger than themselves. To provide
these fundamentals, a system a school must have procedures, practices and structures for procedures. We have and will continue to strengthen our commitment to training. I must share that training and practicing resulted in a tragic
event not being much worse. We are committed to monthly emergency team training and practice with our on site emergency teams. It is critical that they come together with the support of their cluster Security Coordinator to talk through potential emergency
situations and how they will respond as a team. This was something that was in place at Wootton under the leadership of Doctor Bostic. Just a week prior to this incident. We are committed to expanding our security technology and have
begun the implementation process prior to the start of the school year, outfitting security teams with iPads so they can monitor cameras while walking and supervising the building, a procedure that is provided. Opportunities for enhancements that you'll hear more about is a parent
reunification process that is well communicated and logistically efficient. While the main goal of parent reunification was met, every student being reunited with their parent, caregiver, or loved one. That evening, we have begun to work on making procedural improvements. I will
now turn it over to my colleague, director Mrs. Jewell Sanders. Good evening. So what I would like to do next slide, please, is to share with you a brief timeline of what happened on that day, February 9th, and
shared some key events. So at 2:15 p.m. a hold was enacted with at the school, a hold means hallways are clear and all students and staff stay in their. In their classroom, a
hold was enacted because it was determined that a student was hurt. At that time, they were not clear about how the student was hurt. Upon getting to the actual incident and going on site and on scene, it was
determined that the student had been shot. 217 it was about 90s after the hold was enacted. Then at that time, a lockdown was enacted, which is a stricter type of safety and security procedure to ensure
that no one is moving about and can be identified. With that being said, at 217, when that happened, also law enforcement was called 911 was called. They
got to the scene at 220 and three minutes, which is great in terms of our partnership with law enforcement. The law, the lockdown was fully implemented and it lasted till about 412, 114 minutes. As a
result of this, at 228, the school notified the community via Parent Square that they were in a lockdown. 239 it was determined that the other schools in the neighboring area
also needed to go into a lockdown. The four schools that went into lockdown, Robert Frost Middle School, Falls Mead Elementary School, Lakewood Elementary School and Cold Spring Elementary School that started at 230 and all schools
were in lockdown by 237. In terms of the neighboring schools. At 239, M.C.P.S. communication took over. They began to send out communication to the community every 20
minutes. Moving forward. At 436, it became determined by law enforcement that students and staff could safely be transported from Wootton High School to Robert Frost Elementary School. While they
were being transported, it still took additional time to actually start the parent child reunification. One of those reasons was we had a number of parents who were outside at Frost Middle School. We did not know who belonged to whom,
which child went to, which parent or caregiver, and we needed to get as many kids and staff into Frost Middle School as possible. At that time, Frost Middle School was a great host and providing space, providing support, and many of
their staff stayed along with Wooton staff to help monitor all of the students. Our PCR parent child reunification was completed at 9:52 p.m. that same evening. Most of the
students were reunified with their parent by 845, but the last child left at 952. Next slide. So thinking about long term response at Wooton,
there's a number of items that have been discussed and put into implementation. So while students receive psychoeducational lessons and the Employee Assistance program was there to support all staff, it's not a one and done all
mental health professionals that we had at our disposal met with every staff member and every student. Within the first two weeks of the incident. Additionally, the Division of Psychological Services is having a meeting with Doctor Bostic and some school staff to
determine what the next steps will be in terms of long term support and care, and what the actual school team can actually handle on their own. But we want to make sure every staff member, every student, always has access to support. We
talked about enhanced security presence. What we realized when we looked at the timeline and we focused on the report, was that we needed to be more mindful of who's in the hallways and watching during transition time, who's in the hallways while students are in
the classroom. So we discussed and we have implemented having more security on site and present. We also engaged in having students have more hall passes. Where are they going? So that we're very clear that everyone who's moving
throughout the day during class time, it's with the purpose. We have new camera systems that have been upgraded and operable door sensors, so that we can determine if someone is leaving outside, leaving from a door that is not the main door, that
there is a buzzer that goes off so that security can be aware. We've also learned that through all of this, right? With hallway reinforcement shifts to lunch, right? In terms of now with the lunches, you have a large open lunch, but it's only
on the first floor. It might change. Change is fluid. But with that we need to think about upgrades. The school is continuing to work with community members, students to ensure that they're getting
student voice data. Surveys are going out to look at changes. So while this is the lunch structure now, it may shift. Next slide. So going to speak
to some lessons learned. And Doctor Taylor started with some of these in his opening comments. But so as outlined in the after action report. And you'll find that many of these begin on on page 48 of the After Action report. An extensive analysis has been
conducted of our current safety and security protocols, communication protocols before, during and after security incidents. Specifically, just want to highlight a significant lesson learned around communication. Is that a lockdown of a school impacts
its surrounding schools, and ensuring that we have a smooth and efficient communication process to make those schools aware that there is an a, a threat nearby in proximity, so that those decisions can be made as rapidly as possible.
The most critical I want to just highlight, which is, is really one that we consistently talk about but cannot be understated, is the strong relationships that create a culture and climate that's conducive to the safest environments possible, right? It is the best safety strategy
you have. One of, if not the most significant theme of the after action report is the reinforcement of the greatest lesson in promoting school safety. Predictable and consistent presence of adults. Their intentional engagement and communication with students,
and the value that every student must have a trusted adult. Not leaving that up to chance, but ensuring that there actually are structures and processes so that every student can identify a trusted adult in their school. These are pieces
of a school culture that cannot be left up to chance, but must be part of the fabric of the school that are demonstrated through daily habits. If we go to the next slide, please. So these are immediate system wide actions that we've taken in response to the lessons learned.
The first is the standardization and reinforcement of emergency protocol implementation. I have to say that the standard response protocol and its year one implementation has been extremely successful. It is well understood by our staff and is communicated quickly,
only needing really to say one word to communicate to a group of people, to move into an emergency posture. The second is one that continues to need improvement for us. We align our communication systems for
real time incident management. One of our focuses has to be to collaborate with our police partners to ensure that our information goes out in a cohesive manner that doesn't conflict and that our timing is, is, is aligned and that we're
having conversations between PIOs to ensure that that that happens as we move forward. The third is probably the biggest area around lessons learned, system wide readiness for parent reunification. We have started to engage in an audit
of our parent reunification processes, starting with our high schools. One of the things that we've learned is that a high school reunification at a middle school doesn't provide the space needed, given just the number of students, the
accessibility. Also, we need to study the readiness and really look at these locations in terms of traffic flow, parents coming in. We've also looked at on synergy. There is a feature, a, a, a parent child reunification feature where
parents can literally use their cell phone to scan their children out. So that is a feature that we are going to be implementing and rolling out. It's there and available for us. We certainly should use it moving forward. The final piece that I would say around the
system wide actions is also ensuring that as, as basic as this sounds, that our schools have one not only familiarity with the PCR location, but the PCR location is prepared for us to come there. So there are
times where it's not only another M.C.P.S. school, it could be a local, you know, church or synagogue that is being utilized. And there needs to be meetings and collaboration between both those people so that they are prepared for essentially what
could be thousands of people to ascend upon that facility to be reunified with their parents. So at this time, I'd like to turn it back over to the board for any questions. Comments? Yeah, I just would like to say thank you on behalf of my
colleagues for having this report. First of all, so quickly and to be willing to share with the public. It's commendable. So I just want to say thank you for that. And.
I'll ask my question really quickly, or just my comment. The logistics of getting the kids that that day were really hard. And I think it was because of the geography of the
area. So I do think, you know, and I shared this with, with, with Marcus, not only was it hard, but you had to drive by the crime scene as you were going to pick up your kids in a sense. Right? So it does make
sense. To have it during a vacation at a high school or a space that's a little bit bigger and away from that area because it was very chaotic when it and not very accessible. So I commend, you know,
everybody who did what we had to do that day. And Peter, when you're talking about trusted adults, unfortunately, we had another incident a little bit after that that it was able to be preventable because of what you just spoke to, right? That
that was alluded to and it was able to be preventable at another school because there was a trusted adult that I am person got in touch with. So that is very important. So I'm going to go to Miss Montoya. Thank you. Thank you for the
presentation, of course. And all of the information. I know a lot of work went into putting this report together and a lot of really challenging work, because even talking about these things can also folks can re-experience the event. I want to thank Doctor Bostic for being here. High school start very, very early. For those who
don't know, which means Doctor Bostic has been going for quite some time and it's almost 8:00. So I do appreciate you being here, Doctor Bostic. And I also just appreciate your leadership. I know that this is your first full year at Wooten, and this is not something any principal, no matter how long they've been
a principal, wants to experience. And so I do want to commend your leadership in navigating this really challenging situation with your community and in responding and leading your staff and administrators to the best that you could with the resources that we had available to you. So now I want to talk about
that piece, because I do believe our school staff did the best that they could do with what we as a school system have provided them. And I take accountability for that as well. I'm extremely concerned. And I did hear you here. You know, that we had a great response. They got there in three minutes.
Well, they got there in three minutes after 911 was called. Right. A child was shot at 213. Now, for whatever reason, security did not call for help until 215, but because of it seems like perhaps the equipment that we had or maybe
it was. I'm not sure if it was, you know, you can't get cell service, right, that the call was not very clear. And so Doctor Bostic and his team did the best they could to get there quickly and assess the situation, which again, I appreciate. But why wasn't the call clear? Right. Why don't we
have adequate equipment? Because in two minutes from 250, quite frankly, from 213 to 217 when 911 was called, that's four minutes and a person can die, right? And then we have that. The law enforcement does
not respond until 220. Now. Yes. If we're just looking at 217 to 2 23 minutes sounds great ish, you can still die in three minutes. But the child was shot at 213. So it wasn't until seven minutes that a law enforcement officer even arrived on the scene. That is a very long time. If we were to
stop right now and let seven minutes run on the clock, you would feel exactly how long that is. It's much longer than we realize, right? And then we need to work. So now we're moving to. And that was just, if I remember correctly, that was Rockville PD that responded, but it was not the community
engagement officer that is assigned to that cluster from Rockville PD. Right. It was a different. Okay, that that wasn't clear to me in the report that it was that officer. Because what I also saw then was the Rockville CEO arrived
at 227. So did they arrive at 220 or 227? Those are different. There were different people who came from the same department. Right. But which one was the CEO that's assigned to that
cluster? Did they arrive at 220 or 227? Because in the report, if I recall correctly, that they. Right, right. So the, the one, the person who's actually assigned to their right. So now we have that's 14 minutes after the child was shot and ten minutes after 911 was called. And I'm still confused as to
where that person was. I don't know that we have that information here, and I'm sure the community would like to know as well. Then we look at further down the timeline, the cluster security coordinator arrives at 246. That's 33 minutes after the child is shot,
and 29 minutes after 911 is called. That really challenges me. And here's the bigger challenge. So we also have the child that's shot in the building, the rest of the children and adults, right? We also have to make sure our staff are safe. So as Doctor
Bozic and his team are running down to get help, I mean, they don't really know what they're running into, right? We don't know if there's someone loose in the building with a gun. Well, then what we find out is, okay, well, the child who had the gun did exit and goes through two other school campuses. Right. So it can
sound like from 217 to 2 23 minutes sounds great, but so much is happening in that short amount of time. And by all accounts, law enforcement didn't even arrive and respond and really get engaged until after the child with a gun is already walking through two
other elementary school campuses. Right? So again, I really do applaud our M.C.P.S. team in the building. I think they did what they could do with what they had and what was available to them. But I don't applaud our timeline and our response time, because I see spaces where it didn't have to
go that way. And so my question that I have, and this may be something that has to come back, is, are the needed enhancements that we're looking at here, right? Some of them are just we need a different plan or we need to tweak the plan a little bit, right? The geography,
things like that, the school size. But in terms of this equipment, right, the walkie talkies or whatever communication devices that made it so the call was unclear. Or perhaps I was in Wootton recently. The layout is a little challenging to see what's what. And if you don't
know the building well, I got a little confused. I had to ask the kids, hey, where's the front? Can you hand me toward the front? Right. So are any of these needed enhancements to make this a safer space, whether at Wootton or anywhere else tied to our CIP or operating budgets or any current proposed reductions?
Because if I recall, the county executive has proposed a reduction for security. Is that correct? Yeah. Can I just can I just jump in there too, because I have a part of that same thought? My question is basically the same. The report contains a lot of proposed
strategic improvements. What is the time for accomplishing this? What are we prioritizing and do we have the resources? Yes. So I'll answer some of this and certainly defer to Miss Sanders as well and and the rest of the
team. But we did include safety in our CIP, which does include everything from doors to camera systems to walkie talkies. And it's all a part of that. As a matter of fact, walkie talkies
are more on the operations side. But but those are normal expenditures that we plan for on a pretty routine basis. And we have a pretty sizable chunk of, of funds that are committed to that. When the board adopted its CIP, you all had those
funds as something that was earmarked when it went to the county executive. Those that portion was reduced in in the budget that was sent to County Council. Now County Council ultimately decides how much gets funded. And so obviously
our advocacy is in trying to keep those funds so that we we absolutely can fulfill that. Those would be the things that are tied to some of the dollars that that are associated with their requests, some of the things that don't have the dollars have already taken
place and are already underway. And some of them are very site specific. Like you mentioned, the layout of the school absolutely needs to be mitigated with a plan of where you position people and what hallways during which bell change to usher kids to class,
to make sure that hallways are clear and it's not a favorable layout at all. We would not build schools like that again with that specific layout for for just the reasons that you mentioned, others are more systemic in terms of what are
our expectations for, for time in hallways? What are our expectations for lunch? Families may have seen a survey that recently went to them that even asked them about secondary. We even are asked, are our students the same question
about secondary off campus lunch where that's available. So get your surveys in, please. That that definitely presents some security vulnerabilities for us. And so we definitely are trying to capture some perspectives on that because this may inform changes that we
have to make to, to improve safety. And it's unfortunate that this was a catalyst for a lot of that, but necessary that we move swiftly. And if there's other timelines, it might be helpful to share some of those. And I just want to be clear, I did see the implementation of
some of those changes in the halls when I was at Wooten. Like I saw it happening. So I again, shout out to Doctor Bostic and his team. But I guess the kind of more like the hardware items and things like that. I just want to be clear. So in the current proposal from the county executive, Elrich, he has proposed to reduce the
allotment that we have requested towards security, which would cover some of these more non M.C.P.S. controlled the dollar figure. That equates to that. Yes. Okay. Thank you. So what do we prioritize. And that will come back to to you
to, to reevaluate what that looks like and how you prioritize as a consequence. No, I understand depending on what gets funded, some things would probably be at a higher priority than others. Absolutely. You all are thinking about that. Okay, so we could talk about that later.
Thank you, Miss Zimmerman. Thank you. And I just want to thank the team. I know it's a team with ongoing efforts at Wootton and supporting staff and students in the difficulties after this event. I think it goes without saying that this is my absolute
nightmare as someone that kept lollipops in their classroom for kids to help keep them quiet. If it wasn't a drill, it was a real event. It's, it's this is really very real to me and I know to everyone else in this room. And I have similar questions as my colleagues
about what we're doing for. I see what we're doing for Wooten, but what we're doing for other schools that have some of those similar physical, structural challenges in order to keep those schools safe and secure. So I'm excited to hear what other things we're implementing at those other facilities as
well. I just wanted real, real quick to in addition to answering your question, board Member Montoya asked a great question about the cluster security coordinator. And I just wanted to provide some context that I'm sorry. Yeah.
So, you know, Doctor Taylor has through the regional model, right? There's a there's a geographical organization that's been missing from Montgomery County Public Schools for a number of years. And I'm going to give you an example. So the cluster
security coordinator and that cross-functional team that works at Wooton also supports Blake. The cluster security coordinator at Blair, also
supports Damascus. So in terms of our geographical organization, so like when we're looking at like next year and the new regions, having like Blair and Northwood together makes more sense, makes a lot more sense, right? Having Clarksburg, Damascus and
Poolesville together makes more sense. So I just, I wanted to say that just for the benefit of like the cluster security coordinators, they are, they are traveling. No, I appreciate that. And I did not know that. And so, you know, to the extent that that came off in a particular way, I do apologize. Obviously, you can see why it
would be concerning. Right. That itself is concerning the fact that we're having people be assigned so far away. And that's free, right, that that changes cost neutral, right? That that's a, that's a, that's a free thing. So to just be better organized, I mean, time is the most valuable resource we have, whether it's safety,
whether it's teaching, whether it's relationships, it's and you lose time by not being organized in a way to be as responsive as quickly and as efficiently as possible. So I just wanted to point that out because that that costs no money. And that's, that's, you know, was an earlier discussion
today, but is it is, it is a great outcome of just the regional design to the questions about, you know, infrastructure and buildings. And, and this was a charge from the board. You know, we went through the audits of all of
our high schools, all of our middle schools, and were pushed to go through all of our elementary schools, which we are close to completion on the, the thing that we we really just need to wrap our heads around is that we you can't make decisions about safety and
security, whether it's allocation of personnel or it's if it's, you know, technology infrastructure, without really understanding the. The layouts of our buildings differ vastly, right. And sometimes you're making decisions on student enrollment when you really
should be making decisions on the actual layout of a building. It's square footage, it's blind spots. So, you know, Chief Jones has been great about, you know, collecting all this different data to ensure that we're making the most informed decisions that are based off of
the unique needs of one school, as opposed to just, you know, there was a time in Montgomery County Public Schools where we made decisions just based off of the number of students. Correct. And you would allocate and put things in place solely based off of that. But there are so many other factors that we're now taking into consideration as we roll out,
just whether it's technology, whether it's the number of personnel. So the answer to that question is it's pretty nuanced in terms of just the vast differences across all of our buildings. Can I just follow up really quickly on that? And then I'll go to Ms.
Yang. I thought we were doing we were ensuring when we have an emergency at school, because I think there was legislation passed that we have to have the latest map of a school. You know, available for law
enforcement, like, you know, in a digital form, like right away, right. When I was there with Miss Wolff the next day, I wouldn't that school is very challenging. It has a lot of blind spots. I mean, it was
really not not very safe. I mean, you could see where all these blind spots were. And it's because they kept getting additions here and there really without any thought into into the safety. Right. You've been in law enforcement for a long time. So I'm just trying to
understand where we are with that, not just for Wooten, but for the other 211 schools. So to inform the board, which you all have seen, the digital mapping grant that was approved, that came through the state. We
have we are on the verge of. And it should be coming to you next month for the selection of the vendor who will be completing our digital mapping for all of our schools. And that will be done. And we
expect that to be done relatively quickly based upon some some work that we've already done. So we expect to have digital maps for our schools by the 1st of June,
somewhere in that area for all of our schools that not only will we have accessibility from a digital mapping standpoint, it will also highlight our assets. For example, our, our,
our stop the bleed kits are, you know, fire annunciators and fire alarms, all of those types of things, as well as our water and gas cut offs for our emergency first responders coming to our buildings and
being able to allow them to have accessibility to those maps so that they know exactly what areas, when they're doing their operations. And that's going to be something we'll be sharing with them. So we were already in the midst of doing that unfortunately wouldn't
happen. And we were really kind of dealing with antiquated mapping, you might say, right, we're still working off of those paper maps, but this is where that moves us to the next phase and we'll be getting there soon. Thank you so much
for that update, Miss Yang. Yes. So first of all, it was a very scary day for the community and the teachers, the law enforcements, the staff at the heroes of the day, and the
students and the family were brave and really had to navigate that very difficult situation. And I appreciate this report. This is a very thorough and very well done. So
I want to thank you for that. Now, after I feel safety and security is the precondition to learning and teaching, we must have it first. And I feel this
urgency and I know you do too. So a few things that really come to my mind. One is we don't rise to the level of our plan. We fail to the level of our training. That's the same.
So when you are looking at the standard response protocol. That how often do we do it? Do we do it quarterly? And when we do it, do we evaluate it so
that it's really practiced well according to the standard, so that in case an emergency that our training has fully prepared us so that it can be as close to the plan as possible. Number
two, I come back to the communication piece. I think many of the colleagues that have been here a while, we keep talking about emergency communication, communication at the start of the lockdown
status update and and transition. We we still have a lot of kinks to work through, right? How often who sends it, why? Some people get it. Some people don't get it every single time. There seems to be
one group missing. So how can we make sure staff is not missing it? Neighborhood schools are not missing yet that we have some quality control in this process. And
lastly, that is the PCR, the unification process. I feel we need. Maybe you already are on this. We need to map out the PCR for the whole school system.
It's too hard to do it at home at the moment. Oh, the scout drive is only one lane. Oh that it's the closest. But is that really the greatest? I don't have expertise to evaluate that, but I know there are people who
have that. So if we have a comprehensive plan, then then we are so much better prepared. So, so, so Miss Zhang, in response to that. Yeah, each school has an emergency plan.
Right. And part of their emergency plan highlights a PCR. Okay. And there is a location that's identified in their PCR about where that location is. So and so what we've done is
we've had them to go back out to reevaluate their locations. And just as Doctor Moran, excuse me, just as he noted about making sure that the locations that have been chosen
are efficient and sufficient enough for us to be able to handle the type of crowd that would be responding to such place. Right, right. That we need to make sure that that is a available. And we have
communicated with said location. People are responsible for their location to make sure that every because, you know, over time, you know, leadership changes at some, some location who may not even be aware of that agreement that might have been made two years ago, three
years ago. Right? So we want to make sure. Okay, so we are not okay. No, it's not onboarding should include that. So we are we are making that as a priority right now that all of our cluster security coordinators are reviewing this with their principals to make
sure that this is done and that we have identified a sufficient location. So one of the findings in this report, which is is telling and is how important the relationship is with law enforcement. In this
instance, we actually did not select the PCR location. It was selected for us, but it is our responsibility to communicate our lessons learned and to share those locations with law enforcement that are most optimal. So the, the shame on
us is, is that we, we need to be more assertive in the process. You know, the, the law enforcement did an excellent job in incident command definitely did what they were supposed to do. We're very collaborative, very supportive. And so it's our responsibility
to share these school, these school safety plans and share this information and to communicate the rationale as to why here and not there and why they are not here, and so forth and so on. When we have an event similar to this. So that's a key. That's a key
finding and an important lesson learned. And, and candidly, it's something that could have sped up what is undoubtedly going to be a slow process no matter what. Because anytime you're checking out kids one at a time, you're going to have a slow process. And it should be slow because it needs to be
deliberative and it needs to be intentional and you need to verify information and whatnot. But it is one of those things that could have made the logistics and speed move a little bit faster. So it's a, it's a great thing to highlight. I, I understand right in a situation you made the best
decision you, you can, right? That's the ad hoc approach. But I am glad to hear, chief, that we are going back out to evaluate these locations. Really look at the traffic planning, you know, food and water access, even the Wi-Fi or
mobile, you know, cell tower, you know, all these things so that we can be as prepared as possible. I know that no plan can be executed perfectly, but we want to get as close to that
as possible. Thank you, Miss Silvester. Yeah. Thank you. Echoing my colleague's comments. You know, this is the nightmare scenario nobody wants to have. And again, I have my utmost respect for our principals who
have the responsibility of thousands of children and staff in their buildings every single day. So my questions are about prevention. We never want this to happen again. So I have a couple questions. The first is
these plans that are in effect at every school, when do they get reviewed? Practiced? Who checks to make sure that all the dots, all the I's are dotted and T's are crossed?
When does that happen? So that happens in the summer that we work with all of the principals to go over their safety emergency plans to review them prior to the start of school.
And drills are included in those plans, drills. And this kind of ties into Miss Yang's question about drills. Drills are done on a quarterly basis and are required. Some drills
more. Some drills are required more than others, such as fire drills by the state. So again, those plans are reviewed with the staff. We those come to to my office and my staff. We review them to make sure that
the plans are are done properly in all aspects of the aspects of the plan are included and reviewed in a way that we know that they. We think that they are most efficient and. Does the police department also have a role? They don't have a role
in our planning, but we do. You know, if there is something that we think it ties into some coordinated efforts because holistically, there are things that we we we do with the police department as far as training and understanding,
like under the ICS system of how we work in, in those in those arenas, those are the types of things that we will work with the police department on. I understand there was some trouble with walkie talkies. So yes, so, so, so there's a
couple things I want to note abou the walkie talkies. Yes there are. We have been really diligently. We just purchased a large quantity of, of walkie talkies for our schools, moving them from an older system,
which was what they call an analog system, to a digital system, which provides clear communication. It's kind of moving us out of the 80s, moving us down into the into the 21st century, where we should have been a long time ago. And I just make a point
about that because one of the things I've realized in my tenure, short tenure here at M.C.P.S. is that there are some infrastructure that we really haven't paid close attention to that needs upgrading. So had the old ones. So, so there's
sometimes there's been a combination of, of that. And we were in the transition of actually providing schools with the updated digital radios. In fact, we are currently doing that now so that they have better communications. But again, this is probably
something we're going to come back to the board and probably ask for more funding for more, because that's one of the things our school's request of the most is about radio, that it wasn't clear it would. It worked. But it's it it's not
always been the best coverage. Again, it's an older radio type of system. Again, moving from a digital format, from an analog format. But I'm going to also say this and, and I'm going to say this with 38 years of
police experience, whenever you have an event that requires that causes anxiety, causes excitement, sometimes an individual who has a radio or a
phone will pick it up and communicate, but it's really kind of you don't quite understand what was said because of the excitement of how it was said in such a fast way. So I can tell you, I've been on, I've been in my police
car and I've heard an emergency call go out of an officer that's in trouble. And we have very you know, they had very good radio systems, but I can tell you based upon. Right. Just the excitement of that officer's voice and what's happening, that sometimes we
didn't understand what was actually said. So it's not that it was the radio that was the problem. It was just it was a communication problem at that very moment. Now, I'm not definitively saying it in this particular case, but I don't think it's something that we could totally wipe out. But I
will say that, yes, we have identified that we you know, that we've had issues with some of our radios and dead spots in some of the schools, and my staff has been working to try with our vendor to try to resolve those issues in our schools. My last question is
about the pilot for the weapons detector. Could you give us an update on where we are with that? Yes. So ironically, just this past week, we worked extensively with the with volt I, and we discovered that we
were having some technical issues with the setup of the, of the system and our IT system. Our IT department worked diligently with them to iron those out. So we have we believe we've we've come to. A
good place that we've been able to work through the kinks of that particular system. So we, we are anticipating going live with the, that that system when we return from spring break and we'll probably go live on April 8th, that is Wednesday, not the
first day of coming back, but the second day when we come back. Are you able to share what schools those are? Yes, that's Bethesda, Chevy Chase High School, that's Magruder High School and at Seneca Valley High School. Great. Thank you. Okay, Miss Stewart.
So many great questions from my colleagues. So I don't have too many, but I wanted to talk about the protocol on notifying our neighboring schools, because the suspect, I believe, did end up being at our
neighboring schools. So the first, you know, when the lockdown happened over at the high school, it was 217. And then the neighboring schools didn't happen till it looks
like. Two 3235 232 so and then on the other side, the suspect was apprehended at 325, but it seemed that the lockdowns ended before the suspect was apprehended. So can we talk
about protocol going forward and if we will include new practice? You know, when we do have a practice drill that will include a more of a cluster
look. So if I could speak to the, the with the your first question. Yes. As it pertains to the, the lockdown notification and the timeline. So I think what's important for
everyone to understand is what information do we have at what moment. So a right, we have information that we have a student shot, a student injured. Now we must find out exactly what just happened, right.
Where did it happen? And it requires time for our security assistance based upon the information that's being shared amongst the security team. In order to determine, right, who was involved and where is that
person? That is our persons that are, that were involved. And so it required some time, just a few minutes, for them to go to the video, right? In order to be able to look at the video to see who was involved
and where that person actually may possibly be inside the school or outside the school. So it took a few minutes in that timeline to determine that the student had actually left the the school right. We saw on
video him leaving out of an exit door and leaving campus now. Right. That goes into the piece about now knowing that you have someone that's now out in our community and it's now time to to notify the other
schools based upon the information that we have at that very moment. So information is important about what we know and when we know it. And trying to figure out those pieces of the puzzle, because, you know, we've had
situations where we've had the shooter still be in a school, right? And again, that requires a kind of a different type of response and how we're going to address that. At that moment, I would think on the front end,
even before, you know, for sure to be proactive with nearby schools, I mean, I, I would at least look like to get that reviewed, if that makes sense. I like to join that as well. So I want to add some context from
a school administration standpoint here that I think might be helpful. Please don't downplay how disruptive a lockdown can be. And so putting an entire cluster into lockdown when you don't know even basic information might be a little
tricky. And so I understand, and absolutely, we do need to review the timeline, exactly what both of you are suggesting, no question about it. But this also speaks to a point that Miss Yang had brought up, brought up about the discretion
needed to evaluate how wide of a scope we are really looking at, and whether or not it makes sense to send certain notifications to an entire cluster or schools nearby to a cluster. Because keep in mind, too, the geographic proximity
of Wootton to Richard Montgomery, which is not in the same cluster, is worth taking a look at and that maybe it's not necessarily the schools in the cluster per se, but it may be schools that are adjacent to
the cluster or nearby to the cluster. There's, I think, a lot that is relevant to, to reviewing and supporting here, but I'd be I'd be careful to get caught up in the moment of, you know, abundance of caution. We're changing everything.
We're going to lock down everybody as close by. You know, there, there is some detail that needs to be reviewed in terms of what sounds reasonable and what makes sense, because of how disruptive this really can be. And if it is or isn't
relevant in the moment, it's really hard to, to determine. And certainly something as scary as a school shooting definitely gives an opportunity for more pause and more caution to what you're saying, Miss Stewart versus less. But at the
same time, if you don't know even some of the material facts, it makes it really hard to operate. We were able to put together an over 50 page document that took several weeks to pull together the amount of information that was known within minutes couldn't
fill half a page. So there there is a lot to that, but your point is well received because I think that there's. If anything, I'd suggest you broaden your scope to think about not just the feeder pattern cluster, but other aspects. Something else to keep
in mind too, that there are students and families that attend schools nowhere near Wootton, such as it, Blair or Poolesville. I mean, there are other opportunities in Montgomery County where Wootton
students are present. And does it necessitate us communicating with those schools as well, and to what extent? And then, of course, what's the manpower required to do all of that communication, that emergency communication simultaneously? So I do just think it's worth
reviewing. I'm not being prescriptive, but just to that's something I would like to see what does make sense. And so my other that that's that question. One more. We talk a lot about the trusted
adult. Right. I believe that is so important. I know my kid, he had a trusted adult that he would go to the D and D club, right? And he would have conversation with the trusted adult and it made me feel good.
I'm like, oh, good, there's another adult my kid can talk to. And we always say every child should have a trusted adult in the building. So how do we know that's happening? To me, the only way we know is if
we ask every child. So how can you share with me how that work is being done? Yeah, I'll be happy to. And I think it kind of all stems from having a philosophy that it is the responsibility of the adults in the building to build relationships with, with, with
students and children, not vice versa. Right. And so I'm going to use your homeschool as an example. Okay, so Albert Einstein high school, they have had a decrease in chronic absenteeism of 11% this school year, right? Unbelievable. What
was, what was the secret to the success that from talking with Mr. Brown is they actually have like a structure of Laura Stewart, who's the trusted adult and actually having it be prescriptive and actually
having like a monitoring list to ensure that people actually do have one in the building, right? Because we've gone through the surveys, which is great to ask students and you get a return sometimes where 60% say they have a trusted adult. Well, let's go a little bit deeper. Who are those 60%
of those kids and who is the trusted adult? So I mean, it's being it actually back to what you were. It is actually being prescriptive. It is actually having like a list of students with their data who their trusted adult is. And then when there isn't one, finding them
one, right? Because every kid needs one in a school. And that really also should be the responsibility of every staff member in a school. So if you're just, you should not just be looking solely at, you know, one group of staff. It's a wonderful opportunity for every staff member in the building to be the go to person
for a child. Thank you. That is so important. And I think we need to take this lesson that you just said right there, right? 11% decrease in absenteeism. We can multiply that across our system. So thank you so much. And I just
wanted to say plus one for Einstein doing that. And that might have been Einstein. So thank you. Thank you to my colleagues. I do have a couple of just quick questions. When was the student transported to the hospital? I don't see that
in the timeline. And the other question that I had is. When the law enforcement learn of the identity of the shooter
between the time of the incident. Because there because according to the timeline, law enforcement arrived at 220 at the school. But then I'm trying to understand with the cluster security naming the possible
suspect, there is a lag time of 26 minutes, but the. Because as far as I know, the student was coherent and was able to speak with security. So we may have to get back to you on the law enforcement question. The the
after action report that we've detailed really does narrowly focus on M.C.P.S. actions and doesn't speak to the law enforcement investigation at all. It is ongoing. And and certainly something that I'm sure that they'll want to talk
about publicly as well. But I think that I think that you can make some reasonable assumptions based on the timeline, that it was not a long period of time before they had an identified at least a singular identified suspect
before proceeding with the rest of their investigation. And while we were still in lockdown. But in terms of the the ambulance and the transport, I'll defer to the experts here. It was 233 to 33. 233 and actually the parent was actually contacted also by the
school and was on site when the ambulance arrived so that they could accompany their child within 20 minutes. Okay. So the 233 was when the child was transported to the hospital. That's correct. Not learning the identity of the shooter. Yeah. The transported to the hospital. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. And we have no clarity. When
the law enforcement learned the identity of theer. No. The only thing I can say to that is that law enforcement coordinated with our security staff to look at the cameras, to try to have verification of the student. So to see the student also leaving the
building, all of that was done in conjunction with law enforcement. Okay. Because to the question of the other lockdowns, I guess my, my, my issue is you have a law enforcement arrives at 220, the victim is coherent. So I'm sure the victim told security who shot him because he knew the.
Well, yeah, but but still to say I understand that, but it still has to be verified, right? And there's still information that still seeking. Got it. And I'm just going to push back on the communication a little bit for my colleagues. They were 11 community messages that went
out in a period of 2.5 hours. And just for somebody who joined the board right after the shooting at McGruder High School, I can tell you that it's a huge, immense communication based at least on that situation, to have 11
messages. And that is not the ones that law enforcement sent out. That is M.C.P.S. communication. That was directly from M.C.P.S. to the community. And then there was a joint press conference. I think you had two that night. We just
had 101. Okay, joint press conference at 852, joint press release at 933. So then there were literally 13 communications engage with the community in a period of a, of
like three hours. I commend that. I think you guys did a great job with the communication. And there was more communication the next day. And you guys, I saw you, you guys were working around the clock making sure parents were up to grade. My only other
concern is I know we check with every child about mental health. I would like to know if we check with every adult about mental, mental, mental health. Because sometimes, at least from what Miss Ms. Wolff and I saw that day with with the
teachers, they were they were very shaken up and there was a lot of anxiety. And so I just wanted to make sure every student and every staff member. Okay, I'm sorry I missed the staff member. I know you said everything, and that includes our administrators as well. I
know oftentimes they're the ones leading the charge, but then we want to make sure they're taken care of as well. And again, kudos to our principal because I know he did not go home to past midnight that night. And he was back the next day by like 5:36 a.m. So
amazing staff that we have and we and we felt the love and the care. But again, I also would like to remind the responsibility of parents when it comes to gun access, because even in that same week, we saw
that a child at kindergarten perished because he was able to get a gun that was very accessible to him. And we see this ghost guns and they're they're being bought sometimes with the credit cards of parents. So we. So I just want
to remind that there's just so much we can do as a school system. But the reality is this is everybody's issue. And we also need to look at parents about how, you know, they deal
with gun issue in their homes and so on. This is everybody's issue, and this affects everyone in that community. So thank you so much for this very, very thorough report, Miss Rivera. And I also just want to share tomorrow morning for the staff at Wooton,
there is going to be a stand up meeting just because the after action report has come out and EAP is going to be present. Oh, I appreciate that. Thank you so much. Okay. Thank you so much for all your work. Appreciate it. All right. We're going to go up to almost our last item
of the day 12.1. I would turn this over to Miss Malu. All right. Very excited to bring this resolution to the board. And now that it has had time to sit resolved, as the Superintendent of Schools is designing and implementing changes to the middle school
schedules, he will also develop a plan for each middle school to have a weekly, dedicated time of no less than 30 minutes for students to receive support, extend learning or explore interests. Each quarter, students must be provided with a schedule delineating the
dedicated time for the quarter resolve. The superintendent will review the impact of this dedicated time on student outcomes and sense of belonging after one year of implementation, and if the superintendent finds it has a positive impact, the regulation shall consider extending it to the high school level within
one calendar year. Okay. Thank you. If there is a motion on the table, is there a second? Second. Okay, there's a motion. A second. Is there any discussion? I just want to make
sure I understand correctly if that's okay. Because when I'm looking at the results, I just want to be. I actually really like advisory time. My middle schooler has advisory time every single day and it's so helpful. So I'm a fan of advisory time, but I want to make sure that I clearly understand what we're talking
about here, because to me, it seems that we're committing Doctor Taylor to designing a plan for middle schools, which again, I don't necessarily have an issue with. I think they should have advisory time. But I also want to just make sure when it says A, because I'm you
know, we're in the school system, a means one, right? A weekly dedicated time of no less than 30 minutes for students. That doesn't mean that every school has to have a 30 minute block. So, for example, if a middle school has advisory for 15 minutes every
day or ten minutes every day or three days a week, if it's a cumulative 30 minutes, that's okay. Theoretically, based on the resolution, I just want to make sure that that's the language that we're all understanding here. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Seeing no more
discussion. There's a motion a second. So. All those in favor? Ms. Rivera-Oven. Could we just confirm who the second was? We just didn't capture that. Miss Zimmerman, I know we're all tired. It's been a long day. I
got it. Okay. Again, there's a motion, you know, in a second by Miss Zimmerman. If there's no further discussion. All those in favor, please raise your hand. And that is
unanimous. Yay! Are there are there any additional new business items for the board to consider this evening? Okay I will. Who's doing the adjournment motion to adjourn.
There you go. Second, all those in favor? Thank you all. Appreciate it. Have a good night. I think I was supposed
to.