MCPS

Community Meeting For Upcoming Damascus High School Renovation Takes Place This Week

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is scheduled to begin the Schematic Design Phase for an approved capital project at Damascus High School. Prior to beginning the design process and community engagements, a kick-off meeting for community members and all stakeholders is scheduled on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 6:30 pm to share the project information. The in-person meeting will be held in the Cafeteria/All-Purpose room. Doors open at 6:00 pm, presentation begins at 6:30 pm. It is unclear if the meeting will discuss any boundary changes between Damascus and nearby schools like Clarksburg High School.

A major capital project was approved to address various building systems and programmatic needs for Damascus High School, located at 25921 Ridge Road. The Board of Education, in the requested FY 2021–2026 CIP, included expenditures in FY 2022 to continue the planning and design of this major capital project with a completion date of August 2025, but the County Council delayed the expenditures by one year. An FY 2023 appropriation was approved to begin the design of this Major Capital project. An FY 2024 appropriation is recommended for construction funds. This project is scheduled to be completed August 2026. Once completed in 2026, school capacity is expected to increase from 1,543 (where it’s at currently) to 2,250.

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MCPD Investigating Threat Against Montgomery Blair High School

By Patrick Herron

Montgomery Blair sent the following message to the Blair community at 2:19pm: “All students will dismiss at 2:30 today using their regularly scheduled transportation. Students with a 9th period will dismiss to our stadium and shuttles will take them to Eastern MS. They will board buses with middle school magnet students to go home. All athletic programs, clubs, and RecZone are canceled until further notice. Athletic games will be reevaluated at 4:30.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.

To maintain a safe environment, we made the decision to dismiss all students at 2:30 p.m. Ninth period students were directed to the stadium until they could be safely transported to Eastern Middle School where they will board buses to go home. As a result of this threat, all after-school activities and athletics have been canceled this evening until further notice. We are working closely with the authorities to investigate the threat and take appropriate measures to ensure the ongoing safety of our school community.

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Additional Personnel Changes in MCPS Announced to Staff By Dr. McKnight on Friday

By MCS Staff

In an email to staff on Friday, MCPS superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight shared additional changes in personnel for the school system. Dr. McKnight previously emailed administrative and supervisory staff on Wednesday to inform them of changes that included announcing that deputy superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy was no longer employed by the district and that two members of the MCPS Office of School Support and Well-Being (OSSWB), Dr. Donna Redmond Jones and Dr. Eugenia (Jeanie) Dawson are currently on leave. The additional changes shared can be seen below:

    •    Effective Monday, October 16, 2023, Dr. Betty J. Collins will serve as acting deputy superintendent. Dr. Collins, an MCPS graduate, enjoyed a distinguished 49-year career in the district as a teacher, principal, and director of Instructional Leadership, before her retirement in 2018.

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2023 Week 7 MCPS High School Football Scores

By MCS Staff

Below you’ll see the most recent updates or final scores of the 2023 week 7 MCPS football games. The scores will be updated as we receive them. If a score isn’t listed, it’s because we haven’t yet received a report from the game that we can confirm. An ‘F’ signifies the score is confirmed as being final.

Thursday’s Games:

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Police Give “All-Clear” Following Bomb Threat at Blair High School Friday Morning

By MCS Staff

9:25am Update by Principal Renay Johnson: Police have given us the all-clear. Staff and students can re-enter the building. Report to period 3. Thank you!

8:49am update by principal Renay Johnson: We have a large campus and 19 outside classrooms. Our police partners are checking all areas. If students need to be dismissed, parent / guardians reunification area is at the firehouse next to our school. Classes will resume once we receive the all- clear from police.

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MCPS Celebrates National School Bus Safety Week Oct. 16-21

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will be emphasizing the importance of school bus safety and saying thank you to all who transport MCPS students during National Bus Safety week from Oct.16–21.

National School Bus Safety Week is a public program designed to educate the public about the importance of school bus safety. Each year schools organize events to bring attention to school bus safety and to recognize the critical role school bus employees play in providing safe transportation to our students.

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Remarks from MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight on Need for Accountability and Transparency

By MCS Staff

Today, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight delivered the following remarks during the Board of Education business meeting, providing an update on the comprehensive corrective action plan she has been charged with developing:

“I want to thank the Board for committing to releasing a redacted version of the Jackson Lewis report, which many in our community have asked for and is indeed an important step for restoring trust with our staff and community.

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