“Dear MCPS Community,
Far too many families and communities across MCPS have come home over the past several weeks to letters from their school condemning acts of antisemitism. A concerning number of students have drawn Nazi symbols on desks, verbally assaulted Jewish peers, spoken anti-Jewish tropes, and glorified Naziism via pictures broadcasted on social media. These acts have left me – and so many of you – feeling angry, dismayed, and horrified.
The Montgomery County Students Automotive Trades Foundation (ATF) is looking for car donations. Donations will help more high school students learn how to evaluate, repair and restore used cars. The ATF is a nonprofit that fosters automotive education by offering students hands-on instruction in maintenance, repair, sales and marketing. The students run a mini-dealership where people can purchase the refurbished cars.
The ATF accepts donations year-round by appointment at Damascus, Gaithersburg and Seneca Valley high schools, at Thomas Edison High School of Technology and at the Shady Grove Bus Depot. Donations are tax deductible. Call 240-740-2047 to donate. MCPS students engage in a hands-on curriculum to refurbish used cars. As part of the automotive program, students sell the cars at three sales throughout the school year. The last car sale of the year will be held from 9–11 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, at Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Silver Spring. More information
The Montgomery County branch of the NAACP is awarding $1,000 scholarships to MCPS graduating seniors. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, March 24. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or above, participate in extracurricular activities and participate in faith-based, religious-based or volunteer activities.
Completed applications should be sent to Rebecca Gibson, Board of Education office, Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive, Room 123, Rockville, MD, 20850. If you have questions, send an email here. The scholarships will be presented during the annual Freedom Fund Dinner on May 21. NCAAP Scholarship Application, 2023
The Montgomery County Board of Education is seeking nominations from the public for its 26th Annual Awards for Distinguished Service to Public Education. The awards are sponsored by the Board to recognize and show appreciation to individuals, groups and organizations that have made exemplary contributions to public education in Montgomery County. Nominations will be accepted in the following categories:
“Individual Pioneer” award nominees are individuals who, although they may not be currently active, have made extraordinary contributions in the past. The nominee’s contributions must have had a profound effect on the school system over a sustained period of time. Nominations in other categories must be of individuals (including MCPS students), groups or organizations that have, within the past three years, provided service, support and commitment to public education as demonstrated by:
Students in the Montgomery County Students Automotive Trades Foundation (ATF) sold used cars they refurbished last week at Damascus High School. In addition to the cars they sold, the students gifted an accessibility van to a local woman/former MCPS student, Saniya Lipford, who lost her arm and leg due to a blood clot in her lung, according to a report by Fox 5.
“This is the first time we actually did a renovation of a vehicle that didn’t belong to us that will be helping our community,” said Steven D. Boden, ATF supervisor to Fox 5. The students refurbished the van, as they do with other vehicles they sell, and gifted the vehicle to Lipford on Thursday. Video below, courtesy of Fox 5:
On Policy ABC, the Board is seeking comments on proposed amendments to update processes for parent/guardian engagement in decisions affecting their students and their students’ schools. The policy has been available for comment since Feb. 9, 2023. The public comment period will extend through Thursday, April 20. The draft amendments propose—
Revisions to align with updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships and findings from the MCPS Anti-Racist Audit final report.
Sami Saeed, a junior at Richard Montgomery High School, and Yoseph Zerihun, a junior at Springbrook High School, are the finalists for the 46th Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB). Elections will be held on April 19. From a pool of 12 students, Mr. Saeed and Mr. Zerihun were chosen by more than 400 voting middle and high school delegates attending the SMOB Nominating Convention at Watkins Mill High School.
Mr. Sami Saeed is a junior at Richard Montgomery High School. He currently serves as the president of the Richard Montgomery Student Government Association (SGA), and is a member of the SMOB Advisory Council and the Montgomery County Commission on Youth and Children. He is an avid writer and has written for The Tide, Richard Montgomery’s student newspaper, and The MoCo Student newspaper.
In a community message regarding safety and security in Montgomery County Public Schools, MCPS has addressed concerns regarding safety in bathrooms: “Safety measures for school restrooms are currently being examined with input from students, staff and parents. Our restrooms must be safe places for students and cannot be places where activities that violate our code of conduct, such as drug and tobacco use, occur.”
“Schools are making sure restrooms are checked regularly and monitored throughout the day so they can continue to be available for use as intended. Latches are being installed on exterior restroom doors in secondary schools to ensure doors remain open. During transition periods and more unstructured times, like before school, after school and lunch periods, schools may limit access to designated restrooms. Staff are increasing the frequency of their visual monitoring and checks inside restrooms throughout the school day, in between class periods and during lunch periods. These measures, along with additional support from the Department of Systemwide Safety and Emergency, are being implemented to enhance the level of security students feel. Schools will continue to keep this as a priority.”
The Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence, the NAACP Parents’ Council and Identity, Inc. are hosting a virtual conversation with MCPS Superintendent Monifa McKnight on Wednesday, Feb. 22. The event will take place via Zoom from 6:30–8 p.m.
The event will provide an opportunity for families to ask questions on topics, including how well students are doing in school; the anti-racist audit and equity, and student well-being. RSVP and ask a question here. Spanish interpretation will be available. Feb. 22 Virtual Conversation with Dr. McKnight.
In partnership with Montgomery Goes Purple, MCPS is hosting a second Family Forum on Fentanyl from 9:30–11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, in the Northwood High School auditorium.
Panelists, including representatives from the county health department and the police department, will share information on the dangers and prevalence of illegally made fentanyl, prevention tools and protective factors for students, and resources for treatment. There will be Narcan training and distribution of Narcan kits to help reverse an overdose, breakout discussions for students and parents/caregivers (in English and Spanish) and a resource fair. The Community Opioid Prevention & Education (C.O.P.E.) trailer (a mock teen bedroom) will be available for tours to learn signs of substance use. Students can earn two Student Service Learning hours for attending.
The Montgomery County Board of Education is seeking nominations from the public for its 26th Annual Awards for Distinguished Service to Public Education. The awards are sponsored by the Board to recognize and show appreciation to individuals, groups and organizations that have made exemplary contributions to public education in Montgomery County. Nominations will be accepted in the following categories:
“Individual Pioneer” award nominees are individuals who, although they may not be currently active, have made extraordinary contributions in the past. The nominee’s contributions must have had a profound effect on the school system over a sustained period of time. Nominations in other categories must be of individuals (including MCPS students), groups or organizations that have, within the past three years, provided service, support and commitment to public education as demonstrated by: