Per the State of Maryland: Today, Governor Wes Moore joined the Montgomery County Office of Broadband’s training event during a free Broadband Affordable Connectivity Program training session to encourage community enrollment in the program. The virtual event, with more than 250 in-person participants, complements last month’s Affordable Connectivity Program training session at Salisbury University.

“Thank you for answering the call to help connect people to high speed connectivity,” said Gov. Moore. “Your work is critical to Maryland’s success, as the internet is one of the most important pathways to prosperity in the 21st century. You are the very best of Maryland, and I thank you for your service.”

During the session, Governor Moore highlighted the Moore-Miller administration’s success in securing federal broadband dollars and emphasized that the deployment of affordable broadband across the state is among Maryland’s top priorities. The training focused on government and non-profit frontline service providers who already serve ACP-eligible marylanders.

The Federal Communications Commission Affordable Connectivity Program, combined with state benefits, provides monthly $45 discounts for household broadband internet access and device purchase for eligible individuals. The program is critical to helping qualifying consumers not only afford broadband, but also access the benefits that broadband brings, including enhanced access to health care, distance learning, access to job training and application opportunities, and connection to governmental and community-based information and services.

The Office of Statewide Broadband is housed in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Through its programs to expand infrastructure and increase digital equity, the Office of Statewide Broadband works to ensure that all Maryland households have access to broadband. Since the Office of Statewide Broadband was created in 2017, it has invested more than $270 million into broadband infrastructure and programs. Those efforts provide high-speed internet access to an estimated 52,000 previously unserved homes and businesses statewide.

To learn more about the Affordable Connectivity Program and about available broadband access discounts, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/acp.

Per the State of Maryland: Governor Wes Moore today announced that Maryland will direct $17.4 million toward adult education providers in support of key investments to grow Maryland’s economy. The announcement came as part of the program during President Joseph R. Biden’s visit to Prince George’s County Community College in support of the Biden Administration’s vision for growing the country’s economy.

“Together, we will grow an economy that works for everyone, from the bottom up and the middle out,” said Gov. Moore. “President Biden has been very clear about his vision to empower and educate workers to grow the middle class. It’s a vision I stand by because it’s good for Maryland, good for our people, and good for our economy. Together, we are going to work in partnership to follow the president’s lead, build out our workforce, grow the economy, and win this decade.”

Governor Moore speaking at podium during President Biden’s visit to Prince George’s County Community College

The president’s “Bidenomics” agenda for the economy is delivering for the American people. The vision is centered around three key pillars: making smart public investments in America, promoting competition to lower costs and help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive, and empowering and educating workers to grow the middle class.

Maryland will direct $9.5 million in support from the U.S. Department of Education and $7.9 million from the Maryland Department of Labor to 23 adult education providers who will expand access to basic and secondary education for adults, English language acquisition, civics education, integrated education and training, and family literacy. All 16 Maryland community colleges, two local K-12 school systems, three community-based organizations, one public library system and the state correctional education system will receive the funding.

“Local adult education makes a difference in the lives of families and communities across our state,” said Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Portia Wu. “We have over 20,000 adult learners in Maryland, and this funding will support their educational goals and development of new skills—which will contribute to our state’s workforce and bridge economic gaps in our local communities.”

All currently funded adult education providers will also be awarded program status for the next four years. The list of grant awardees is available at labor.maryland.gov.

More information about Maryland’s adult education provider network is also available through labor.maryland.gov.

The Special Victims Investigations Division is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Xavier Beltran, a missing 15-year-old. Beltran was last seen on Monday, September 11, 2023, in the 200 block of Poplar St. in Rockville. He is 5’6″, 120 lbs., with black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants and red and black high top sneakers.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Xavier Beltran is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).

The Special Victims Investigations Division is asking for the public's assistance in locating Xavier Beltran, a missing 15-year-old. https://t.co/pITgP1iZ2i#MCPNews #MCPD #MissingPerson pic.twitter.com/BXEKJ2KEdS

— Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews) September 14, 2023

 

 

MCPS sent out a community message with ‘things to know’ on Thursday Sept. 14. The message includes information about a new guide to ensure student success, Covid-19 district measures, how you can share your feedback on the 2023-2024 school calendar, upcoming Girls’ Summit, and a chance to comment on proposed amendments to three policies:

Pathway to College, Career and Community Readiness: MCPS created a new guide to help families, students and teachers work together to ensure student success. The Pathway to College, Career and Community Readinesshelps identify students’ strengths and areas of improvement to ensure each student receives the support they need. Here’s how it works:

• The academic milestones will be used to address any learning gaps before students transition to a new grade level, college or the workforce.

• Parents will receive information about whether their child is meeting these specific benchmarks.

• School staff, students and families will meet to decide the best way to help the student succeed.

• In addition to academic benchmarks, schools will provide opportunities and experiences for students to cultivate core competencies and skills to prepare them for life after high school.

Visit the links below to learn about the milestones.

Elementary Schools (English)
español / 中文 / français / tiếng Việt / 한국어 / አማርኛ / Portuguese

Middle School (English)
español / 中文 / français / tiếng Việt / 한국어 / አማርኛ / Portuguese

High School (English)
español / 中文 / français / tiếng Việt / 한국어 / አማርኛ / Portuguese

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COVID-19 Outbreak Measures and Vaccine News

As new cases of COVID-19 increase locally, we have seen outbreaks occurring in multiple schools across the county. Temporary outbreak precautions for individual classrooms where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly helps prevent spread to vulnerable individuals and to the rest of school. Check out theFAQ page for more information about how outbreaks are managed. The newly approved COVID-19 updated vaccinewill be available in our area in the next few weeks. For information about COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccine availability, refer to Vaccines.Gov.

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MCPS to Host Girls’ Summit

The district is inviting all MCPS families to the Girls’ Summit on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Clarksburg High School. This event will provide informative workshops geared towards middle and high school girls on a variety of current topics. Join us for a chance to network, participate in fun activities, learn valuable skills and enjoy a fashion show presented by White House Black Market celebrating diverse body types!

Sessions will be provided in English and Spanish, and will be organized by grade level. Student Service Learning (SSL) hours will be available for students. Topics and activities will include:

• Healthy relationships/dating violence

• Social media use and mental health, including cyberbullying

• Self-esteem

• Identifying symptoms of depression and anxiety

• Healthy eating and body image

• Music therapy, Zumba and Kaiser Permanente spin bikes for art therapy

• Narcan kits will be distributed and training will also be available.

RSVP

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Share Your Feedback on the 2024–2025 School Year Calendar

MCPS is seeking the community’s feedback as it works to finalize the 2024–2025 school calendar. Please complete this survey to share your input.

Your feedback represents an important component of the development process. MCPS will consider educational interests, operational needs, mandated school closures by state law, compliance with minimum instructional days and credit hour requirements, inclement weather and other emergencies, staff professional days and early release days, alignment with assessment schedules and more.

Take the survey.
Survey in Other Languages:
Calendario escolar de MCPS 2024 – 2025 Comentarios
MCPS 校歷 2024 – 2025 年反饋
MCPS 학교 일정 2024 – 2025 피드백
Calendrier scolaire de MCPS 2024-2025
Calendário Escolar MCPS 2024 – 2025
Phản hồi về Lịch học MCPS 2024 – 2025
የMCPS ትምህርት ቤት የቀን መቁጠሪያ 2024 – 2025 ግብረመልስ

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Board Seeking Public Comment on Three Policies

The Board of Education is seeking comments on proposed amendments to three policies:

•         Policy ABC, Parent and Family Involvement

•         Policy BLB, Rules of Procedure in Appeals and Hearings

•         Policy IJA, School Counseling Programs and Services

Language translations are available.

• Draft amendments to Policy ABC have been available for comment since Feb. 9, 2023, and the comment period will close on September 18. The Board Policy Management Committee is tentatively scheduled to review public comments at its Oct. 10, 2023 meeting.

• Draft amendments to Policy BLB have been available for comment since July 7, 2023, and the comment period will close on Sept. 18, 2023. The Board Policy Management Committee is tentatively scheduled to review public comments at its Oct. 10, 2023 meeting.

• Draft amendments to Policy IJA have been available for comment since April 26, 2023, and the comment period will close on Nov. 6, 2023. The Board Policy Management Committee is tentatively scheduled to review public comments at its Dec. 14, 2023 meeting.

A description of the changes, draft changes and public comment questionnaires are available on the Public Comment Page.

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Good News

The Leadership Training Institute Turns 30!

The Leadership Training Institute (LTI) at John F. Kennedy High School empowers students through a rigorous interdisciplinary education emphasizing experiential learning, community service projects, and leadership theory and application. LTI alumni and friends are invited on Oct. 6 to share  LTI memories and celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the program. The event will be held from 6–8:30 p.m. at Montgomery Country Club.

Visit the event page for more information.

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Briggs Chaney Middle School Enjoys a Yummy Start to the School Year

Students got an opportunity to taste test food items from the MCPS Department of Food and Nutrition Services (DFNS) at this year’s Back-to-School night. DFNS uses feedback from food tastings to help guide menu decisions.

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Student Athletes Kick Off the School Year with District Leaders

The Annual Student-Athlete Leadership Council (SALC) Kickoff meeting was held on Sept. 12 in the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville. The SALC is made up of two students from all MCPS  high schools  and seven at-large members who meet bi-monthly to share ideas on the administration of the interscholastic athletics program.

Below you’ll see the most recent updates or final scores of the 2023 week 3 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.

Stone Bridge 22 Quince Orchard 29 F
Churchill 30 Wootton 0 F
Sherwood 44 Magruder 0 F
Richard Montgomery 29 Northwest 52 F
Springbrook 0 Paint Branch 49 F
Rockville 6 Damascus 27 F
Walter Johnson 41 Whitman 0 F
Einstein 19 Blake 34 F
Gaithersburg 36 at Watkins Mill 0 F
BCC 41 Poolesville 13 F
Seneca Valley 48 Clarksburg 0 F
Blair 50 Kennedy 0 F
Wheaton 26 Northwood 12 F

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 6th District Investigative Section are investigating a burglary that occurred on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at a Verizon store in the 17700 block of Muncaster Mill Road in Derwood. Detectives have released surveillance video of the suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.  The investigation has revealed that the suspect broke a window to force his way into the store. Once inside, he stole store items before leaving the scene.

Detectives reviewed surveillance video and obtained a description of the suspect.  The suspect is described as a Black male, with medium length black hair and a black beard. He is described as a wearing a tan long sleeve hooded t-shirt, black sweatpants with “Nike Air,” written vertically on the right leg and white sneakers with gray and black designs.

Anyone with information regarding this suspect or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477.  A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects. Tips may remain anonymous.

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Release ID: 23-547

A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Michael Cooley, Jr., a/k/a “Micheal Cooley Jr.,” “5Micmusik,” and “Michael White,” age 24, and Isiah Lewis, a/k/a “Zay,” age 33, both of Maryland; and “Alonzo Brown, age 26, of Virginia, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, relating to the submission of fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, enacted to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The superseding indictment was filed July 19, 2023, and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants.

Lewis is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt at 2:30 p.m. Cooley and Brown are expected to have their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Georgia this afternoon as well.

Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included expanded eligibility for UI benefits and increased UI benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (“PUA”), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (“FPUC”), and the Lost Wages Assistance Program (“LWAP”).

According to the superseding indictment from at least June 2020 through March 2021, the defendants used the personal identifiable information of identity theft victims, such as name, date of birth, and social security number, to file online UI applications in Maryland and California, using anonymous email addresses to obscure their identities and avoid detection.  Cooley, Lewis, Brown and others allegedly caused debit cards bearing the names of identity theft victims and loaded with UI benefits from fraudulent UI claims to be mailed to addresses in Maryland and elsewhere.  The defendants then used the benefits to obtain money and engage in point-of-sale transactions.  Cooley, Lewis and Brown obtained more than $550,000 through the fraud scheme.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

A superseding indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by superseding indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

The superseding indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”); and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

On Sept. 12, the kickoff meeting for this year’s Student-Athlete Leadership Council (SALC) was held at Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville. The council is made up of two students from each MCPS high school and seven at-large members, who meet bi-monthly to share ideas on the interscholastic athletics program. Launched in 2018, SALC cultivates academic, athletic and community excellence by engaging student-athletes to serve as district level leaders within the MCPS athletics program.

The SALC planning committee includes athletics specialists Dessalyn Dillard, Paint Branch High School; Gina Grubb, Poolesville High School; Jermaine Howell, Albert Einstein High School; Larry Hurd, Jr. Walter Johnson High School; Tom McTighe, Wheaton High School and Jody Tyler, Northwest High School, along with Robin McCue, administrative assistant for the athletics office.

The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Student-Athlete Leadership Council (SALC) cultivates academic, athletic, and community excellence by engaging student-athletes to serve as district level leaders within the MCPS education-based interscholastic athletics program. SALC members nurture academic, creative problem-solving, and social-emotional skills while serving as campus and community leaders exemplifying the R.A.I.S.E. core values.

Courtesy of MCPS