Greetings all- Thank you for registering (n=156) and attending the Parents’ Council meeting. A special thanks to our guest speakers Guerline Jozef w. Haitian Bridge Alliance, Mide Odunsi w. LDF, Stephie w. CM-IRC, and Superintendent Taylor.
This was the first meeting of the Montgomery County NAACP Parent Council for the new school year, focused on welcoming new representatives and discussing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) issues impacting immigrant families in the community. The meeting featured representatives from Haitian Bridge Alliance, IRC (Immigrant Rights Collective), and Legal Defense Fund who explained the status of TPS terminations affecting 350,000 Haitian families and 1.3 million people across 17 countries, emphasizing the need for families to create emergency preparedness plans and offering guidance on legal resources and congressional advocacy. Dr. Thomas Taylor, Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, addressed key changes including a cell phone ban during instructional time, increased parent communication about assessments, and upcoming discussions about school closures and consolidations due to declining enrollment and budget constraints. Experienced parent council representatives shared their approaches and advice for new members, emphasizing the importance of building relationships with school administration, timely information sharing, and leveraging both PTA involvement and the NAACP Parent Council’s formal Memorandum of Understanding with the district to advocate for Black students and families.
Next steps
Byron
Share the agenda, calendar, and other resources (letter describing Parent Council, Memorandum of Understanding, handbook, webpage) with attendees via the meeting notes.
Send out the meeting recording and transcript to attendees within 24 hours.
Share the calendar of upcoming Parent Council meetings and topics with attendees.
Invite Dr. Thomas back for the February meeting to discuss big topics like school closures and budget.
Schedule a meeting in November to discuss the elementary boundary studies after the October board meeting.
Forward the request for Parent Council reps to join the calendar work group for the next school year.
Guerline
Share the link to the Haitian Bridge Alliance’s community resource page (haitianbridge.org) with attendees.
Laura
Send the flyer for the ACTSO college conversations webinar to Byron for distribution.
Mide
Add additional Know Your Rights resources and an immigration legal services directory to the chat.
Stephie
Share links to the different Immigrant Rights Collective (IRC) resources, including the “1st 24 hours” guideline, in the chat.
Collaboration
Parent Council Reps: Request the parent contact list from their school principals, after October 1st, to disseminate information.
Parent Council Reps: Promote the ACTSO program and college webinar within their high schools.
Parent Council Reps: Attend and participate in PTA meetings to share information and represent the Black parent community.
Parent Council Reps: Build relationships with school principals, directors, associate superintendents, and equity unit personnel.
Parent Council Reps: Utilize the WhatsApp group for communication and support among reps.
Summary TPS Community Discussion Meeting
The meeting began with introductions and setup for an upcoming discussion about Temporary Protected Status (TPS) issues affecting the community. Participants included representatives from the Haitian Bridge Alliance, Central Maryland Immigrant Rights Collective, and the Montgomery County NAACP, along with school staff and parents. The group discussed concerns about children missing school due to immigration enforcement fears. The meeting was structured as an open conversation to elevate awareness about TPS issues and provide guidance to parents with children in K-12 education.
TPS Termination Impact Discussion
Guerline Joseph, co-founder and executive director of the Haitian Language Alliance, discussed the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti and its impact on 350,000 Haitian families, as well as TPS holders from 16 other countries totaling 1.3 million people. She explained that there is currently no pathway for TPS holders to adjust their status to permanent residency, and urged families to create emergency preparedness plans including gathering important documents and identifying trusted contacts. Guerline called for support of Senate Bill S.4814 to provide three-year protection for Haitians until 2029 and encouraged community members to check on immigrant friends and families while joining organizations like the Haitian Bridge Alliance to advocate for their protection.
TPS Litigation and Support Strategies
Mide from NAACP Legal Defense Fund discussed ongoing litigation challenging the termination of TPS for Somalia and provided resources for individuals losing TPS, including immigration legal services directories and Know Your Rights information. Gurleen from Haitian Bridge Alliance outlined ways to support the community, including contacting senators to co-sponsor Senate Bill S4814 and raising funds to hire more attorneys. Stephie from Immigrant Rights Collective explained their holistic approach to supporting impacted communities through crisis response, community care, and court accompaniment, emphasizing the need for Black solidarity in supporting Black immigrants.
School Year Updates and Changes
Dr. Thomas addressed the meeting, welcoming everyone back to the school year and highlighting the contributions of talented students in video production. He thanked key partners for their work in supporting youth programs and parent engagement. Dr. Thomas announced two major changes: a cell phone ban during instructional time for all students ahead of the state law, and increased ParentSquare communications about assessments and important dates. He also mentioned plans to make information more accessible to families and outlined the goal of preparing students to be “future ready” for the challenges ahead.
MCPS Mental Health and Resources
Dr. Thomas announced that MCPS will launch a campaign in September to increase awareness of available mental health and health resources that are currently underutilized. He outlined two major topics for upcoming community discussion: potential school closures and consolidations due to declining enrollment and underutilized facilities, and budget challenges related to reduced county funding. The Board of Education will make recommendations on school consolidations in March 2027, and Thomas confirmed that experts will visit schools before making any boundary or closure decisions.
Budget and Program Planning Updates
The meeting covered several key topics including repairs to the Wootton building to be used as a secondary holding school, budget impacts on programs, and the ACT-SO program presentation by Laura Dennis. Dr. Thomas discussed how budget reductions affect staffing proportional to enrollment changes, and Shane suggested creating programmatic breakdowns to help parents understand how budget cuts affect specific programs. The group reviewed upcoming Parents Council meeting topics including math curriculum changes, special programs, and elementary school boundary studies, with recommendations expected from the superintendent in March-April and board voting by May.
NAACP Parent Engagement Strategies
Wylea, Assaati, Rhia, and Ann shared their experiences as long-time NAACP parent council representatives, emphasizing the importance of disseminating information to all parents and advocating for Black students across all grade levels. They discussed different approaches to sharing information with school communities, including using filtered parent contact lists and working with PTA leadership. The group discussed strategies for engaging with schools, building relationships with administrators, and using various communication channels like WhatsApp groups and newsletters to reach parents. Patrice raised a question about using PTA funding for events that prioritize the Black community, which led to a discussion about leveraging data, the MOU with MCPS, and school improvement plans to support targeted programming.
NAACP Education Committee- Parents' Council 