Thanks to all who participated in yesterday’s meeting. Here are the notes–138 people registered.

We are especially grateful to our guest speakers from MCPS: Peter Moran, Elizabeth Rogovoy, Catherine Malchodi, Stephanie Sheron, and Tamara Hewlett  for their presentations and discussion.

The video and the presentations are available using the links below.

Also, the CHAT and Meeting Summary and follow-up action items are below .

The presentations should be shared with your school communities!

 

Cheers!

 

• Agenda

 

• NAACP Freedom Fund Gala  – The Montgomery County Branch is celebrating it’s 50th Annual Freedom Fund Gala. We are seeking

corporate sponsors to purchase tables for the Parents’ Council Representatives to attend. The sponsorship form is linked to the letter.

• CHAT Link

• Meeting Summary

 

Quick recap

·        MCPS to review and potentially adjust curriculum sequencing to better align with MCAP assessment timing.

·        MCPS to explore ways to increase parent communication and engagement regarding student reading progress and interventions.

·        Stephanie Sharon and Tamara Hewlett to schedule drop-in sessions for principals and other leaders to implement new hate bias and immigration resources.

·        MCPS staff to organize community meetings and webinars to share information about immigration rights and procedures with families.

·        MCPS to review and potentially update the hate bias reporting process based on feedback from community members.

·        MCPS to develop a plan for educating substitute teachers about hate bias procedures and reporting.

·        Tamara to work on creating a screencast of “Know Your Rights” information for broader distribution.

·        Stephanie and Tamara to continue working with legal teams and community organizations to develop standardized messaging and resources for families.

·        MCPS to develop a protocol for verifying and disseminating information about potential ICE raids through the newly established hotline.

·        Byron to send out information electronically about upcoming budget hearings and solicit participation for the January 27th Board of Education budget hearing.

·        Wylea to follow up on the deadline extension for registering to testify at the January 27th budget hearing.

·        Libby Rogovoy to share slides and folder information about the field trip grant with all attendees.

·        Libby Rogovoy and Cat Malchodi to work on arranging buses and invoicing for school field trips.

·        Schools interested in participating in the museum field trips to email the museum reservations team directly to check availability.

·        Libby Rogovoy to track spend rate of the $76,000 grant for field trips once all school information is collected.

·        Parents Council representatives to continue outreach efforts for the upcoming NAACP Freedom Fund gala and seek corporate sponsorships.

·        Parents to utilize free tutoring resources available through public libraries for additional reading support.

·        Peter Moran to follow up with Hayat regarding parent volunteering concerns at her school.

·        Peter Moran to follow up with Lisa regarding the issue of teachers locking assignments and giving adverse grades to students with excused absences or special needs.

·        Elizabeth and Lisa to connect and problem-solve the issue of locked assignments and adverse grading.

·        School representatives to fill out the spreadsheet with field trip information for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, including date, ticket time, number of students, and bus requirements.

·        Parent Council representatives to consider organizing cluster-wide events or smaller community meetings to share hate bias and immigration information.

·        Stephanie Sharon to attend the next Montgomery County Committee on Hate Violence meeting.

·        Kisha Martin to send invoice to Elizabeth for Roberto Clemente Middle School’s charter bus.

·        Anne to update spreadsheet to indicate school bus usage for her school’s field trip.

·        Catherine to follow up with Michael about weekend bus availability and liability concerns for Waters Landing Elementary School’s proposed weekend trip.

·        Wylea to coordinate with religious leaders to host community meetings about immigration and hate bias resources.

 

This segment discusses the importance of parent engagement in schools. Byron emphasizes that there should not be a policy preventing parents from volunteering, as parent involvement aligns with MCPS’s community engagement policies. However, Hayat raises concerns about a principal denying her ability to volunteer, which seems to be at the principal’s discretion rather than due to background check issues. Lisa raised a concern about teachers locking assignments for students, which was noted for further investigation.  The group agrees this needs to be addressed with MCPS leadership like Peter Moran and Libby Rogovoy to ensure principals are not unfairly restricting parent volunteers against district policies, and teachers should not be disallowing assignments & failing students for approved absences.

 

In the meeting, Byron welcomed new members and discussed the agenda for the meeting, which included updates on literacy field tests, the reorganization strategy, and the proposed budget for FY26. He also mentioned the upcoming 50th annual Freedom Fund Gala and the need for corporate sponsors.

 

Peter Moran, the chief of schools, joined the meeting and expressed his appreciation for the partnership with the Black and Brown Coalition and the NAACP. He also acknowledged the importance of the field test they have been implementing. Peter discussed the new literacy policy in Maryland, which focuses on four critical standards: support for educators, reading instruction, assessment, and intervention. He highlighted the importance of parent communication when a student is reading below grade level and the need for a reading intervention plan. Peter also mentioned the goal to expand this to all 140 elementary schools starting in February. He emphasized the significant implications of retention for students not reading at grade level in grade 3, including budgetary and class size implications. Takita raised concerns about proactive reading interventions and enrichment, while Rhia discussed the importance of summer school programs for all students, not just those struggling. The group also discussed the need for more professional development for teachers and the potential for a sliding scale for summer programs to make them more accessible.

 

Byron discussed the current literacy data and the different assessment tools used in MCPS. He explained that DIBELS is used for early literacy assessment, while MAP-R and MCAP are more comprehensive and used for accountability. He also shared data on the proficiency rates of students, noting that while there has been progress in DIBELS scores, the MAP-R and MCAP scores indicate a need for further improvement. Terri questioned the necessity of using DIBELS when the state could develop a test that aligns with standards for K-2, suggesting that this could provide a more accurate measure of student progress.

 

In the meeting, Byron initiated a discussion about the importance of reading proficiency among students, particularly African American students. He emphasized the need for collective action to improve reading skills and suggested that the school system should provide more support for parents to help their children at home. Carla proposed empowering parents and suggested that the parent representative could liaise with schools to facilitate this. Natalie shared her experience as a second-grade teacher, explaining how she uses DIBELS to assess her students’ reading abilities and shares this information with parents. Peter and Stephanie discussed the need for alignment between curriculum and assessments, and the importance of understanding the sequence of curriculum. Kisha Logan highlighted the need for the state to look at alignment and asked for more information about standardized tests. Hayat raised a concern about parent engagement in her school, and Peter offered to help navigate this issue. Lisa advised Hayat to first discuss the issue with the principal before involving Peter.

The conversation started with a discussion about organizing field trips to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for Black History Month.

Elizabeth explains that a $76,000 grant from the Maryland State Department of Education will fund transportation costs for field trips to four cultural museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She shared a spreadsheet needed to collect the data required for the grant and to track schools’ trip details and transportation needs. While the grant only covers transportation, not additional expenses, schools can use charter buses if desired. Some schools still need to provide their trip date and ticket times. Representatives ask logistical questions, including about weekend trips, securing last-minute tickets, using remaining grant funds, and liability concerns for non-school day trips. Elizabeth and Catherine provided guidance, noting weekend trips likely require a charter bus and an MCPS sponsor, but they will confirm details.

 

Stephanie and Tamara presented resources and protocols MCPS has developed to address hate, bias, racism, and immigration concerns. The civic engagement resources provide staff guidance on facilitating respectful classroom discussions on sensitive topics. The equity matters newsletter shares actions staff can take, including professional learning opportunities. Tamara outlined the protocols in place if immigration agents come to schools, including refusing to release students without parental consent. A “Know Your Rights” flyer in multiple languages will inform families of their rights and provide printable rights cards. MCPS is training staff on properly implementing these protocols and partnering with legal organizations to provide know your rights trainings for families.

 

Vice President