Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Large Water Main Break Forces Road Closures, School Dismissal: Police

noreply@blogger.com (Paula Bienenfeld) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:44:00 +0000

From Patch, reporter Gaby Arancibia. To read the full story go here.

From Friday April 9, 2026

ROCKVILLE, MD — A massive water main break has forced the closure of multiple roadways in Rockville and prompted an early school dismissal.

The Montgomery County Police Department said Friday that the water main break was traced to the 2100 block of Wootton Parkway.

The Thomas S. Wootton High School is located at 2100 Wootton Parkway.

Surprise! Taylor Moving 495 Buses to Residential Neighborhoods! Taylor Skipped this Slide in his Public Presentation.

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:42:00 +0000

Read this article on our new Substack website:

https://parentscoalitionmd.substack.com/p/surprise-taylor-moving-495-buses

Pennsylvania schools will be required to teach cursive again starting in April

noreply@blogger.com (Paula Bienenfeld) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 19:19:00 +0000

From Fox29 Philadelphia, reporter Isabel Soisson. To read the full story go here.

The new law, which was signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in February, makes it so "instruction in cursive handwriting or joined italics" will be taught at the "appropriate grade levels."

Strong bipartisan support

What we know:

The law amends the state’s Public School Code of 1949 to add printing, joined italics and cursive handwriting to the required writing curriculum for all students.

The legislation received bipartisan support in the General Assembly, passing the House 195‑8 and the Senate 42‑5 before being signed by the governor.

The mandate officially goes into effect on April 12.

Cursive as 'a bridge'

What they're saying:

The bill was sponsored in the Pennsylvania Senate by Sen. Wayne Langerholic (R-Clearfield), who said in a statement issued last month that "by reintegrating cursive into the curriculum…we are investing in our students’ cognitive development, strengthening their legal preparedness and preserving their connection to historical literacy."

The House sponsor, Rep. Dane Watro (R‑Luzerne/Schuylkill), said proponents believe the skill supports fine motor development and access to historical documents written in script.

The Images shared with the MCPS Board of Education are WRONG.

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Executive Summary

Recent presentations to the Montgomery County Board of Education utilized a specific data visualization to argue that housing growth has “decoupled” from student enrollment. This chart has been cited as a primary justification for consequential infrastructure decisions, including the proposed closure of Wootton High School. As a data science professional with nearly two decades of experience in time series analysis, I have audited this visualization and found it to be methodologically invalid. The presentation relies on mismatched axes, hidden baselines, and a known statistical anomaly to manufacture a divergence that does not exist in the raw data.

The Images shared with the BOE (WRONG)...

https://parentscoalitionmd.substack.com/p/the-images-shared-with-the-mcps-board

Meet and Greet Board of Education candidates Wed. March 11th 5:30 pm

noreply@blogger.com (Paula Bienenfeld) — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:02:00 +0000

Montgomery County Schools to phase out gymnastics programs; program head responds--"At the very best it's a bait and switch at the very worse its a bold face lie,"

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

...7News spoke with Paula Shaibani, a gymnastics instructor at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School and who oversees sport across the seven schools. She told 7News that not only was the district's claims of waning numbers incorrect, but that she and the other coaches had been caught off guard by the decision.

She said MCPS leadership informed them of a potential vote by athletics directors but would give them another notice prior to the vote. She said the gymnastics coaches were also promised the opportunity for public comment periods.

"At the very best it's a bait and switch at the very worse its a bold face lie," Shaibani told 7News during a phone call.

It wasn't until a coach at another school was told by an Athletics Director about the vote that Shaibani said she even knew of the decision.

She added that only two gymnastic coaches were told of the decision in a formal statement and said they were given very few opportunities to talk with MCPS athletic leaders on how to keep the program...

https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-gymnastics-sport-teams-athletes-maryland-public-school-high-school-students-coaches-equipment-costs-gear

City of Rockville to Board of Ed: MCPS Failed to Include Major Planning Documents

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

2026 City of Rockville Letter to BOE by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

MACo Resists Unfunded One-Size-Fits-All School Infrastructure Mandate

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

...While well-intentioned, this bill would place a costly mandate on county governments to carry out new state policies to create sidewalks and crosswalks as alternative routes for all public-school students. MACo does not raise policy objections to the bill’s goal of ensuring safe routes for students – county concerns are merely practical and cost-driven...

https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2026/02/24/maco-resists-unfunded-one-size-fits-all-school-infrastructure-mandate/

“I think this is just a bunch of bull,” said board Vice President Brenda Wolff after presenting a resolution, which failed, that would have given the school until December to solve the issues.

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

...In a contentious Thursday evening decision, the Montgomery County school board voted to close the county’s only charter school, MECCA Business Learning Institute (MBLI), at the end of this academic year if it doesn’t resolve ongoing issues — a decision that comes just nearly seven months after the school opened.

“I think this is just a bunch of bull,” said board Vice President Brenda Wolff after presenting a resolution, which failed, that would have given the school until December to solve the issues. “I’m very disappointed in some of this discussion because we don’t have all of our schools that are successful in our own system, and we don’t give them three months to improve.”

The board voted 5-2 to approve a resolution based on Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s December recommendation to begin formal proceedings for revoking MBLI’s charter. The recommendation to revoke the charter earned 5 votes from board members Rita Montoya, Laura Stewart, Julie Yang, Karla Silvestre and Student Member of the Boa/rd Anuva Maloo...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2026/02/19/mcps-charter/

Montgomery County Public Schools uses AI-supported tool to improve safety [FYI: No Contract]

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

...A local parents' group wants to see the contract between the Bethesda-based company and MCPS.

"This has not been discussed at the Board of Education. This has not had any procurement process so once again, we see MCPS making a deal with a company behind closed doors," said Janis Sartucci of the Parents'Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland.

The Coalition filed a Maryland Public Information Act request to secure a copy of the contract between VOLT AI and MCPS.

"There's an agreement with a company that's going to effectively be able to watch students in hallways, and there's no documentation that's been made public," Sartucci said.

Sartucci showed 7News a letter she received from MCPS saying, "There are no contracts, invoices, receipts, or purchase orders from VOLT AI. The 30-day pilot program is a no-cost agreement."

She also told us at a meeting earlier this month, MCPS Chief Safety Officer Marcus Jones assured the school community that lawyers from both sides had thoroughly vetted the agreement between the school system and VOLT AI...

https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-public-schools-volt-ai-supported-tool-improve-safety-maryland-student-staff-safety-technology-surveillance-medical-emergency-medical-weapons-flag-tech-community

It's Girl Scout Cookie Season! Support the Girl Scouts

noreply@blogger.com (Paula Bienenfeld) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 21:45:00 +0000

Once again, we're reprinting this article, which we first published on March 3, 2012. Because it's always time to celebrate Girl Scouts.

Girl Scout Cookies are now available, and the Girl Scouts have a nifty app to show us where to buy our cookies this year. To find your local girl scout cookies, go here.

And, in the interests of historical accuracy, we found this early recipe from the origins of the Girl Scout cookies, and yes, Virginia, I made them, and they are delicious! Lots and lots of butter and sugar and not much else, so if you don’t feel like buying the cookies, here is the original you can use as a substitute. Just remember instead to donate money to the Girl Scouts. For the history of Girl Scout cookies go here.

An Early Girl Scout Cookie® Recipe

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.

MCPS Speech-Language Pathologist: "A student who can communicate, even without words, is a student who can learn, belong, and be safe."

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Public Comment given by a MCPS Speech-Language Pathologist in response to Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor's surprise gutting of Special Education support personnel in December of 2025.

January 15, 2026:

Protecting Students’ Ability to Communicate By Maintaining a Stand-Alone Supervisor for MCPS Speech and Language Services

Good evening,

My name is Amy Thek. I am an MCPS Speech-Language Pathologist, and I am here tonight

because I believe in something very simple:

A student who can communicate, even without words, is a student who can learn,

belong, and be safe.

Speech-language services are how thousands of MCPS students find their ability to

communicate, to find their voice.

Right now, MCPS is in the process of making a structural change that would weaken the system

that protects these students. The district is eliminating the stand-alone Speech and Language

Services Supervisor and moving Speech and Language Services under a general administrative

umbrella that oversees multiple departments.

And that is why I am so deeply concerned.

I have worked as a speech-language pathologist in this district for more than two decades. I

have served students in preschool, elementary, middle; in special education programs such as

SESES, PEP, Autism, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I have worked with students who could

not ask for help, who could not tell someone when they were scared, and who could not explain

what they needed.

One kindergarten student I worked with could not tell his teacher when he was confused or hurt.

He screamed. He hit. He shut down. Not because he was defiant, but because he had no way

to communicate.

After months of speech-language therapy, he learned to say, “Help me,” “I don’t understand,”

and “Stop.”

That did not just change his behavior. It changed the entire school experience for him and his

classmates.

That is what speech-language services do. And those services only work when there is a

strong, clinically led system behind them.

Parents also feel this impact. They’ve shared how their children went from being "invisible" and

frustrated—unable to express needs or make friends—to actively participating in class and

sharing their day. Speech therapy didn't just provide a means of communication; it gave them

dignity.

That dignity does not come from organizational charts or paperwork. It comes from a system

that is properly led, protected, and clinically guided.

Speech-language pathology is not a generic support service. It is a licensed, regulated clinical

service. It directly affects literacy, behavior, mental health, access to instruction, and student

safety.

That is why MCPS has maintained a dedicated, clinically qualified Speech and Language

Supervisor over the past 40 years. Someone whose responsibility is to ensure that over 12,000

students receive speech and language services that are legally mandated, appropriate,

compliant, and based on sound clinical judgment.

Under this change, students are the ones who will feel the impact first. Without a certified

Speech and Language Supervisor, students are going to experience missed IEP services,

delayed evaluations, inappropriate dismissals, inconsistent therapy, and breakdowns in services

when staffing changes occur.

Our department currently supports over 320 full-time equivalent SLPs.

We are in the middle of a national SLP shortage. School systems across the country are

struggling to recruit and retain licensed clinicians. MCPS is no different. When districts remove

clinical leadership and place SLPs under non-specialized supervision, clinicians leave for

districts that respect their expertise and provide professional support.

If this position is eliminated, MCPS will lose many of its own experienced clinicians, and the

students who rely on them will lose continuity of care.

Especially the students who are most impacted: students with autism, complex communication

needs, multilingual learners, and students in our highest-needs schools.

But those students cannot come to this podium.

Their parents are not always able to navigate the system. They rely on us to protect the systems

that protect their children.

A student’s ability to communicate is powerful and necessary.

A system that protects that ability is essential.

Do not remove the one position whose responsibility is to protect students’ communication

services.

Our students deserve better than that.

MCPS Speech and Language Services requires focused, clinically qualified leadership, not

oversight divided across multiple departments.

Thank you.

Maintaining a Stand-Alone Supervisor for MCPS Speech and Language Services

Good evening. My name is Amy Thek. I am a Speech-Language Pathologist in MCPS, and I am

here tonight because I care deeply about the children and families we serve and about the

professionals who work every day to help those children find their voices.

I am asking you to protect something that matters a great deal to our students and to our staff:

that MCPS Speech and Language Services continues to be led by one dedicated, certified

Speech-Language Pathologist, not folded under a general administrator who oversees many

departments.

Currently, Speech and Language Services sits in the Department of Special Education Pre

Kindergarten and Related Services with its own clinically qualified SLP Supervisor whose sole

responsibility is protecting speech-language services. Under the proposed move to a

Department of Special Education Related Services, that structure disappears. One supervisor

will now be responsible not only for Speech and Language Services, but also for Deaf and Hard

of Hearing, Vision Services, Physical Disabilities and High-Incidence Assistive Technology.

These are all highly specialized, regulated programs with completely different clinical standards,

service models, and compliance requirements. No single supervisor - especially one without

SLP licensure - can meaningfully oversee the thousands of IEP service minutes, evaluations,

legal timelines, and clinical decisions required to protect speech-language services while also

running all of those other departments. The result is predictable: Speech and Language

Services will no longer have a real voice when decisions are made about staffing, caseloads,

service delivery models, or compliance with IEPs and federal law. Without an SLP in a

leadership role, decisions will be driven by budget, scheduling, and administrative convenience

rather than by clinical standards, student communication needs, or legal requirements.

And that is why I am worried.

Speech and language services are not just another support on a checklist. When a child cannot

communicate, they cannot learn, they cannot make friends, and they cannot fully participate in

school. We are licensed clinicians who diagnose and treat speech, language, fluency, voice,

social communication, and motor-speech disorders. We write legally binding IEP services and

we are accountable to state and federal law and to a national Code of Ethics.

This work needs clinical leadership.

For decades, MCPS has understood that. Speech and Language Services has always been led

by an SLP, someone who has done this work and understands what is at stake when it is not

done well. That leadership has kept students safe, supported staff, and kept the system running

in a way that is both ethical and legal.

Putting Speech and Language Services under a general administrative umbrella breaks that.

A non-SLP can track paperwork. But they cannot determine whether a child’s speech goals are

clinically appropriate, whether therapy is being delivered in a way that can actually produce

change, or whether a student is failing because of their disability or because the program is not

designed correctly. They cannot look at data and know if a child is truly making progress,

plateauing, or regressing. They cannot evaluate whether an IEP goal is evidence-based,

whether services are being delivered with fidelity, or whether a child who cannot speak is being

given a meaningful opportunity to communicate. Those judgments require licensed clinical

expertise

And when clinical leadership disappears, quality turns into compliance, and children are the

ones who lose.

Right now, Speech and Language Services serves more than 12,000 students across 211

schools with more than 320 full-time equivalent SLPs. The need grows every year. At the same

time, we are in a national shortage of speech-language pathologists.

There are more open jobs than there are SLPs to fill them.

Fewer clinicians are choosing school-based work.

Graduate programs cannot keep up with demand.

And more children than ever need services.

This is not a short-term problem. This is the reality of our profession.

MCPS is still able to function in this crisis because Speech and Language Services runs its own

clinician-led recruitment and staffing system. We know licensure rules. We know supervision

requirements. We know what it means to be a school-based SLP. People do not come to MCPS

because of a generic job posting. They come because they talk to SLP leaders who understand

them, their training, and their profession. That connection is what brings people here and what

keeps them here.

Our department also tracks vacancies in real time, works directly with principals, manages

transfers, recruits nationally, and places contractor SLPs when MCPS clinicians are not

available. These decisions are made based on student needs and clinical realities, not

convenience.

That is how we keep services running.

Contractor SLPs are not used casually. In-person services are prioritized for Pre-K, special

schools, self-contained programs, and students with complex needs. Virtual services are used

only when there is no other option, and they are closely monitored and changed as soon as an

in-person SLP becomes available.

This system works because it is run by clinicians.

Every SLP in MCPS is bound by a national Code of Ethics. We are required to do what is right

for children. When decisions are made by people without clinical training, it puts us in

impossible positions and it puts the district at risk of legal and ethical violations.

That is why a certified SLP Supervisor matters.

And MCPS already has that safeguard. It is working.

Speech and Language Services is not one person. It is a countywide clinical system. The

Supervisor, six Support SLPs, and an Instructional Specialist support all the SLPs, IEPs,

meetings, Pre-K programs and services, services in private and parochial schools, diagnostic

evaluations, staffing, allocations for all schools, vacancy coverage, professional learning,

Clinical Fellows, hiring, and contractors just to name a few.

This is how services stay consistent and safe, no matter where a child attends school.

Under SLP leadership, Speech and Language Services also successfully led the overhaul of the

Medical Assistance billing platform, a complex, multi-year effort that will improve compliance

and increase revenue for MCPS. That only happened because the people leading the work

understood both the clinical side and the system side.

Please do not dismantle something that is protecting children just because it looks simpler on

paper.

Speech-Language Pathology is specialized, regulated, and high-stakes work. Our students,

families, and clinicians rely on having a stand-alone, clinically-qualified SLP supervisor, and we

cannot afford to lose this leadership.

More than 12,000 students across 211 schools are counting on you.

Please stand with them. Please protect the system that serves them.

Thank you.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DQDPVN667ADC/$file/Amy%20Thek%20-%20Speech%20Language%20Testimony%20Final.pdf

xMINDS: Major Cuts to MCPS Autism Services - Autism Unit Reduced by half

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

REDUCTIONS IN AUTISM-SPECIFIC EXPERTISE RAISE CONCERNS

As Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor enters his second year and Dr. Margaret Cage is early in her first year leading the Division of Specialized Support Services, MCPS is executing significant changes to special education that directly affect autistic students and their families.

We have learned of reductions and reorganization within MCPS special education, including the elimination of supervisors of services important to autistic students: Autism Services, Speech and Language Services, Transition Services, and Alternate Learning Outcomes.

Most concerning, the Autism Unit has been reduced by roughly half. Two positions were eliminated, and five psychologists with autism-specific assessment expertise were reassigned to general caseloads, dispersing specialized knowledge that has long supported schools and IEP teams. At its peak, the Autism Unit included 21 full-time specialists serving 73 schools. The unit’s longtime supervisor, Kristin Ericson, is also departing after 43 years at MCPS, representing a major loss of expertise and institutional knowledge.

For more information, go to:

Superintendent's Recommended Fiscal Year 2027 Operating Budget

Superintendent's Recommended Special Education Staffing Plan Fiscal Year 2027 Operating Budget

Important Upcoming Dates:

Board of Education Public Hearings: Thursday, January 15, and Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Board of Education Board Work Sessions: January 20, and January 29, 2026
Tentative Board of Education Adoption: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Final Adoption: Expected Thursday, June 4, 2026

UNCERTAINTY AHEAD

It remains unclear how autism services will be delivered under the new structure or how schools or educators will access specialized support. These changes come at a time when MCPS projects continued growth in the number of students with autism and plans to expand its Classic Autism program into three new schools with 10-13 additional classes — raising urgent questions about capacity, training, and oversight.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Autistic students often require specialized support tailored to their unique learning styles. Even well-intentioned educators who lack training in autism may struggle to provide effective support, as they may misinterpret what they are observing.

Reducing autism-specific staffing while expanding autism programs risks leaving schools without the expertise necessary to meet students’ needs.

https://xminds.org/resources/EmailTemplates/News%20Webpage%20January%202026/index_preview.html

MCPS was Stopped from Moving Seven Locks ES to another site. IG Exposed MCPS Fib about Cost Data.

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 21:00:00 +0000

In 2006, MCPS was stopped by the Montgomery County Council from moving Seven Locks Elementary School to another site after a scathing report was released by the Montgomery County Inspector General. The IG found that MCPS had fibbed about construction costs.

A few weeks after the IG's report was released the County Council defunded the project and Seven Locks Elementary School was not moved.

The superintendent's plan had been to hand the existing site over to developers.

Here's the timeline of what happened:

FEBRUARY, 2006: Montgomery County Inspector General Thomas Dagley releases a 25-page report that faults MCPS for providing misleading and inflated cost data about renovating Seven Locks Elementary and failing to provide the board and council with information about two less costly options on the site. The report also states that MCPS misrepresented community sentiment in reports to the board and council. In response, Councilmember Howard Denis (R-1) says he’ll introduce a CIP amendment to halt plans to build on Kendale and instead build a new school on the current Seven Locks site...

https://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2006/feb/14/seven-locks-controversy-timeline/

The Montgomery County Council affirmed March 28 that it will not fund the construction of an elementary school on Kendale Road in Potomac — an outcome that was nearly inconceivable three months ago...

https://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2006/mar/28/if-not-kendale-then-what/

2/18/26: MCPS Director of Security at BCC High School on VOLT AI Pilot

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Notes from the PTSA meeting held at BCC High School on February 18, 2026.

The topic of the meeting was the surprise announcement of a pilot of the VOLT AI system. MCPS Director of Security Marcus Jones was the only speaker on this topic. No representatives from VOLT AI spoke.

Director Jones said that MCPS was approached and offered a no cost, 30 day trial of the VOLT AI product.

The 30 day pilot will be at three schools: Seneca Valley HS because it is the largest high school in the state of Maryland, BCC High School because it is urban, and Magruder High School because it is suburban. They asked the principals if they would participate. The pilot will begin March 2nd.

Director Jones said this is the "evaluation phase." There will be weekly reports and a final report. MCPS schools already have cameras. The VOLT AI system will only be on 30 cameras per school. Each school has about 200 cameras. Currently, existing MCPS cameras are not monitored.

A question was asked about what data MCPS currently has on incidents at schools and if that data would be used to compare to to the data generated from the VOLT AI pilot. Director Jones said there isn't any data and you can't know what will happen in a school any given week. There are no plans to evaluate data and no metrics for evaluating the system were stated.

The agreement to do this pilot was reviewed by MCPS legal counsel.

Director Jones said that nothing is off the table with regard to school security.

Once installed, MCPS will run tests to see how VOLT AI responds. They will set up test scenarios and see response. A human at VOLT AI will receive the alerts, review the video and contact MCPS. A question was asked about where the VOLT AI human was located, the answer was USA.

VOLT AI will retain the video for 30 days and then it will be deleted.

Director Jones said he can not speak to the cost of VOLT AI. He said he is not the decision maker. The decision maker are the elected officials. Even though VOLT AI is from Bethesda, they won't be given preference.

Director Jones will not tell principals how to use the information from VOLT AI.

Statement on Behalf of the Black United Front of Montgomery County Re: Wootton High School

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:35:00 +0000

The Black United Front Of Montgomery County is saddened and troubled by the shooting that took place on Monday. Our thoughts are with the family of the victim and we offer any help as they navigate this very difficult time.

At the same time though, The Black United Front of Moco cannot help but condemn the backlash and outrage over the facts. The fact that certain public officials are calling for the return of School Resource Officers despite study after study and input from experts that SRO’s do not contribute to student and school safety and marginalize Black students. The fact that certain public officials are calling for AI Surveillance in schools. Which is problematic considering the fact that AI has already been noted for having racial bias and that this measure will disproportionately affect Black students. In addition, contribute to the expansion of the police surveillance state in Montgomery County. Lastly, the fact that certain segments of the populace are demanding metal detectors in schools. This is problematic because it essentially turns schools into training grounds for incarceration and feeds into the school to prison pipeline and the larger prison industrial complex.

The fact is that despite the condolences offered by the County Council, this is just a cover of the continued anti-Blackness that permeates the county. For 250 years since the county’s establishment, it has been very apparent that Black people are the permanent underclass and as the permanent underclass, they feel that they can do whatever they want to us. It is a bitter irony that for a County that is celebrating its 250 years with the theme of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion that the Black community continues to be excluded and denigrated. Despite the passage of the Racial Equity and Social Justice Act in 2019, the Council wants to act like they haven’t passed it. We demand that the council makes a stronger commitment to enforce the laws and rules already in statute and county policy.

This was totally preventable! Especially since the mother reported that she had been trying to remove her son from Wootton due to the ongoing bullying that they have been dealing with. Anyone who is familiar with MCPS will tell you that the bullying is at an astronomical level with the Board of Education and MCPS in particular stepping in line defending bullies. On top of which, the anti-Blackness in the bullying adds additional trauma to students. This is not surprising but still disgusting because despite recommendations from activist-organizers on developing Black cultural curriculum, mental health centers and designating young Black boys as a protective class, there has been silence or in some cases hostilities in creating programs specifically for Black students yet the same bodies will create programs for every other group.

The Black United Front demands accountability not only from the School Board, but the County Council and the County Executive who has firmly denied and allowed this incident to happen. Blood is on their hands. We demand that the County Council, the School Board apologize for their failure to act on behalf of Black youth. We demand investments in Black youth that include a Black cultural curriculum, true restorative justice, and wraparound mental health services. We also demand an immediate emergency council meeting to deal with the crisis among Black youth especially since the increase of homicides in the county disproportionately affect Black boys and men.

Uhuru
The Black United Front Of Moco:
Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition
Racial Justice NOW!
UNIA-ACL
Cameroon American Council
Friends of the Congo
EPIC of Moco

Ujima People Progress Party

Day after Wootton High shooting, Montgomery Co. superintendent addresses frustrated parents

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000

...But as the meeting concluded, several parents shouted questions and concerns at Taylor. Questions could be submitted, and more community meetings would be planned, Taylor assured them.

Eventually, as the comments continued, Taylor told families he knew his responses would be “unfulfilling and unsatisfactory,” and then ended the meeting.

“That was very embarrassing,” one parent said. “We came here because we expected that they were going to answer our questions, but unfortunately, they didn’t answer our questions.”..

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2026/02/day-after-wootton-high-shooting-montgomery-co-superintendent-addresses-frustrated-parents/

Once again, MCPS skips public bidding process for "pilot" with unknown cost/benefit. Future cost could be tens of millions.

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

The Montgomery County Board of Education has had no public discussion of this pilot. The Board of Education has not voted to pilot this company's system and did not pick the 3 schools.

In 2024, MCPS estimated that weapons detection systems for secondary schools would cost $11,000,000.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What we know about an AI-powered weapons detection system coming to county schools

The day before gunfire pierced a Montgomery County high school, the district quietly began rolling out a pilot program for an AI-powered weapons detection system.

Chief Safety Officer Marcus Jones wrote to families in three high school communities — Seneca Valley, Bethesda-Chevy Chase* and Magruder — to tell them that their campuses were poised to test VOLT AI.

“This pilot is a careful, short-term opportunity to test a potential tool,” the Feb. 8 letter reads...

...How much does it cost?

Sokolowski isn’t charging Montgomery County for its 30-day pilot.

“We are confident in our technology, so we allow companies and school districts to pilot completely for free.”

He said he has not yet discussed future pricing models with the district...

https://www.thebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/ai-powered-weapons-detection-montgomery-schools-wootton-HX2I2EI5YZC2NAK4OMDITQX2PU/

*Note: Superintendent Thomas Taylor has said he grew up in the BCC High School community and would be moving home when he took the MCPS superintendent position.

Student injured, another arrested in shooting at Wootton High in Maryland

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A 16-year-old male student was shot inside Wootton High School in suburban Maryland on Monday afternoon, and police have arrested another student in the case, officials said.

The suspect, who is also 16 and lives in Rockville, will be charged as an adult, officials in Montgomery County said.

The victim, who police say is from Gaithersburg, was taken to a hospital in stable condition. The students’ names were not released. Both are students at Wootton.

The school campus was placed on lockdown...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/02/09/shooting-wootton-high-school-maryland/

Tuesday 2/20/2026 Police Press Conference on Wootton HS Shooting. No MCPS participation in press conference.

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Breaking: 20 Victims Sue MCPS under Child Victim's Act #childabuse #survivors

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

From Wikipedia:

The Maryland Child Victims Act is a law in the U.S. state of Maryland passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the 445th legislative session in 2023 and signed into law by Governor Wes Moore. It retroactively and prospectively repeals the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse lawsuits and raises the liability limits for a single plaintiff for claims against private institutions. Its first version was introduced by former Democratic state senator James Brochin in 2007. Iterations of the proposal were put forth during the 425th, 435th, 436th, 437th, 439th, 441st, 442nd, and 445th legislative sessions...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Child_Victims_Act

In 2025, approximately 20 Montgomery County Public School children or adults filed suit against the Montgomery County Board of Education under the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023.

The Montgomery County Board of Education has already hired the outside law firm of Karpinski, Colaresi & Karp, P.A. in Baltimore to handle the majority of these cases.

Yet, as of today, the Montgomery County Board of Education and Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor have not said a word about these cases.

Further, to date, the Montgomery County Board of Education has never put out a statement with regard to the dozens upon dozens of children who have been sexually abused in classrooms and schools over the last 20 years. In the vast majority of these cases MCPS administrators, and sometimes even the Board of Education, had been notified of suspected child abuse occurring in a school but did not report this information and did not remove the suspected perpetrator from contact with students.

MCPS even kept a secret list of suspected abusers who were still employed by the school system.

The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD has followed many of these cases by attending court proceedings. In the majority of these cases, there was no press in the courtroom, no one from the Board of Education and no one from MCPS.

Neither the BOE nor MCPS administrators were in the courtrooms to hear the victim impact statements on behalf of these children. We have transcribed just a few of these statements for the public.

VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS

The 2017, weeklong trial of MCPS elementary school teacher John Vigna wasn't even covered by any local media. When the trial was over, the Parents' Coalition obtained the audio transcripts of the trial and posted much of the proceeding to this blog.

Does MCPS still keep a secret list of suspected child abusers that are in classrooms?

"We have a confidential file that we keep separate from personnel files, and we check those names routinely when we get an investigation." Statement of MCPS investigator Myles Alban, Page 102, Transcript of Daniel Picca v. Montgomery County Board of Education.

Will the Board of Education acknowledge these 20+/- victims or will they continue to spend Operating Budget funds on endless litigation fighting students who were sexually abused in MCPS schools?

County officials cite communication gaps after snowstorm

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

...A Delayed Response

Montgomery County Public Schools requested county assistance Sunday Feb. 1 at around 2 p.m.—about a week after the storm hit—to clear sidewalks and school bus stops. Officials later said the work was not completed.

“We couldn’t make a decision to open schools if there was no enforcement of clearing sidewalks,” said Adnan Mamoom, chief of district operations for MCPS. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have a way for students to safely walk to school.”..

https://www.mymcmedia.org/county-officials-cite-communication-gaps-after-snowstorm/

MCPS parents worried about proposed changes to special education staffing at schools

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 20:14:00 +0000

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/mcps-parents-frustrated-about-proposed-staffing-changes-special-education-departments

‘A long list of problems’: MCPS proposes adding auditor to expand investigative abilities

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) may hire a program audit coordinator to expand the district’s investigative abilities beyond financial audits in response to County Council concerns that the district relies too heavily on the county inspector general’s office for oversight, according to MCPS officials.

“Well, we have a long list of problems, there’s no question about that. There’s a long list of things that we could look into and correct,” Superintendent Thomas Taylor told the county school board during a Jan. 20 work session on the district’s proposed $3.78 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2027.

Creating the position, which would report directly to the board, “might help to support identifying areas of improvement … it may enhance our efforts to continuously improve,” Taylor said.

The audit coordinator was among several positions Taylor included in proposed discretionary spending, such as 10 full-time equivalent positions to support implementing a proposed regional program model, a Safe Routes to School coordinator to support pedestrian safety, 28 full-time equivalent elementary school-based safety staff and 153 full time equivalent special education resource teachers...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2026/01/29/mcps-auditor-budget/

For $360,000 Superintendent Taylor makes cute snow day videos, but doesn't show up at County Council for Briefing on MCPS Snow Operations.

noreply@blogger.com (Janis Sartucci) — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 23:00:00 +0000

The Montgomery County Board of Education hired Superintendent Thomas W. Taylor in July of 2024, at a salary of $360,000.

Parents, guardians, students and staff have seen the Superintendent's cute snow day videos.

But tomorrow, Tuesday, February 3, 2026, when the County Council holds a Briefing on the Winter Storm/Snow Operations during Winter Storm Fern, they won't see the Superintendent.

Instead, Superintendent Taylor and the Board of Education will skip the Council's Briefing and send staff in their place.