October 22, 2024 Staff and Community Update: Highlights from the Superintendent’s October 2024 Press Conference
Watch the Press Conference
Dr. Myriam Rogers held a media availability today, October 22, to provide updates, information and important reminders for Team BCPS.
Updates on the Second Month of the 2024-2025 School Year
- Superintendent Dr. Rogers has had several opportunities since the start of the school year to connect with staff, students, families and stakeholders, and observe schools in action. BCPS recently held two ribbon cutting ceremonies—at Nottingham Middle School and Bedford Elementary School.
- We are truly grateful for all of the lawmakers, partners and community members that work tirelessly to ensure we can fulfill our commitment to providing world-class school facilities. Nottingham Middle School is the first construction of a new, comprehensive middle school since 2006 when Windsor Mill Middle School was built and opened on the west side of Baltimore County. It is the first new middle school on the east side of Baltimore County since Pine Grove MS was opened in 1974.
- The Bedford Elementary School project is twice the size of the former building and doubled the state-rated capacity from 309 to 689 to help relieve overcrowding in the northwest area elementary schools.
- We look forward to opening many more state-of-the-art facilities for our students and staff in the years to come.
- Also, over the last few weeks, BCPS held four community meetings—two systemwide curriculum nights and two community conversations on safety and security. Our curriculum nights provided families with an opportunity to see firsthand what students are learning and explore system efforts to make improvements in key academic priority areas. Families could view curricular and instructional materials, ask questions, and connect with content area experts. At our community conversations, families, elected officials and staff came together to brainstorm and problem solve and discuss ways to foster safe and welcoming learning environments for all. Families identified helpful resources, and we have promised them to the entire community.
- Community engagement and building strong system partnerships remains a top priority of the system and Dr. Rogers looks forward to meeting with many more members of Team BCPS at the various meetings and events we have scheduled for this school year.
First Marking Period
- The first marking period will end on October 31. While we are confident that we will continue to see positive trends with key academic data because our students and staff are working hard, it is important for us to remind and encourage Team BCPS students to finish this marking period strong.
- For our students, that means continuing to attend school consistently, engaging in instruction and reaching out to teachers and staff for help when needed. For our parents and caregivers, that means checking student progress and current levels of performance by logging into Schoology and connecting with classroom teachers and administrators for support. As a reminder, BCPS developed the “Here For It” initiative to provide parents and educators with tools and resources to promote and ensure good student attendance.
Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports
- In August, Dr. Rogers shared that BCPS is expanding access to comprehensive behavioral services for students through a new partnership with the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports. Eight community mental health providers are working with the system to provide a range of services to students across all grade levels. These services include therapy, workshops, family education, prevention services, mentoring, family support groups, character education, and more.
- Through this grant, students at 155 BCPS schools have access to these additional services; this has grown from 111 schools.
- BCPS is working in collaboration with the Baltimore County HUB to complete community needs assessments.
- Our priority will continue to include a focus on mental and behavioral health services, as well as access to telehealth services, hiring and retention of clinically trained providers, and community-based intervention services that promotes school attendance and positive communities.
Digital Citizenship Week
- October 14-18 was national Digital Citizenship Week, which serves as an important time for us all to pause and reflect on the importance of having a healthy approach to media and technology use. This national recognition is especially important for us as BCPS begins the second month of our cell phone pilot program.
- We currently have 19 middle and high schools participating in the pilot. Our principals have begun sharing initial feedback and information on how things are going in the schoolhouse, and we have also seen on recent school visits to these schools that phones are away, and students are deeply engaged in instruction.
- We are encouraged by what we are seeing and plan to open the pilot program for more schools to participate. Dr. Rogers will provide a full report to the Board of Education soon.
- Parents and caregivers are encouraged to reinforce the importance of following our cell phone policy and encouraging students to have their phones off and away so they can remain focused throughout the school day.
School Bus Safety
- Lastly, October 21-25 is national School Bus Safety week. We call on all motorists in the county to please slow down and stop for our school buses as they pick up and drop off students. The school bus camera enforcement program is underway, and motorists will receive a citation for passing stopped school buses.
- The numbers of cars that are still passing our buses during this warning period is alarming. It takes all of us doing our part to keep children safe as they walk to school, cross our roadways, and get on and off the school bus.