Putting Students First Community Engagement Events

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. McKnight is holding three in person community engagement forums following Spring Break. I’m surprised that there’s not an online option but I guess meeting with a few hundred parents will check off a box for community engagement.

I am not understanding how this implies MCPS is putting students first. Wasn’t that part of her 100 days slogan? How were students put first for this school year?

https://mcpsweb.wufoo.com/forms/all-together-now-putting-our-students-first/

I love that she does this! We're so lucky to have such a great leader!

+1000 I know!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why aren’t any of these meeting virtual for parents not comfortable in a large indoor group setting?

As someone who was traveling out of state and not wearing a mask (and as someone who contracted COVID during winter break) Dr. McKnight doesn’t consider that some families still are trying to prevent bringing COVID home to family members.

COVID rates are on the rise in Montgomery County and the numbers are going to jump when maskless students and staff return from spring break. Holding large indoor maskless meetings right after spring break is not a good idea. At a minimum, have a virtual option available so parents can participate safely. Education was online for 18 months so MCPS should have the technology.

And, have one for families who choose virtual due to Covid.

To make the meetings more accessible, all should be video streamed with a method that parents at home can submit questions. It’s not rocket science. Our PTA meeting still is not having in person meetings and we rarely saw more than 30 parents participate in person before COVID. The PTA membership has far greater participation now that meetings are virtual. No one has to worry about sitters and other issues.

And we’ve seen just the opposite at our school. If we get 15 people to show up to the virtual PTA meeting we’re doing great, and that includes most of the board attending.

Agree, virtual PTA meetings are great as more people can attend and participate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lot of BS stuff about social emotional learning and nothing about how they are going to close the achievement gap and the learning loss.

So much easier to talk about the BS stuff and appease the public. Much harder to actually educate our kids well. That’s why MCPS focuses on the BS. All about the optics.

+1000 this. And, if they start to hold kids accountable in terms of grades, classwork and homework, parents will have a fit like they did before and MCPS wants to appease those parents. I'm shocked at our PTA meetings when we have discussions with the principal and the homework topic for older kids comes up and parents don't feel their kids should get homework (they get very little).

Wait, so your peer/neighboring parents have a problem with homework, yet you want to place all the blame on MCPS??? I thought folks wanted local control and their districts and BOE to listen and respond to parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. McKnight is holding three in person community engagement forums following Spring Break. I’m surprised that there’s not an online option but I guess meeting with a few hundred parents will check off a box for community engagement.

I am not understanding how this implies MCPS is putting students first. Wasn’t that part of her 100 days slogan? How were students put first for this school year?

https://mcpsweb.wufoo.com/forms/all-together-now-putting-our-students-first/

I love that she does this! We're so lucky to have such a great leader!

Pulling from page 1? I think you need to keep reading the rest of the thread pages.

[Anonymous]

The first event is just getting underway up at Gaithersburg HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The first event is just getting underway up at Gaithersburg HS.

Ironic that they are having some high covid numbers... what could go wrong. In person, right after spring break and no masks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lot of BS stuff about social emotional learning and nothing about how they are going to close the achievement gap and the learning loss.

So much easier to talk about the BS stuff and appease the public. Much harder to actually educate our kids well. That’s why MCPS focuses on the BS. All about the optics.

+1000 this. And, if they start to hold kids accountable in terms of grades, classwork and homework, parents will have a fit like they did before and MCPS wants to appease those parents. I'm shocked at our PTA meetings when we have discussions with the principal and the homework topic for older kids comes up and parents don't feel their kids should get homework (they get very little).

Wait, so your peer/neighboring parents have a problem with homework, yet you want to place all the blame on MCPS??? I thought folks wanted local control and their districts and BOE to listen and respond to parents?

Its not local control if schools don't make decisions on grading and homework. I think its pathetic to demand no homework for high school students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lot of BS stuff about social emotional learning and nothing about how they are going to close the achievement gap and the learning loss.

So much easier to talk about the BS stuff and appease the public. Much harder to actually educate our kids well. That’s why MCPS focuses on the BS. All about the optics.

+1000 this. And, if they start to hold kids accountable in terms of grades, classwork and homework, parents will have a fit like they did before and MCPS wants to appease those parents. I'm shocked at our PTA meetings when we have discussions with the principal and the homework topic for older kids comes up and parents don't feel their kids should get homework (they get very little).

Wait, so your peer/neighboring parents have a problem with homework, yet you want to place all the blame on MCPS??? I thought folks wanted local control and their districts and BOE to listen and respond to parents?

Its not local control if schools don't make decisions on grading and homework. I think its pathetic to demand no homework for high school students.

And yet, the people complaining were parents at a PTA meeting with the school principal. If local control meant each individual school then there would be no need for a school district. Each school would be its own separate entity doing its own thing. So obviously that’s not what local control means in this context.

[Anonymous]

Any recap from last night? I wished I could have watched it online. I didn’t feel safe attending in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any recap from last night? I wished I could have watched it online. I didn’t feel safe attending in person.

Bethesda Beat Recap: https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/community-members-call-for-equity-accountability-at-mcps-in-session-with-superintendent/

I hope after listening at these events, Dr. McKnight will do more than just talk about fixing problems. While she listens, her focus has been to expand administrative positions in central office while cutting positions in schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any recap from last night? I wished I could have watched it online. I didn’t feel safe attending in person.

Bethesda Beat Recap: https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/community-members-call-for-equity-accountability-at-mcps-in-session-with-superintendent/

I hope after listening at these events, Dr. McKnight will do more than just talk about fixing problems. While she listens, her focus has been to expand administrative positions in central office while cutting positions in schools.

Central office is being hit hard with covid again. With all of them sick, she needs more staff to do their jobs.

[Anonymous]

159,000 students in MCPS, and she is going to 3 HSs to listen to the community?

BS - it is a PR, check the box to say I've talked to the community publicity stunt. Nothing will come from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She’s just building her image, OP. She wants to be seen as close to the families she serves. A photo of her talking to families, a little buzz and press coverage, and she’s in clover.
Unless the meetings turn contentious, and the media stories are about how communities are unhappy with her…

total waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I ditto the complaints from the special needs community. Dr. McKnight leads a school system that ignores the needs of students with disabilities at every turn. Instead of PPW and school psychologists (staff with specific expertise regarding problems for my child) MCPS stacks the meeting with so many school administrators and now legal staff that the hands on providers have stopped providing input.

You can’t put students first if the Special Education Department operates in a dysfunctional manner that MCPS turns to a slash and burn policy of attacking students and parents for their advocacy. MCPS fails to put students first when they use COVID as an excuse to not implement 504 Plans and IEPs then buck at the concept that every child with special needs deserve compensatory services.

Three meetings are not enough to hear from parents in MCPS. A virtual option for participating is needed for families who have loved ones with underlying health conditions that a large indoor gathering precludes them from attending in person. At a time MCPS is still holding IEP meetings virtually, I am not understanding why a community input meeting doesn’t have an online option.

I agree 100%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Before you complain, have you ever been to one of these meetings? It’s structured information gathering, not information flow down. If you don’t like what’s happening in MCPS, go and give your input, rather than complain on an anonymous board.

What matters is the ability to put that information to use. MCPS has failed consistently to do so and are focused on denying opportunities for highly abled students in the school system by Lottery instead of expanding the opportunities for all students.