Petition: Say No to Ripping Up Local School Schedules
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Anonymous
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https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-state-board-say-no-to-ripping-up-school-schedules/?fbclid=IwAR15SOati6vJGyqH45ELcdxN3Igh3hS81dbS8A7YgM1O9nfcvT13IR8crNU
Just days after Governor Hogan held a press conference throwing school systems under the bus and undercutting the work of educators, now State Superintendent Karen Salmon is recklessly attempting to do more of the same. At the State Board meeting this Tuesday, September 1, Superintendent Salmon will propose that all school systems must revamp their schedules to hit new, arbitrary targets for synchronous and asynchronous learning by September 28. If she has her way, then—after months of silence and zero guidance on schedules from the State Board—in just a few weeks systems, schools, and families across the state will need to rip up the schedules and plans they’ve spent months developing to meet these new targets. Enough is enough. The school year is beginning, and educators, parents, and students need stability and time to focus on teaching and learning. Instead, the state is trying to make reckless and arbitrary decisions that will make the first days and weeks of an already stressful start of school even more chaotic and confusing. Sign our petition to call on the State Board of Education to reject Superintendent Salmon’s proposal and instead support the following reasonable next steps: No major mandated scheduling changes should be implemented until after the first quarter. No major scheduling changes should be implemented until the State Board hears from educators, parents, and students about how the beginning of the school year goes. No major scheduling changes should be implemented without developing recommended screen time limits for all grade levels. Use the State Board’s power to fight for needed resources for a successful start to the year and a safe reopening of buildings, including adequate PPE for students and school staff, laptops or devices for every student, and reliable internet access for all students and staff. |
Anonymous
| I’m confused. She hasn’t proposed anything yet according to this. Do you have advance information of what she will be proposing? |
Anonymous
| OP, you act like stability is the end point. I have heard MCPS has been working hard, but until I see the results I’m certainly not going to be signing something demanding the status quo. Spring was underwhelming. Hopefully fall will be better. |
Anonymous
The proposal is here. http://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/meeting-agendas/2020/2020-09-01.aspx If accepted on Tuesday it would require schools to alter the schedules they have out together by the end of the month. In most cases requiring more live lessons and more independent work for students. |
Anonymous
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Sorry, here is the link to the proposal
http://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Documents/2020/0901/Maryland-Recovery-Plan-Education-Student-Engagement.pdf MCPS would be less affected more for the upper grades. Your lower grades have 4.75 daily hours of live and only would be required to have 4 so I think you'd be fine there, but you would need about 1 more hour a day of independent work assigned. Your high school schedules would need to change. You need I think 5 more hours of live instruction weekly in your high school schedule and more independent work too. The point is that the Board is throwing this on schools very last minute. Schools are trying hard to create a schedule that will work. |
Anonymous
| This petition is written horribly. All of this should be in the first paragraph. |
Anonymous
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On the "more independent work", does that actually require the school to assign anything more? Couldn't they just rewrite the schedule so that instead of saying 1 pm to 2 pm, independent work, it now says 1 pm to 3 pm, independent work?
Maybe I'm missing something. |
Anonymous
More work actually would need to be assigned. Teachers have to estimate the amount of time the work would take, and factor that into their plans. |
Anonymous
And why is this a bad thing? Our metrics are good enough for the kids to be back in school. 10x better than many southern schools that have been open for weeks with masks optional and are doing fine. Are you saying we should sit on our assess until February? There should have ALREADY been a plan in place to slowly bring back the kids. Yes, we start with virtual - but there needed to be a plan in place PRIOR to school starting with how they would allow teachers and students back in slowly when the time was ready. You know, be prepared so you aren't scrambling. I mean are you telling me there is ZERO plans in place on how to start integrating kids back into the schools. That doesn't disappoint you? I mean come on. They had all summer to get a virtual school in place and then a plan to start a mix of hybrid when the time is right. How can other states and even local counties manage this, but MCPS can not. Why is MCPS always (and I mean ALWAYS!) the ones fighting and complaining to the state. Whether it is snow day waivers (remember we were the only county who didn't try and make up days in the school year and then bitched when our waivers were denied.) schedules, school start time, funding, DL, etc... it is forever MCPS that is a total lazy whiny PIA complainer. No one is saying YOUR child has to go back. Every district across the country going back has virtual schooling in place, if needed. But if MCPS is okay with allowing daycares to rent their schools for a PROFIT and then okay with them charging $1500 a month per kid to go to childcare IN school, but not have a plan in place to get SPED, IEP's, and K-3rd back in school eventually, they are total a-holes. |
Anonymous
My kid had 20min of a 1 hour classes today due to glitches. He will have one more chance at the class on Thursday. That is it for the week. That is not enough for AP |
Anonymous
No. That sounds like first day glitches. Even when we had in person school, there could be glitches. Why can't your school's AP classes do recorded video lessons and use class time for discussion? That's what my college student's schedule is like this year for most classes. |
Anonymous
| Or assign reading and videos? There's no limit to homework time for AP classes . The only limit is in the live time, really -- which for AP students should be discussion. |
Anonymous
I think you might be on the wrong thread. There are a ton of threads where you can debate in person vs DL. This is specifically addressing the last minute dictate from the state for hours of synchronous DL. And the state has had everyone’s DL plans for over two weeks now. And all summer the state kept deferring to the districts saying it was up to them. Now when school is starting, they come up with requirements that virtually none of the districts meet. |
Anonymous
The proposal that will be discussed tomorrow is talking about distance learning only. Not in person learning. We ALREADY have plans in place in all our schools for hours of live and asynchronous instruction. It's too disruptive to add to new requirements now. Let schools go with the plans they have in place for distance learning. |
Anonymous
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From the State Department of Ed website: "Please email comments to: educationplan.msde@maryland.gov until further notice. Comments will be reviewed on a continuous basis."
I encourage you to write if you want to weigh in. |