 Council Sitting as Board of Health - Briefing - MCPS Protocols for Vaccination and Quarantine Requirements - Sept 14, 2021
“Clearly, 2,000 students being quarantined in a week and entire grades of children being out of schools is a terrible outcome — something that we should do everything in our power to avoid. And it does seem that these new protocols that have been described today are a significant step in a better direction.”
The County Council recently received a briefing from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials on their COVID-19 testing protocols and quarantine requirements. I am pleased to report that the school system implemented a new rapid COVID-19 testing program and updated its quarantine policy to align with State guidance. Specifically, symptomatic students will now be given a rapid test at school. They, and their close contacts, will only be required to quarantine if there is a positive result or a known exposure. These positive changes will prevent unnecessary quarantines and reduce losses of in-person learning.
In addition, MCPS committed to appointing a chief health officer, establishing a COVID-19 Operations Advisory Committee, enhancing its COVID-19 dashboard, launching an outreach campaign to increase the number of students who have opted in to COVID-19 screening tests in schools, and providing additional support to help with schools’ COVID-19 response effort.
Thank you to the parents and community advocates who worked diligently on this issue. Your efforts resulted in these changes. I will continue to stay actively engaged in the conversation to ensure we keep students safe and in school.
 On July 23, we joined community leaders and neighbors from the Montgomery Square, Regency Estates, and Scotland communities to exchange street signs bearing the names of Confederate generals for those of two African American community leaders, William Dove and Geneva Mason, following the street renaming effort we initiated more than a year prior to ensure that the names of our streets reflect the people in our community and the values we share.
William Dove was a former slave who became the founder and landowner of the Scotland community in 1880, establishing one of Montgomery County's historically African American communities. Geneva Mason, who passed away in 1980, was known for her instrumental role in rebuilding the Scotland community and defending this historical community and its residents from urban renewal efforts in the 1960s. I was especially proud to be joined by relatives and descendants of both these leaders as we appropriately honored their contributions to our community, in our community.
This occasion marked the culmination of over a year of research and community engagement led by the Montgomery Planning Department and initiated by a letter I spearheaded in June 2020 with the unanimous support of my Council colleagues. Over the last year, the Planning Department surveyed all County street names and identified the streets that might bear names contrary to our community's values. JEB Stuart Road, Jubal Early Road, and Jubal Early Court in Potomac were the impetus behind the effort and were selected for the first round of renaming - as these streets were inexcusably named during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, not in spite of the Confederates’ roles in perpetuating slavery and committing treason against the United States, but because of it. The Planning Department worked closely with the community before ultimately selecting Geneva Mason and William Dove to be intentional replacing national symbols of hatred and exclusion with local examples of inclusion and empowerment.
We are proud to honor William Dove and Geneva Mason’s legacy so present and future residents will remember their contributions to Montgomery County and celebrate the community values they represent. As we continue our work to dismantle the structures of institutional racism, we must also dismantle the symbols that normalize and perpetuate it. There is much more work to do, but this represents progress.
 Recently, I had the privilege of participating in a panel discussion hosted by BisNow on the future of the North Bethesda area. The realization of the White Flint Sector Plan vision has been a priority of mine since taking office and we continue to work with our private sector partners and community stakeholder to ensure the infrastructure and amenities outlined in the 2010 Plan come to fruition. We are making progress - the new street grid on the western side of the Pike is nearing completion, Bus Rapid Transit for MD355 is underway, funding has been provided for the second entrance to the White Flint Metro Station, and the dangerous channelized right turns will soon be re-engineered to create a safer, more inviting pedestrian environment in keeping with our County’s Vision Zero goals. There is more work to be done to attract top-notch tenants to the area and fill the office space that is currently under construction. During the panel discussion, I reiterated my firm commitment to ensuring the Pike District and North Bethesda realize its true potential as a thriving economic hub where people of all ages come to work, live and play.
 The Bethesda Urban Partnership is working to improve and enhance the Bethesda Streetery on Norfolk Avenue. Please use this link to share your feedback on the additional amenities you'd like to see on Norfolk Avenue.
 October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Follow the Montgomery County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council to stay up to date about the planned events! @mocodvcc
The Montgomery County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC) is hosting several events in October in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). First observed in October 1981 as a national “Day of Unity,” DVAM is held each October to unite efforts to end domestic violence. Communities and advocacy organizations across the country connect with the public and one another throughout the month to raise awareness about the signs of abuse and ways to stop it, and to uplift survivor stories and provide additional resources to leaders and policymakers.
This year’s events will include, a "Breathe In, Speak Out, Montgomery" yoga event series for teens and adults, webinars on bystander intervention and response to strangulation and other lethality red flags, and a virtual survivor panel. To learn more about the DVCC and register for this year's DVAM events, please go to https://montgomerycountymd.gov/fjc/dvcc/dvam.html.
 Help us Grow! HarvestShare. www.harvestsharemd.org
SHARE A LITTLE EXTRA TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!
The summer harvest is coming to an end but HarvestShare is still here to accept your extra garden produce, unwanted CSA share or farmers’ market purchases.
About HarvestShare
HarvestShare is a grassroots initiative that was started in the spring of 2020 to help fight food insecurity in MoCo. This local organization asks backyard and community gardeners to grow a little more in their gardens and donate the surplus to those in need.
We have many collection sites in the county still accepting produce. We share these donations with local food assistance providers to help members of our community that are struggling to put food on their tables. We carefully time our collections with distributions so that we have less than 24 hours between them, ensuring super fresh produce. Over the last six months we've collected and redistributed almost 10,000 pounds of nutritious food. This all-volunteer effort needs growers, donors, produce collectors, drivers, and administrative help to succeed. Take a look at our website to see all that we do and to find out how you can help.
 GoVax Montgomery County. Let's End COVID.
In Montgomery County over the past four weeks, those not vaccinated were 17x more at risk to contract Covid-19 and 23x more likely to be hospitalized because of the pandemic. For you, for your family, for the rest of us, please #GetVaccinated
Do you have questions about additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots? Visit the Montgomery County website for updated information.
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