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Dr. Karen Salmon, State Superintendent of Schools
February 28, 2018
The horrific events of February 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL have impacted each and every one of us across the country.
Our prayers and support are extended to the students, families, school system and community in the wake of this tragic loss of precious lives.
I want to reiterate that student safety is my priority and the priority of the State Board. We are fortunate in Maryland to have the Maryland Center for School Safety, a legislated body whose Executive Director and Governing Board stands ready and is committed to working with all of our public school districts, public and private schools, law enforcement agencies, fire and rescue, school administrators, school staff, parents and governmental officials to ensure all schools in Maryland remain a safe and supportive learning environment.
I serve as the Chair of the Maryland Center for School Safety Governing Board and called an emergency meeting to discuss and review our current school safety practices. Much was discussed by the Board including currently scheduled trainings that are posted on our website. The importance of emergency preparedness drills and the need to focus on mental health supports for our students and staff were also emphasized by the Governing Board.
Additionally, the Center discussed the need for a Statewide school safety meeting in Annapolis to discuss the key elements of school safety and responses to an active shooter. This training will be held on March 22 and will consist of a team from each Local School System to include the school safety/security director, central office, school mental health representatives, local law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management.
It should also be noted that weekly calls are facilitated by the Executive Director of the Maryland Center for School Safety, Ed Clarke. Yesterday, this call included many members of the Governing Board who were able to hear from 20 of the 24 local school systems as well as many private school security personnel as they shared their current safety issues and best practices. This is a very valuable and essential network of safety experts.
We must not only focus on improving safety and security in our schools, but we must also leverage local and state resources to intervene early as well to provide supports and counseling to troubled students. We must implement and improve threat assessment procedures that include teams that rely on experts in counseling, school administration, instruction and law enforcement.
The Maryland Center for School Safety, the State Board of Education, and myself are placing the highest urgency on actions to improve school safety.
Our students are counting on us!
Karen B. Salmon, Ph.D.
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Click the link above to view a video message from Dr. Karen Salmon regarding school safety preparations in Maryland.
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MSDE, in partnership with Mid-Atlantic Regional Education Laboratory, is hosting the 2018 Maryland Connections Summit. This summit brings together education professionals and highlights the vital role data plays in education decision making.
We are currently accepting proposals for presentations, click the link above to submit!
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The Best of Maryland Arts Education
Festival celebrates the impact of arts education. On April 20, 2018, select solo artists and small ensembles from all 24 Maryland
school districts will present performances and artwork in historic Mt. Vernon in Downtown Baltimore for the day!
For more information, or for student presentation submissions and volunteer opportunities, click the link above!
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February 27, 2018
The following actions were taken at the February
27, 2018 State Board of Education meeting:
- Granted permission
to publish the promulgation of new COMAR 13A.12.01.08-1 Adjunct Certificate, with clarifying language that the Adjunct
Certificate can only be issued to a part-time employee and that the local
school system provide either side-by-side coaching or co-teaching with a
professional certificated teacher.
- Granted permission
to adopt proposed amendments to COMAR 13A.07.08 Incentive Program for Certification by the National Board for
Professional Teacher Standards (NBPTS) to align with NBPTS requirements and
clarify existing language in the following sections: .02 Definitions, .03
Eligibility Criteria, .04 Selection Procedure, and .06 Costs.
- Granted approval of a request from Baltimore
City Public Schools to open schools on the Monday after Easter (April 2nd)
as an inclement weather make-up day for the 2017-2018 school year.
- Granted approval of the following
recommendations and next steps related to findings of the Prince Georges County
Public Schools (PGCPS) Independent Audit to include:
- Request that PGCPS provide a monthly progress report on
the milestones in the Corrective Action Plan. The monthly report
should include changes made in protocols, process, and procedures and how these
changes promote a culture of compliance in PGCPS.
- Request that PGCPS respond to the questions raised by the
State Board that were not previously addressed and those posed in MSDE’s
analysis of the audit findings.
- The MSDE will dedicate a
full-time employee, over the course of the year to monitor PGCPS’ implementation
of and compliance with the Corrective Action Plan, as well as its grade
changing and student attendance policies as they relate to earning a Maryland
high school diploma. The monitor’s role will include a review of the internal
random audits conducted by PGCPS to check for the scope, integrity, and results
of each audit.
- An additional independent
third-party audit conducted once PGCPS has completed the implementation of the
Corrective Action Plan.
The following Opinion
and Orders were rendered:
- Sepeideh
K. and Paul C. v. Anne Arundel County Board of Education – school
transfer – Opinion No. 18-06 – affirmed decision of
local board
- Susan
Ballinger v. St Mary’s County Board of Education – teacher termination – Order No. OR 18-01 – dismissed for
untimeliness
- Lee
Thomassen v. Baltimore County Board of Education (II) –
violation of GINA – Order No. OR 18-02
– affirmed decision of local board
Meeting materials, Opinions, and Orders can be found at:
http://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/default.aspx
The next meeting of the Maryland State
Board of Education will be held on March 20, 2018 at the Nancy S.
Grasmick State Education Building, 200 West Baltimore Street, 7th
Floor Board Room, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.
Appropriate
accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request.
Eight business days notice prior to the event is required. Please contact
Charlene Necessary at (410) 767-0467 or TTY at (410) 333-6442 so arrangements
can be made.
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