Your choice!
If you are unable to testify at the meeting, consider emailing a letter that you also post via your social media as an “open letter to the BOE.” You can also send it to the editor of the Bethesda Beat, The Washington Post, or any other local news venue that you like.
They need to hear from you if you want things to change!
SIGN UP TODAY AT 6:00 FOR THURS FEB 24 BOE MEETING
PLEASE CONSIDER SIGNING-UP TO SPEAK AT ONE OF THE NEXT BOE MEETINGS TO DEFEND OUR HISTORY AND BATTLE CRITICAL RACE THEORY, HARMFUL BOOKS, AND LACK OF CHALLENGING CURRICULUM.
THE NEXT BUSINESS MEETING OF THE BOE IS ON TUES FEBRUARY 24 AT 3:30 PM
Here is a link to the agenda: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/boe/meetings/agenda/2022/20220224%20agenda%20DRAFT%20v4.pdf
The Policy Management Committee Meeting on Tuesday February 22 seems important but does not appear to be open to the public. Here is the agenda. https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/boe/meetings/agenda/2022/20220222%20PMC%20agenda%20DRAFT.pdf
If anyone can tune in for that and report, that would be great. Here is a link for tuning in:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/live.aspx
Here is the link for BOTH speakers and attendees for Feb 24:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1x2ueQf1NtpqK2nSc-2hRnTODUVCSNtEmr-XnqpVGTFw/closedform#responses
The public comment part of the meeting ON Thursday Feb 24 starts at 3:45 pm.
Window for signing up to testify: THURSDAY, February 17, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. Sign-ups will close on TUESDAY, February 22, 2022, at 9:00 a.m..
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1x2ueQf1NtpqK2nSc-2hRnTODUVCSNtEmr-XnqpVGTFw/closedform#responses
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO TESTIFY
Sign up as early as possible. If the website is not “live” right at 6 pm, KEEP TRYING every 30 seconds.
Practice your speech and speak slowly, with emphasis, and time yourself to be under TWO MINUTES. If you use statistics, double check them for accuracy. Allow time to thank the Board and the Superintendent (Dr. McKnight) for allowing you to testify; say your name, how long you have lived in MC, and if you had/have kids in MCPS.
The Window for signing up to attend is :. Thursday, Feb 17 at 6:00 pm until seats are filled or until Tuesday Feb 22 at 9:00 am. Here is the link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1a4x0RB6qjAyPiShdBI7r30Opo8jImaVbei329G-gY5w/edit#responses
If that one doesn’t work, try this one:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/community/participation.aspx
If you are going with a friend, one person can reserve two seats. Confirmation that you have been chosen to speak or attend will come from someone with the last name of Hernandez. Monitor your emails carefully. You might hear as early as the next day.
Attendees can bring a sign — 8.5 x 11. Clapping for speakers is allowed; standing is not. After public comments the Board discusses some of the testimony and then we meet outside; you cannot congregate inside. At the Carver building, the entrance for visitors is on the right, parallel to Mannakee, the road you drove on to get into the parking lot.
Carver Educational Services Center (CESC)
850 Hungerford Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
Come in by the side (North entrance). (Your GPS will tell you to enter at the back entrance; that is WRONG.)
Testifiers: We will send out a link to the agenda once it comes out. It will have the written testimonies (due at noon the day before the meeting) so it’s a good idea to skim them to see what others are speaking about and to see where you come in the lineup.
Attendees: If the website says it’s too late to get a seat, try calling the BOE office: 240-740-3030.
You can also just come without signing up; both of the meetings so far have had plenty of space.
Can’t go but want to watch live or taped? https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/live.aspx
RALLY FOR AN HOUR BEFORE THE MEETING 2:45 pm
They are often running behind. Testifiers are asked to be there by 11:00 pm.
Large signs must go back in cars before entering the building.
Ideas for Signs, which need to be short, i.e. easy to read from far away:
· “Teach ABC’s; Not CRT”
· “Teach ABC’s and 1-2-3’s; [second line]: NOT CRT! (Critical Racist Theory)” (Note:
· “Racist” not “Race” Theory)
· “CRT is Racist”
· “Stop teaching Racism”; on side, perpendicular — “No CRT”
· “Teach the 3 R’s, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, not the fourth R — Racism”
· “The Three R’s Don’t Include Racism,” and then a big CRT with a red circle around it
· and a red line through it (the “NO symbol”). Underline the “R” in “Racism."
· “Education not Indoctrination”
· “CRT = Creating Racist Teachers”
· The “NO symbol”: CRT in big letters with a red circle around it and a red line slashed
· through.
· “Teach Academics; NOT; Marxist Propaganda” (use three lines as indicated)
· First line: "Character NOT Color;" Second line: "Love NOT Hate"
Please pass this along to anyone else who might be interested
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
Tue, March 08 09:00 AM Closed Session / 11:00 AM Board Business Meeting
Thu, March 17 03:00 PM Strategic Planning Committee
Mon, March 21 1:00 PM Fiscal Management Committee
Thu, March 24 1:00 PM Closed Session / 03:30 PM Board Business Meeting
Tue, March 29 10:00 AM Committee on Special Populations
Sign-Up Confirmations
Up to 20 speakers, will be accepted to provide public comments. These speakers will be accepted as follows:
1) Agenda - The first ten (10) individual speakers who sign up to speak to an agenda item will be accepted to provide testimony.
2) Non-Agenda - The first five (5) individual speakers who sign up to speak to a non-agenda item, will be accepted to provide comments.
3) Associations/Organizations – Five (5) speaking slots are reserved for associations and organizations and may be used to speak to an agenda item. Upon registration, three of these slots will be reserved for the following associations: Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals/Montgomery County Business and Operations Administrators (MCAAP/MCBOA); 2) Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA); and 3) Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 500. Please note: If associations do not register, slots may be offered to other individuals/organizations who signed up to testify. The other two reserved slots are for any community or school organizations or associations and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
4) Exceptions - The Board reserves the right to limit the number of speakers and/or similar perspectives on a particular agenda topic. When the Board receives more requests than the allotted number of testimony slots available, registrations from individuals who have testified at a regular board business meeting within the last 30 calendar days may be declined, so that others may have an opportunity to testify.
In the event that the slots reserved for associations/organizations are not filled, those speaking slots will be offered to those individuals who have signed up to speak on an agenda topic on a first-come, first-served basis.
C. Public Comment Format & Content
Each individual speaker, association and organization will receive two (2) minutes to provide testimony.
Once the slots for public comment are filled, speakers will receive a confirmation email with instructions about how to prepare video/audio comments for submission. Please adhere to the submission deadline and instructions which will be included in the confirmation email. All written, video and audio, comments for the meeting should be submitted toBOETestimony@mcpsmd.org.
This is not the proper avenue to address specific student or employee matters, especially those matters on appeal to the Board. Comments about the actions or statements of individual staff members are not appropriate for Public Comment and should be referred to the Superintendent of Schools or processed through available channels.
Those who are not able to sign up or not selected to provide comments during the meeting, may email comments to BOE@mcpsmd.org. Emails sent to this address are automatically distributed to all Board members and leadership staff.
