SCHOOL SYSTEM TO HOST VIRTUAL LISTENING TOUR SESSIONS TO GATHER INPUT ON ASPECTS OF NEW SCHOOL YEAR FROM PUBLIC

Anne Arundel County Public Schools will host a series of virtual listening tour sessions next week to gather information from parents, students, employees, and community members about how instruction and other aspects of school system operations should look as plans continue to be formulated for the 2021-2022 school year.

The sessions will focus on the creation and enhancement of learning spaces across the school system that prioritize high-quality instruction and learning, social and emotional wellness, diversity, equity, belonging, and social justice.  Sessions will include a discussion of four topics – social-emotional learning, equity, teaching and learning, and scheduling and resources – followed by live public comment from up to 10 members of the public taken on each topic at each session.

Public comment will be taken from members of the public in designated clusters at each meeting, through written comment from any member of the public can be submitted at any through a link at www.aacps.org/listeningtour that will be live beginning with the first session.

To allow for the widest possible diversity of public comment, those wishing to speak may do so on only one of the four topics. Speakers at the sessions will be allotted two minutes. Registration for speakers will be accepted through 5 p.m. on the day before the session.

Written testimony can be submitted on any or all of the topics. The sessions will all be streamed live on AACPS’ YouTube channel, which can be accessed here.

Sessions are scheduled as follows:

  • 6 p.m. Monday, May 24, for the Annapolis, Arundel, Crofton, South River, and Southern clusters.
  • 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, for the Broadneck, Meade, Old Mill, and Severna Park clusters.
  • 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, for the Chesapeake, Glen Burnie, North County, and Northeast clusters.

Links to sign up to provide public comment at the meetings will be made live at www.aacps.org/listeningtour at 5 p.m. on Friday May 21, 2021. Should members of the public in the designated clusters not fill up all speaking slots for a particular topic at a given session, those slots will be opened to the general public. Speakers may only speak at one session.