The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will hear an update on the readiness of schools for the 2020-2021 school year at its next meeting, scheduled to be held virtually on Wednesday, August 26, 2020.
The presentation will include information from the offices of School Performance, Curriculum & Instruction, Equity and Accelerated Student Achievement, Student Support Services, and Human Resources, as well as the Chief Operating Officer.
The 2020-2021 school year starts on Tuesday, September 8 for all students in grades 1 through 12. Students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and ECI classes will begin on a staggered schedule to allow for parent-teacher conferences.
Superintendent George Arlotto has announced instruction will be held virtually for the entire first semester but has committed, in consultation with public health officials, to work toward bringing students and staff back into buildings more quickly than that. Most immediately, the school system is focusing on face-to-face instruction for small groups of students with special needs, students in the Centers of Applied Technology, and English Language Learners.
Complete information on AACPS’ reopening plan can be found online here.
A complete 2020-2021 school year calendar is posted here.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the Board is scheduled to vote on approval of design documents for replacement projects at Quarterfield and Hillsmere elementary schools, and consider one or more resolutions regarding social justice.
The Board will meet virtually Wednesday in a public session at 8:00 a.m. for the sole purpose of voting to immediately go into closed session, during which time it will discuss confidential matters as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act including, but not limited to, legal advice, personnel, and negotiations. Closed session is not open to the public. The public session of the meeting will resume at 10 a.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT
To ensure the opportunity for public input during the public portion of the meeting, the Board will accept written public comment for those items that appear on the agenda. Such comment can be sent via email to BoardOffice@aacps.org or dropped off at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis, no later than noon on Tuesday, August 25, 2020.
Testimony on agenda items must be 250 words or less and must include the name and community of residence of the author as well as any pertinent group affiliation.
Testimony will be compiled and provided to Board members prior to the start of the meeting. It will also be posted online at www.aacps.org/boardtestimony. During the meeting, the Board and the public will be apprised of how many comments were received for each agenda item.
Concerns that are confidential, such as student-specific and personnel issues, cannot be published as part of public testimony.
Testimony that exceeds the 250-word limit will be trimmed to meet the criteria before being posted online. However, the full version will be provided to Board.
Testimony on topics not on the agenda can be submitted under the same criteria as above and will also be posted online.
A complete agenda for the meeting accompanies this news release. More information on agenda items will be posted on the AACPS website in the Board Docs section under the Board of Education tab. The Board may choose to change the order in which agenda items are heard to meet the Board’s needs. Unless changed by the Board, items will be heard in the order in which they appear on the agenda.
The general session of Wednesday’s Board meeting will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV, which can be found on Channel 96 on Comcast and Broadstripe, and Channel 36 on Verizon. High definition broadcasts can be seen on Channel 996 on Comcast, Channel 496 on Broadstripe, and Channel 1961 on Verizon.
The meeting can also be viewed live on AACPS’ YouTube channel here.
Archived videos of Board meetings can be found online here.
Board of Education Meeting Agenda, 8-26-20
BOARD BUDGET COMMITTEE TO MEET ON AUGUST 24, 2020
The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County’s Budget Committee will meet virtually at 5 p.m. on Monday, August 24, 2020.
The committee examines issues related to the Board of Education’s departmental budget as well as the construction of Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ operating budget.
The meeting will not be broadcast, but those wishing to listen to the meeting can call 301-960-3676 and enter the Conference ID 821 118 09#.