The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will review the 2021-2022 School Year Calendar recommended to it by the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Calendar Committee at its next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions, Wednesday’s meeting will be held virtually. It will begin at 6 p.m.
The Board will vote on the adoption of a calendar for the 2021-2022 school year at a subsequent meeting.
Representatives from all four employee bargaining units, the Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs, the Citizen Advisory Committee, the Chesapeake Regional Association of Student Councils, and key AACPS departments and offices are invited to participate on the Calendar Committee.
The committee has forwarded four calendars to the Board, all of which contain its top recommendation of a weeklong Easter/Spring Break. The committee’s Priority 1 calendar calls for classes for students to start on August 30 and end on June 14. Its Priority 2 calendar calls for classes to start for students on September 8 and end on June 21.
As directed in a Board action last year, the committee has also forwarded variations of the above calendars that incorporate the closing of school for students and a professional development day for employees on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which occurs on May 3, 2022.
The committee is also recommending to the Board that families have the choice of virtual or in-person parent-teacher conferences in the 2021-2022 school year.
Also at the meeting, members of the Anne Arundel County Police Department will provide information on the Fresh S.T.A.R.T. program – a school-based diversion program the department hopes to implement this year.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
The Board has revised and expanded the ways in which it will accept public comment at Board meetings. Beginning with the November 18 meeting, the Board will hear live public comment on agenda items from up to 10 speakers per agenda item during a single section in the early portion of each meeting prior to Board discussion of those items. Anyone wishing to provide live testimony may register, space permitting, by clicking here. All speakers will be allotted 2 minutes and those who secure spaces to speak will receive emailed instructions on how to join the meeting.
Written comments on agenda items can be submitted via email to boardoffice@aacps.org or dropped off at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis, by noon on the day before a Board meeting. Comments on non-agenda items will now only be accepted in writing.
The complete process for submitting testimony in writing can be found here.
Those who require the services of an interpreter to offer comment to the Board should call 410-222-5311 to make those arrangements after receiving confirmation of an opportunity to speak at the meeting.
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 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 the Internet here.
Archived videos of Board meetings can be found online here.
Board of Education Meeting Agenda, 11-18-20
BOARD TO MEET IN CLOSED SESSION
The Board will also meet in a public session at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 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 may listen to the open portion of the meeting, including the vote to go into closed session, by calling (605) 468-8781 and entering access code 685333# followed by the pound/hashtag symbol.
BOARD POLICY, BUDGET COMMITTEES TO MEET
The Board of Education’s Policy and Budget committees will both hold virtual meetings this week, according to the following schedule:
- The Policy Committee will meet virtually at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 2020. The committee is charged with discussing policies being examined by the school system before they are forwarded to the full Board of Education for review. Wednesday’s meeting is open to the public. Those wishing to access it may do so by telephone by calling 301-960-3676 and entering access code 542010023#.
- The Budget Committee will meet virtually at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 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 and capital budgets. Wednesday’s meeting is open to the public. Those wishing to access it may do so by telephone by calling 301-960-3676 and entering access code 838 543 772#.