Exactly three weeks from the first day of school, the Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will get an update on preparations for the 2021-2022 school year at its next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, August 18, 2021.
The first day of classes for students in kindergarten through sixth grade and ninth grade is scheduled for Wednesday, September 8. Students in grades 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 will attend their first day of classes the following day.
At the August 18 meeting, Superintendent George Arlotto and members of his team will provide updates on areas including equity initiatives, staffing, instruction, student supports, and the readiness of facilities.
The meeting will be the Board’s first regularly scheduled public meeting since the death of District 1 Board Member Candace Antwine, and Board members will take time to remember their late colleague. The County Council is in the midst of a process to select a new Board member for the District 1 seat.
At the meeting, the Board will also receive a cost update from Prismatic Services, Inc., on the bus transportation routing work it has contracted the firm to do as part of the examination of potentially changing school start and dismissal times.
The meeting will begin at noon in the Board Room at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. It is open to the public and subject to normal space limitations in the Board Room.
In accordance with protocols announced by Dr. Arlotto on August 4, 2021, all AACPS employees, contractors, and visitors to AACPS buildings are required to be masked at any time during which they are in the proximity of someone else regardless of age or vaccination status. The Board may opt to alter these protocols for the purposes of conducting the Board’s business at the meeting.
PROCESS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
The Board will hear in-person and virtual public comment on agenda items from up to a total of 10 speakers per agenda item during a single section in the early portion of the meeting, prior to Board discussion of those items.
The link to register to deliver in-person or virtual testimony at the meeting will be posted online here at 5 p.m. on the Sunday prior to the meeting. Those wishing to provide testimony must register, space permitting, through that link. In order to allow for a maximum diversity of those who wish to comment, the Board will allocate speakers by their first choice of agenda item on a first-come, first-served basis – regardless of whether they choose in-person or virtual testimony – until available slots are filled. Should additional spots remain open, speakers will be allocated their second choice, again on a first-come, first-served basis. Speakers may sign up to comment on no more than two agenda items.
Speakers who secure a slot to speak will be notified by email at the email address they provide when they register. All speakers will be allotted 2 minutes and must only address the topic on which they signed up to speak. Registration will be open through 5 p.m. on the evening before the Board meeting or until all spaces are allocated.
Written comments on agenda items can be submitted through an online form that can be found here beginning at 5 p.m. on the Sunday prior to the meeting. Written comments must be no more than 250 words and must be submitted by noon on the day prior to the Board meeting. Comments can also be dropped off at the Parham Building by that time.
Comments on non-agenda items are only accepted in writing.
The complete process for registering to speak and 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.
The Board will also meet in a public session at 10 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 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.
The public portion of the meeting will resume at noon.
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 AACPS’ YouTube channel.
Archived videos of Board meetings can be found online here.
BOARD OF EDUCATION TO MEET IN CLOSED SESSION ON AUGUST 17, 2021
The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will also meet via telephone conference call at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, for the intended purpose of voting to go into closed session, pursuant to Section 3-305(b)(10) of the General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland and consistent with recent guidance from the Office of the Attorney General, to discuss the development and implementation of emergency plans.
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.
The public may not listen to the closed session portion of the meeting.
UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Board of Education’s committees will hold upcoming virtual meetings according to the following schedule. The meetings will not be broadcast, but those wishing to listen to the meetings can access them through the codes listed below.
- Budget Committee: 3:30 p.m., August 17, 2021. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 732607878#.
- Policy Committee: 3:30 p.m., August 31, 2021. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 70559225#.
- Equity Committee: 11:30 a.m., September 14, 2021. Access codes to be announced when established. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 367259182#.