The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will receive an update on the school system’s Virtual Academy at its next meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
The Virtual Academy opened for students in grades 3-12 three years ago. It educates approximately 400 students today. The virtual school is the only one in the state operating as a stand-alone school.
Wednesday’s meeting will be held 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.
The Board will also meet in a public session at 4:00 p.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.
A complete agenda for the meeting can be found here. More information on agenda items will be posted on the AACPS website in the Board Docs section under the Board of Education tab.
PROCESS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
The Board will hear public comment from up to 10 total speakers (virtual and in-person combined) per agenda item (excluding personnel items, reports, informational presentations, and recognitions) during a single public comment section in the early portion of the meeting. Additionally, up to 10 speakers can comment on non-agenda items, excluding student-specific or personnel matters, towards the end of the meeting.
To register for public comment, visit www.aacps.org/boardcomment from 3 p.m. on the Friday before the meeting until noon on the Monday before. Speakers can sign up for a maximum of two agenda items but only once for each item. If there are more than 10 registered speakers for an item, a lottery will be used to select the speakers.
Registered speakers will be notified via email. Each speaker has a 2-minute time limit and must address the specific agenda item for which they are registered.
Written comments on agenda items (250-word maximum) can also be submitted online or dropped off at the Parham Building in Annapolis. Those needing interpreter services or accessibility accommodations should call 410-222-5311.
The general session of the meeting will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel. Archived videos of past meetings are available online.
BOARD TO HOLD WORKSHOP ON NEW REVEAL MATH CURRICULUM
The Board will hold a public workshop at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 18, to hear updates from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell and his staff on the school system’s implementation of the Reveal math curriculum in elementary schools.
The Board will receive information about the reasons for the shift in curriculum, the way the specific contract was adopted, and the general tenets of the curriculum and its outcomes to date. The workshop will be held in the Board Room of the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. It is open to the public, but no public questions or testimony will be taken.
The workshop will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and can also be viewed love on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
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 by telephone through the codes listed below.
- Policy Committee: 3 p.m., April 2, 2024. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 686 739 73#.
- Budget Committee: Noon, April 15, 2024. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 219 417 930#.
- Equity Committee: Noon, May 21, 2024. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 139 346 210#.