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Regarding PCAB's Feedback on City Schools Bell Schedule

Monday, June 13, 2022 Staff from Baltimore City Schools (BCPSS) presented to PCAB on April 7. At that time, BCPSS was considering a uniform start time for all city high schools. Members of PCAB raised several significant concerns regarding transportation capacity, safety, inclement weather, equity, and health. We strongly encouraged BCPSS to share this information as soon as possible, particularly given that the school choice deadline has already passed and any schedule changes could present significant challenges for young people and their caregivers. We submitted a list of questions to BCPSS which were not answered until early June. The link to questions and BCPSS responses are here . When BCPSS responded to our questions, we learned the plan had changed; rather than a uniform time, the District now planned to shift bell times for many schools. PCAB learned of the final bell times with members of the public and not before. We look forward to discussing these new bell schedules with ...
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Support Maryland Educators Reject Cuts to School Funding

In his recently released budget, Gov. Hogan proposed $140 million in cuts to funding for our schools. As we're fighting staffing shortages, greater than ever needs from our students, and the continued priority to keep our schools safe and healthy places for learning, the governor wants to slash funding that our schools were expecting. This is unacceptable and we must push back. Read more Fill out this form to email the governor and your legislators and urge them to reject these school funding cuts and restore this funding for our schools. Link to Form Reject school funding cuts in the budget (ngpvan.com)
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School Closures Policy: PCAB asks for evidence-based innovation and authentic community engagement

  February 15, 2022 Baltimore City Schools staff will introduce a revision to policy FCA on Closing of Schools to the School Board Policy Committee in April. Rather than waiting to react to the draft, the PCAB Policy Committee has submitted red-lines and comments on the existing policy (click  HERE ) and administrative regulations (click  HERE .)    In preparing these policy recommendations, we consulted community members with lived experience at schools recommended for closure under the existing policy.  We also referred to evidence from other school districts about the academic performance of students who change schools due to school closure.  For example,  Ben Kirshner et al.  found declines in academic performance for students who were forced to transfer schools due to school closure.  Deleterious effects of school closure were confirmed in a  Chicago study by the Chicago Consortium for School Research published in 2018  an...
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PCAB Testimony in Favor of Bill SB 0157

 On January 25, 2022, the Parent and Community Advisory Board presented testimony at the Board of Commissioners meeting in favor of Bill SB 0157 in support of voting rights for student members of the school board as well as for the task force to study compensation for school board members.. Read the full statement below: PCAB testimony in favor of Bill SB 0157: Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners - Student Members and Task Force to Study Compensation The Parent & Community Advisory Board is submitting the following testimony in support of voting rights for student members of the school board as well as for the task force to study compensation for school board members. First and foremost, we believe in democracy and a school board that represents as many voices as possible in making decisions that impact the students and families of Baltimore City. We continuously urge the school board to pay attention to the parents and community members in Baltimore City in their...
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Baltimore City Public Schools Leaders Join PCAB for a Special Public Session About Covid Response

 On January 13, 2022, Baltimore City Public School leaders Cleo Hirsch, Alison Perkins-Cohen, Andre Riley, Lynette Washington, and Sharicca Bolden joined a special session to discuss the new COVID protocol released earlier in the week.  To review a copy of the presentation, please click here . 
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Chair Larry Simmons Demands Respect for City School Families at Public Board of Commissioner's Meeting

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Baltimore City Public Schools Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, January 11 and we met with a number of public comments from BTU, PSASA, ASCBC, PTACBC, SECAC, AFSCME, and CUB. PCAB Chair Larry Simmons shared a statement, thanks to the feedback from parents who reached out to PCAB in the last week. See the full agenda here .  The following statement was shared by Chair Larry Simmons during January 11, 2022's Public Board of Commissioners Meeting: Baltimore’s Board of School Commissioners, City Schools leadership, and elected officials have informed us that their priority is maximizing access for students to in-person learning. We at the Parent and Community Advisory Board agree that many students suffer learning loss and mental health detriments during extended periods of virtual instruction.    However, this is not March of 2020, we now have access to vaccines and layered mitigation strategies that make our schools and our cities safer but another key difference betwe...
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PCAB Joins City Leaders to Demand Updated COVID Testing and Mask Protocol for Baltimore City Public Schools

On January 5, Chair Larry Simmons joined city leaders like Councilmember Zeke Cohen,  Councilmember Odette Ramos, students and other community leaders to discuss the community effort to protect City School students against COVID-19.   Read Chair Larry Simmons' full statement below: As a board composed entirely of volunteers, PCAB recognizes the critical importance of in-person learning to our city’s young people and their families.  We, however, have a responsibility to families also to advocate for their voices to be heard.  Now more than ever, we want to ensure that Baltimore’s leaders, at all levels, hear what families have to say. Obviously, not every family is the same, and they have differing views on whether schools or the district should move to remote learning or keep kids in person.  But given that schools will be open for student testing tomorrow, the most common areas of concern we hear from families are around #1 Masking and #2 Testing. Masking. ...
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