Maryland, the District of Columbia and eight other states were chosen to receive federal grant money in the second round of the “Race to the Top” competition, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island will also share in the $3.4 billion.
PDF Department of Education 5 Day Parental Disclosure Bulletin
The Maryland Senate and House recently approved, and Gov. O’Malley signed into law, a five-day, mandatory disclosure requirement, all public schools must follow. With a stroke of his pen, Martin O’Malley brings long needed change to Maryland’s public schools. To read a copy of the MSDE Technical Bulletin, read below, or, for a link to the MSDE website and TB, click here: http://bit.ly/9kBpJ2
MSDE Technical Bulletin after the jump
The Safe Schools Act: How far is too far?
By: Cheryl Chado
Imagine the following situation: Dave is walking home from baseball practice and out of sheer boredom, takes a swing at a neighbor’s mailbox. The neighbor, who happens to be looking out the window, sees him and calls the police. Dave is arrested for malicious destruction of property.
Consider Bryan, a child with Asperger’s Syndrome. While at the movies one day, he runs into a classmate from school. The classmate, known as a bully, picks a fight and Bryan tries to protect himself. The theater manager calls the police. When they arrive, the bully has a more convincing story so he gets let off with a warning. Bryan appears to be uncooperative, so he is arrested for second-degree assault…
Cyber-bullying and the Constitution
The Extent of School Officials’ Authority to Undertake Preventative and Punitive Measures for Student Bullying in Cyber Space
By: Kristen Kelley
Remember that big kid on the playground that always took your lunch money and pushed you around? He was the school bully and he existed in almost every elementary or middle school across the nation. But now, with the revolution of social networking sites and texting, almost anyone can be a bully.
Laywers in Love: Apple’s iPhone and iPad
In recent months I negotiated crucial details of a plea agreement in a significant case with the prosecutor assigned via text messaging. No, I’m not joking, we actually conversed regarding highly specific details of the plea through texts.
PGCPS Adopts Total Student Cell Phone Ban
The school board for Prince George’s County Public Schools’ recently adopted the most sweeping student cell phone ban of any other local school system in the Washington, DC region. http://bit.ly/cZzBO7.
Could it be the PGCPS Board of Education is concerned about much more than annoying ringtones too often heard during class when they cause a
disruption like the loudly ringing cell phone sounds in a busy classroom?
HooverLaw June E-Newsletter
HooverLaw June E-Newsletter for HTML version or view it here after the jump!
MCPS deal with Pearson may lower education standard
By: Patrick J. Hoover
When I got into work this morning I began my regular routine: Start up my computer, make coffee, check my e-mails and calendar, browse the national and local news. That’s when I stumbled upon an article in The Washington Post about MCPS’s new $2.25 million deal with Pearson to develop an elementary curriculum that can be sold and duplicated around the world. Read more »
The ABCs of IEPs Part 3: Drafting the IEP
By: Patrick J. Hoover
So your school has now agreed to qualify your child for her own Individualized Education Plan (IEP). What’s next?
Sorry, but this is no time to relax. Not yet. Now is the time to get down to the nitty gritty. You will need to determine exactly what your child’s special needs are and what her school will need to provide in order for her to have a successful education. As a parent, your challenge is making certain that the IEP team does its work and has completed a well-researched, thorough IEP which clearly spells out all the critical details that will make it possible for your student to receive a real and meaningful education. Read more »
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