PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — Calvert County’s Board of Education reviewed a slew of policies at the Aug. 7 meeting that had been proposed or discussed in recent months. The board did not vote on the following policies during the meeting. Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) officials presented changes to the policies, and those policies will be posted for the mandatory 30-day public review and open to comment. Board members will vote on the policies once the review period is complete.
New and Updated Policies
Policy Statement #1940 (Administration) of the Board of Education Regarding Political Neutrality: This policy aims to create a respectful and distraction-free educational setting for all students by ensuring that the Calvert County Public Schools, as a public school system dedicated to teaching and learning, remains neutral on political issues, parties and candidates, and to further ensure that neither students nor employees are pressured, coerced or obligated to endorse political viewpoints or contribute to or render service for any political candidate or party. It requires employees to remain neutral on political issues, parties and candidates during classroom instruction and avoid discussion of such issues during instruction unless and to the extent that such discussions and any related activities are aligned with the approved curriculum, allows and facilitates student expression of their own viewpoints on political issues, parties and candidates in a respectful and non-disruptive manner, and prohibits employees from engaging in political activity while on the job during working hours.
The language of the policy was updated after previous discussions and instructor feedback to include possibilities for instruction, student expression and relevant classroom discussion.
Policy Statement #1760 (Administration) of the Board of Education Regarding Professional Interaction Between Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) Employees, Volunteers and Students: To establish clear expectations for professional interactions between Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) employees, volunteers and students; to create a safe, respectful and effective educational environment by maintaining appropriate boundaries; and to protect both students and staff by delineating acceptable behaviors and interactions.
This policy was updated to include provisions to help CCPS staff and volunteers feel comfortable participating in events and activities that may involve people within the school community.
Policy Statement #1945 (Administration) of the Board of Education Regarding Flags: To establish a uniform countywide policy regarding the display of the flag. This policy states that the current flag of the United States of America shall be displayed on the grounds of every school and in every classroom, stadium and auditorium. The policy further explains the definition of a flag and what flags other than the American flag are allowed to be displayed on school grounds.
This policy was updated to include definitions around temporary flags and removed some of the locations that were required to display an American flag.
Policy Statement #1460 (Administration) of the Board of Education Regarding the Maryland Child Abuse and Neglect Law and Calvert County Public Schools: The updates to this policy added more specific processes and procedures on the school’s side of the investigation and granted the school more leeway in taking temporary measures regarding any employees or volunteers who may be under investigation.
In addition to discussing these policies, the board voted at the Aug. 7 meeting to repeal Policy #1018 regarding anti-racism, and discussed several new policies regarding the management of fund transfers, budget approvals and travel reimbursements, all of which will be posted for public review.
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