PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — For the third meeting in a row, community members of Calvert County showed up to provide comments and feedback on the Board of Education’s decision to remove safe space stickers in schools.
In addition to taking issue with the stickers, public commentators focused on three newly proposed policies: Professional Boundaries, Policy on Political Neutrality, and Regarding Flags in Schools, claiming that they were part of broader goals by the board to stifle free speech and align the schools with specific values that don’t serve students or teachers.
Each policy was brought forward after a motion to do so at the board’s May 8 meeting. The policies were made available in advance of the meeting for the public to review through the official agenda:
- Professional Boundaries Policy: Outlines behavioral expectations for teachers, staff, and volunteers to only engage with students in their official capacity and only through official channels.
- Regarding Flags in Schools: To establish limitations and consistency on what flags or banners can be displayed on school grounds.
- Political Neutrality Policy: The board proposed updates to Policy 1020, which was passed in 2000 and updated in 2022. Proposed updates would tighten the restrictions on teachers discussing political candidates.
During the policy review sessions, board members acknowledged that these policies were all drafts and welcomed input on the language and goals from the administrators present. They reiterated that the purpose of the policies was to protect students and families without infringing on parents’ rights.
Public comments were less forgiving of the policies.
Jason Oates, president of the Calvert County Teachers Association, pointed out that these policies were distracting from issues that really matter to teachers and students. He said in the past week, he’s received hundreds of emails from teachers and community members with concerns about payroll, pre-K, and Blueprint implementation. Meanwhile, he has received zero messages about the need for political neutrality or flag neutrality policies, and no concerns from people uncomfortable with a teacher asking, “How was your weekend?”
Oates joked that the board might like to check out some policies from his copy of “Rules for Teachers – 1872.” Otherwise, they should focus on what teachers really need: support in educating students and filling critical staff shortages.
Commenters also pointed out that, even if well-intentioned, there were major practical challenges in enforcing these policies and that they would greatly hinder teachers’ ability to connect with students. One line in the professional boundaries policy indicated that teachers should not mention their personal lives at school.
In a small community, this is particularly hard to enforce. Teachers may have friendships with families or serve as coaches or in other mentorship roles.
Teachers wondered how far the policy would go. Would every interaction with students have to be approved? If so, who would do the approving? What was the process?
Others alleged that the policies and safe space sticker removal directive were targeting LGBTQ+ students.
One student spoke in support of her younger siblings and classmates in Calvert County Public Schools. She highlighted the increase in dangerous and violent rhetoric during the Trump administration and how it trickles down to students’ lives, noting an increase in bullying directed toward LGBTQ students and other marginalized groups. She noted that students addressed these issues at the Student Free Expression Forum on Monday, May 19, and that no members of the board attended that meeting.
“We need to name what is happening, and the board must choose. Will you continue pushing an agenda that puts our most vulnerable kids at harm? Our students are watching, our children are listening, the next generation is forming their values based on what’s happening in this moment.”
She urged them to “choose inclusion, and choose courage.”
Retired teacher Donna Estenzo said what transpired over the last three meetings was “concerning, disheartening, and embarrassing.”
“The students who spoke were not acknowledged for attending a board of ed meeting, nor told how brave and courageous it was to provide public comment on such a personal topic,” she continued. “Now, you want to micromanage what flag or banner must be and cannot be displayed in every classroom and meeting space in a school. Really?”
“Although these policies don’t mention either the pride flag or gay students or teachers specifically, let’s call it what they are: disingenuous attempts to oppress, discriminate, and limit the rights of the LGBTQ community in Calvert Public Schools,” said Jerri Bell, who identified herself as a mother of CCPS graduates, a historian, and Navy veteran.
Bell went on to compare the policies to Jim Crow laws and cited a 1989 Supreme Court case, Texas v. Johnson, before signing off with a warning that these policies would make qualified educators less likely to apply for Calvert County job openings when the school is facing shortages.
Jessica Jackman, an Anne Arundel Public Schools teacher who drove down to speak at the meeting, agreed. Jackman ended her comments on the policies with two words: “We’re hiring.”
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So Calvert county is wasting tax payer money so they can hold mulitple meetings about stickers?!?!
These same people will be yelling at the school board if a student flies a Confederate flag or wears a MAGA t-shirt. Teachers should focus on the STEAM fields and stop indoctrinating our children in Marxism.