Category: Health and Safety

Maryland Legislative Session: Sensible Sugar in Schools

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The following is testimony given by Rachel Hinton at the Maryland House of Delegates Ways and Means Committee Public Hearing on February 18th, 2016, in support of the Sensible Sugar in Schools Act (House Bill 528), a bill that require schools to put a plan in place to reduce added sugar in school meals. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools.
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These are wrappers from snacks served at school to the author’s daughter.

Thank you for hearing my testimony today.

My four-year-old and six-year-old children attend a public school in Prince George’s County, Robert Goddard Montessori, where I am Vice President of the PTSA. In addition to serving breakfast and lunch, this school provides a daily snack in the classroom to the preschool and kindergarten students who are between three and six years old.

Like all families, my husband and I are focused on raising healthy kids. We are part of a growing group who are concerned about how food choices affect lifetime health. So it has been very upsetting to have sugary and heavily processed foods like Kellogg’s Froot Loops and Rice Krispy Treats served to my children on a regular basis as part of their school day.

The World Health Organization, the American Heart Association, and the USDA are all recommending dramatic reductions in sugar consumption. The latest USDA guidelines for all Americans state that added sugars should be no more than 10% of total calories. The American Heart Association says young children should consume no more than 3 teaspoons of added sugar per day. These recommendations are impossible to implement when foods served in school can be 35% sugar. A typical serving of chocolate milk has 13 grams, or 3 teaspoons, of added sugar in a single 8 oz. serving.

I have been in touch by email with the Prince Georges County Public Schools Department of Food and Nutrition Services. They have shared with me that they are required to serve a fresh fruit or vegetable two times a week in the snack program and that the packaged, branded snacks, such as the Kellogg’s products, have been reformulated to contain no more than 35% sugar by weight. I have asked them what barriers exist to serving a fresh fruit or vegetable, or other more wholesome food, every day, instead of just 2 times a week, and never serving packaged “junk” foods. The only answer I have been given is that they are working within the existing requirements. Although I had been hopeful that advocating directly to Food and Nutrition Services at the county level would lead to change, it now appears that the best way to change the practices in my county is to change the requirements that are imposed by the state of Maryland, as the counties only seem to make changes when they are required to by a higher authority.

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Elementary School Volunteer Charged with Child Pornography

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From the Washington Post, published February 8, 2016, by reporters Lynh Bui and Donna St. George. Go here for the full story.

An elementary school volunteer and youth choir director faces charges in Prince George’s County after allegedly making pornographic videos involving children, communicating with many of the victims through an anonymous messaging app popular among teens.

Deonte Carraway, 22, of Glenarden, Md., is charged with 10 counts of felony child pornography and related sex charges in connection with 40 recordings involving at least 10 children ranging from 9 to 13 years old, charging documents state.

Continue reading at the Washington Post.

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UPDATE: From WJLA (ABC 7), published February 10, 2016, by Brad Bell. Go here for the full story.

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — A lawsuit has been filed in the case of Deonte Carraway, the school employee from Judge Sylvania Woods who was charged with making child porn. The principal of the school is also named as a defendant.

The lawsuit, filed by Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A., on behalf of a 9-year-old and the child’s guardian (referred to as John Doe and Jane Doe), alleges that Michelle Williams, the principal at Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School, “took no action” despite concerns being raised about Carraway by parents and teachers.

Continue reading at WJLA.

Maryland Legislative Session: Healthier Food for Schools

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Healthy School Food Maryland is a statewide coalition lobbying for better cafeteria meals for Maryland schoolchildren. Coalition coordinator Lindsey Parsons recently met with Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools to talk about legislative goals for the current session. The coalition is working to pass two bills in the 2016 Maryland state legislative session:

  • The Sensible Sugar in Schools Act (SB 65, HB 528) will require school districts to work toward lowering sugar in meals to levels within the guidelines set by the American Heart Association.
  • The School Food Transparency Act (HB 109) will require schools to list à la carte items and snack foods on breakfast and lunch menus. Parents and teachers often find that kids spend their money on sugary snacks, instead of eating the protein and vegetables served at lunch. (Bonus: This bill is sponsored by Delegate Diana Fennell (D-47), who represents parts of Prince George’s County.)

You  can find more details, including bill drafts and fact sheets, on the Healthy School Food Maryland website.

If you support these legislative goals, there are several ways to get involved:

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Why I Left PGCPS and Learned to Love Home Schooling

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by Katy C.

homeschoolLast August, I withdrew my son from Prince George’s County Public Schools and began to home school him. This was a big step on many levels, impacting not only the environment of my child’s day-to-day life, but also my expectations for his future, our goals for his learning, and the financial security of my family. So why did I do this? From my perspective I had very little choice; it has turned out to be a very good decision.

My son’s elementary school treated him as a behavior problem that could not be solved. His behavior became more of a problem the more he struggled with his environment. He spent most of every day struggling with feeling overwhelmed. The school viewed him as extremely defiant and disorderly, but in fact he felt unsafe, overwhelmed, and incapable of learning. The message that he received from school is that he was a failure at learning and conforming. He became angry; his teachers became frustrated.

My son entered kindergarten in PGCPS with a recent diagnosis of a neurological processing issue. Although I brought the issue to the teacher’s attention before the first day of school, I waited until the end of kindergarten for a 504 plan.

The next year, things went downhill in terms of his behavior and learning. The school conducted a battery of tests, with some prompting from me subsequent to external visits to multiple doctors. The testing returned a wide variety of issues, including learning disabilities, sensory issues, processing problems, ADHD, and giftedness. After all of this, my son received an IEP in the last week of April his first grade year. He began to receive some supports for reading and behavior.

Great! Right?

I had some objections to the school’s approach, and I was told, “Don’t worry, let us try this. If it doesn’t work then we will adjust it.” So I trusted the school. I waited. When I got the notice for the next IEP meeting, the stated purpose was to review progress. That sounded right to me.

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One Parent’s Efforts to Bring Salad Bars to PG Schools

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by Kate McElhenny

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and various corporate sponsors are working together to bring salad bars to school cafeterias across the country in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.

Several studies have shown that school children, given access to a salad bar at school, will consume more fruits and vegetables in their day and in a greater variety.

Saira Khan, a PGCPS parent (holding a PhD in nutrition), came across this broad public and private partnership and saw no reason why it could not and should not be implemented in her children’s schools, and in the Prince George’s County School District at large.

After a few weeks of discussing the matter with fellow Parkdale parents, students and teachers, Saira had inspired many of them to meet with a representative of the PGCPS Food Services Department to request sponsorship of this salad bar grant.  The application for this grant can only be submitted by the Food Services Director of a School District.

Despite over four thousand salad bars having already been donated through this program, some as near as the Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County School Districts, the initial meeting did not end with the hoped for sponsorship.  Instead, the enthusiastic group was met with questions and concerns.

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Clara Yancey Named New Acting Principal at Dora Kennedy French Immersion

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The following is a letter written to parents of children at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School dated October 27, 2015. Note that the letterhead reflects the former name of the school, Robert Goddard French Immersion. The school was officially renamed this year.

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The content of the letter is transcribed below:

October 27, 2015

Dear Members of the Dora Kennedy Community:

In recent days, some of you may have participated in discussions or viewed media reports surrounding allegations of student abuse at Dora Kennedy French Immersion. I’m writing to you today to share the steps we are taking to address this situation.

First, please know that PGCPS continues its full investigation into the alleged incidents. While I would like to provide you with the details of the exact steps we have taken, I am bound by the district’s confidentiality measures that are designed to protect both the families and the employees involved. If information becomes available that we can share, you have my committment that I will do so in a quick and transparent manner.

Second, effective immediately, Mrs. Clara Yancey will serve as acting principal of Dora Kennedy French Immersion. We feel it was best to make this change, so that we can be assured we are moving forward on a path that is guided by fairness, integrity, and transparency for everyone. Mrs. Clara Yancey is a retired principal from Prince George’s County Public Schools with a distinguished and proven record as an effective instructional leader. She is a seasoned administrator with decades of professional experience and extensive expertise across a full suite of academic disciplines. Please be assured that the academic environment will continue to thrive Mrs. Yancey’s leadership.

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When Teachers Hit Children, Part 2: Responding to Suspected Abuse

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Alana Cole-Faber shared her story with us last week in “When Teachers Hit Children: One PGCPS Parent’s Experience.” In this post as well as in the previous post, she writes from the basis of her personal experience as a parent, not as a legal proffessional, child psychologist or expert in abuse.

by Alana Cole-Faber

As I have shared in a previous post, last year our children reported to us that they had experienced physical and emotional abuse at their school. When our children first reported this to us, we were alarmed and terrified. We had so many questions. What should we do? Whom should we tell? Are we the only ones? What will happen when we report this? Will there be retribution against us or our children?

We are not experts on abuse or child psychology, so we would always recommend consulting an expert when it comes to concerns of abuse and have done so ourselves for the sake of our own children. However, based on our experiences, these are the actions we would suggest to other parents whose children may have experienced abuse at school.

At Home

1. Aim for prevention. Talk to your child about what behaviors are not appropriate from teachers and classmates. Tell your child exactly what they should do if they believe a teacher or classmate is behaving inappropriately. Repeat this conversation regularly, and be sure to give your child the opportunity to ask questions.

2. Create an environment in which your child feels secure and knows that he/she can come to you with problems. We made a rule with our children that if they got in trouble at school and were punished at school, we would not punish them at home as long as they told us the truth about what had happened at school. This did not mean we did not care about misbehavior, but rather that we placed more emphasis on honesty and openness in our home. We believe this was the critical thing that made our children feel comfortable talking to us after our son was struck by his teacher.

3. Keep an eye on your child’s behavior. If your child’s behavior or attitude towards school changes suddenly, this could be a sign that your child has had a negative experience. This negative experience might simply have to do with finding school work more challenging, or it might be an indicator that something more serious has taken place. In our children’s case, their attitude toward school changed dramatically almost overnight. They began asking to stay home, whereas before they had always loved going to school and would barely take a moment to hug us goodbye before running off to join their class.

4. Talk to your child about his/her experiences at school. When you talk to your child about school experiences, try to talk to your child alone, without siblings or others present who may distract or otherwise influence your child. It may help your child relax if you talk while doing another activity that he/she enjoys, such as putting together a puzzle or coloring. One of our children was always very comfortable talking about experiences, but our other child felt most comfortable having a stuffed animal tell us what happened. Ask open-ended questions whenever possible and avoid asking leading questions, even if you think you know exactly what happened during the incident in question. Try to remain calm and avoid reacting emotionally to the things your child describes. If your child describes an event that alarms you, calmly ask questions like, “What happened next? What did the teacher say? Who else was there?” Reassure your child that he/she is not in trouble for reporting information to you. In our experience, it took multiple conversations before our children were willing to reveal all of the details of the event.

5. Do your best to help your child identify and understand his/her feelings about the event. Validate any feelings your child may have. You can try saying something like, “You said that behavior made you feel sad. I understand. I think I might feel sad, too, if something like that happened to me.”

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Weekly News Roundup: Tragedy in Oxon Hill

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A 14-year-old Oxon Hill teenager was fatally stabbed on Monday as he tried to protect his mother, who was being held at knifepoint by her boyfriend. His 18-year-old brother was also injured in the attack. Keyshuan Mason was a freshman at Potomac High school, and his family has seen an outpouring of support from the school community. (Washington Post)

Five were injured when a school bus and a pickup truck collided in Brandywine on Friday. Fifteen children were on the bus when the accident occurred. One student, the driver, and three others were injured. None of the injuries were life threatening. (WTOP, ABC 7)

Prince George’s County Public Schools is expanding its commitment to integrating arts with core academic subjects like math and English. The five-year plan is to expand the program to all schools in the system. (CBS DC)

A student recorded a cellphone video of a PGCPS school bus driver texting while the bus was in motion on the way to James Madison Middle School. The bus driver is still employed but is under investigation and may be temporarily suspended with the right to appeal. Changes in the PGCPS policy to include termination in the future are under consideration. (WTOP)

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When Teachers Hit Children: One PGCPS Parent’s Experience

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Alana Cole-Faber, a parent with children in PGCPS, has shared her story here, with the hope that any other parents who have had similar experiences will come forward and work for positive change. You may contact Ms. Cole-Faber at pgparentscircle@gmail.com

by Alana Cole-Faber

In August of 2014, my children began school at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School (formerly Robert Goddard), one of PGCPS’s Specialty Schools. Having completed a successful year of preschool, our children were so excited to finally be attending “real school” with the big kids. We felt incredibly fortunate that we had won the lottery and that our children would have the privilege of attending a National Blue Ribbon school. We have moved a lot as a family, and as parents we were looking forward to settling down in Prince George’s County and getting to know our new community, the teachers, parents, and the school system in general. Instead, we have spent a large portion of the last year dealing with an appalling problem.

In October 2014, our children came home and told us that my son had been spanked at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School. We were stunned. We immediately separated and interviewed our children to find out what had happened and to be sure all of the details of their stories matched up. The children told us that my son had been jumping up and down while the class was singing, so the teacher asked the class to tell her which child had misbehaved and deserved to be punished. The majority of students pointed to my son, so he was called to the front of the class and struck until he cried. I asked my daughter if she thought our son had been hit hard, and my daughter said, “The teacher hit him hard, but she hits another boy even harder.”

My children then went on to name three other children who had been struck by their teacher during the year. (Corporal punishment is illegal in public schools in Maryland. Even so, it is worth noting that we had never received so much as a note home from this teacher to say that our son had misbehaved in class.)

The next morning, we went to the school to report the abuse. We spoke to a supervisory staff member at the school first. The supervisor listened to our story, then left to remove the teacher from the classroom and sent in a security officer to take our written statement. It was explained to us that any time there are allegations of abuse or harassment, a written report is sent to the county for investigation. It was also explained to us that this teacher would not be left alone with students during the investigation. We wrote a written report, including the names of the other children who had been struck. We also asked that our children be moved to other classrooms, just in case the teacher were allowed to return to the classroom following the investigation.

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Weekly News Roundup: Health Director Placed on Leave, New U.S. Secretary of Education

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Dr. Angela Wakhweya, PGCPS’s director of health services, has been placed on leave for reasons that are not entirely clear. School records indicate that thousands of students have not been properly immunized (NBC 4).

Related stories: Dr. Wahkweya discussed challenges of immunization and blamed PGCPS administration for failing to help her get the job done (NBC 4). Almost 2,000 students were not permitted to attend Prince George’s County schools on October 1, because they did not have up-to-date vaccinations on record (NBC 4).

Forty-one schools are participating in PGCPS’s arts integration program, where students learn academic concepts through visual art, music, and movement. PGCPS hopes to expand the program to all schools in the county within five years. (The video at WUSA 9 is a more complete story than the text below the video viewing window.)

Twenty-nine elementary schools will benefit from a federally funded grant of $911,200 aimed at helping students sample fresh fruits and vegetables that they might not otherwise experience (e.g. asparagus, star fruit). Schools will be given $50-75 to spend per student for a vegetable or fruit snack during the day. (PGCPS News Release)

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will step down in December. President Obama has chosen deputy secretary John B. King, Jr. as his successor. King previously served as New York state’s commissioner of education, where he came under fire for implementing new teacher evalutions tied to test scores and for pushing the state to adopt new Common Core tests. King also has a background in charter school leadership. (Washington Post)

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