Category: Health and Safety

Will 28,000 PGCPS students miss school tomorrow because of missing vaccinations?

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by Kate McElhenny

http://www.nbcwashington.com/video/#!/news/local/Health-Director-Blames-Discrimination-on-Immunization-Rates/330012861

This clip from NBC Washington misstates the number of students missing vaccinations as 28,000. (That would be almost 25 percent of the total student population!) A quick call to Sherrie Johnson, PGCPS Public Information Officer cleared up the confusion. Drop a zero.

The number remains disturbing at 2800. For comparison, Montgomery and Charles Counties have numbers of students without proper vaccinations in the single digits.

In the above clip, Dr. Angela Wakhweya, PGCPS Health Director, cites PGCPS for failing to reach out to residents with language and economic challenges as the reason for the high number of those without necessary vaccinations.

Missing student records were also mentioned as a cause. Some parents have questioned whether the number of students without proper immunization is actually as high as reported.

As a parent of a kindergartener, I was contacted by the district (after registration and before the start of school) for not having her immunizations on file. When reached, staff at her elementary school assured me that they did possess her files and there was no need for concern. A district employee called days later again stating that they did not have our daughter’s immunizations on file.

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Weekly News Roundup: Sex Abuse Conviction for Football Coach, School Lunch Brouhaha

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Former High Point High School football coach and special education teacher Andre Brown was convicted Friday of sexual abuse of a minor. He had been arrested in 2014 for having sex with a 17-year-old student in a locker room the previous fall. Brown is due to be sentenced in October and could face up to 25 years of imprisonment. (Washington Post)

Fox News reported that Prince George’s County students were complaining about moldy and undercooked food, tweeting photographs of disgusting school lunches. However, PGCPS responded, saying that those photographs were not taken in our school district. This was clear to food services staff, because the trays and food items pictured in the meals were not stocked by PGCPS. (Read or view the original story and the follow-up report on Fox News 5.) Several days after the Fox News story aired, PGCPS posted a positive video on its Facebook page about the cafeteria food served in county schools.

Bisnow’s article titled, “Why Prince George’s County is Just Getting Started,” is an effusively optimistic look at the county’s recent economic development and potential for future growth. For example, here’s one quote from County Executive Rushern Baker: “Think of Bethesda, Rockville, Columbia Heights. That’s how Largo is going to look.” (Bisnow)

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Weekly News Roundup: Moldy Classrooms, Politics, National Merit Semifinalists

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Students were removed from eight classrooms at Samuel Chase Elementary School, so that mold could be remediated. Some parents had complained that mold was causing illness for their children (ABC 7). Samuel Chase Elementary had been in the news earlier this year when a parent complained that her daughter was suffering from allergic reactions caused by mold in the building (ABC 7).

Maryland Del. James Proctor died on Thursday, at age 79. Proctor had been with PGCPS for more than 30 years (as teacher, principal, and transportation supervisor), before becoming a lawmaker in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Prince George’s County (Washington Post). Both County Council Chairman Franklin and County Executive Baker have issued statements of condolence (See here and here).  Proctor’s widow seeks to fill the seat (Associated Press via Washington Times).

Three Eleanor Roosevelt High School students have been named National Merit Semifinalists for 2016. The students are David Gardner, Clara Janzen and Vinaichandra Rachakonda. (PGCPS)

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List of 72 Potential Cell Tower Locations at Prince George’s County Schools

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Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools takes no official position on the controversial issue of cell tower construction on school property. The purpose of this post is solely informational.

Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.05.32 PM

Photo Credit: Theodora Scarato

The wireless tower developer Milestone Communications has an agreement with PGCPS that allows the company to build cell towers on school grounds in exchange for financial compensation. Below is the list of 72 Prince George’s County school sites approved for wireless towers. Information is gathered from Milestone Communications’s website.

Most of the locations are listed as “Rawland sites,” meaning that they are approved as possible future locations for wireless towers, but do not have an existing structure on site. For more information, go to Milestone Communications’s website to view the interactive map or download the list of sites.

Sites with Existing Structures

Carroll Middle School, New Carrollton
Flowers High School , Upper Marlboro
Green Valley Academy, Temple Hills
Kenmoor Middle School, Landover
Oxon Hill Middle School, Ft. Washington

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Classrooms Too Hot or Too Cold? Here Are the PGCPS Thermostat Settings Regulations

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by Genevieve Demos Kelley

We have heard from teachers, parents, and students from across the county who are concerned about 20150515_104837the classroom temperatures at their schools. One teacher at a county middle school writes:

On Friday May 15th, [2015] my classroom was 64 degrees F. On Tuesday May 19th, my classroom was 81 degrees F. Despite continual emails to the school administration asking about the cooling system’s condition, there was no response.

The next day, on May 20th, I took my class outside, to the front courtyard, because my room was just as hot and humid as the day before. Ironically, another teacher from down the hall took her students outside to the rear courtyard because her classroom was so cold.  Another teacher brought in gloves, a scarf, and hat because she said her classroom temperature dropped below 60 degrees F.

So, how hot or cold are classrooms supposed to be? How about bathrooms, health rooms, and hallways? The Building Services Department has answers on its website. The “PGPCPS Seasonal Temperature Standards” are designated as Energy Conservation/ Bulletins S-46-96 and S-90-93, regulating thermostat settings for facilities in the school system.

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Weekly News Roundup: Free Summer Lunches, Bitter Budget Debate at Board Meeting, Future of Forestville High, MUST Tests Suspended

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Free summer lunches for children 18 years and younger will be provided at several county schools from June 29 though August 7. No proof of income is required. See flyer for details. (PGCPS) News channel NBC Washington reports that the meals will also be available at a handful of libraries and provides a map. (NBC 4)

“The Prince George’s County Board of Education engaged in one of its most bitter battles in recent memory while giving approval to changes to the school system’s 2016 budget.” (Sentinel)

“To fill the vacancy created by the expiration of the term of Dr. Daniel Kaufman, County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III is now accepting applications from residents who are interested in serving as an At-Large appointed member of the Prince George’s County Board of Education.” (Prince George’s County Executive)

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What Does Your Child’s School Breakfast Look Like?

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by Li’l Dan Celdran and Genevieve Demos Kelley

Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA) is a program that offers breakfast in the classroom to all students at participating schools, regardless of family income. During the 2014-2015 school year, 78 schools in Prince George’s county and 473 schools in Maryland participated. Harvard University researchers have found that classroom breakfast has a positive impact on academics and behavior. (Read more about MMFA here.)

Here are photographs of three breakfasts served in a PGCPS kindergarten classroom during the week of May 18-22, 2015.

breakfastCombo21May2015

May 21, 2015: Golden Grahams, cinnamon crisps, fresh apple, juice, milk

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Parent Asks Board of Education for Longer Recess

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The following opinion was presented by Genevieve Demos Kelley, a member of Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools, in the public comment portion of the May 14, 2015 Board of Education meeting. Much of the content here is sourced from a post published on this blog that Kelley had written previously.

Good evening. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak about an issue that has been the topic of countless playground conversations, PTA meetings, and gripe sessions among the parents in my community: the length of recess for elementary school students. According to PGCPS policy, elementary students may have as little as 15 minutes of recess per day. Among my circle of friends, this is a favorite complaint. One of my friends has even decided to start home-schooling her son, in part because he was not getting enough unstructured time in his kindergarten year.

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A Local Parent Raises Questions about Cell Tower Deal

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This piece is contributed by Theodora Scarato, a Prince George’s County parent who has helped to organize Safe Schools for Prince George’s County, an advocacy group that opposes cell towers on school grounds. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Prince George’s County Advcoates for Better Schools.

The Prince George’s County School Cell Tower Deal

Seventy-three Prince George’s County Schools are now available as cell tower sites by the Board of Education. Several towers are in the process of permitting and construction. Many parents hear about this plan and instinctively think that it’s a bad idea.

Over the last year, I have worked with parents, homeowner asociations, and community organizations that are opposed to these towers. Here is what I learned. I have more questions than answers.

The cell tower agreement is a no-bid deal. A Virginia-based company (not minority-owned), Milestone Communications, is the only company that has a leasing deal for towers with Prince George’s County Schools. This agreement was made without bids or RfPs for the best price. There was no competition considered. Why does only Milestone get the leases? How was this no-bid deal hatched?

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Teen Who Stabbed Classmate at Frederick Douglass HS was Bullied, Student Says

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From NBC 4, Tracee Wilkins and Andrea Swalec, June 3, 2015. For the full story, go here.

The 14-year-old boy accused of stabbing a 16-year-old classmate at a Maryland high school Tuesday morning was fed up with relentless bullying, a student who witnessed the incident said.

The student who reportedly stabbed another teen tried to avoid a fight but defended himself when the other youth refused to back down, a student at Frederick Douglass High School in Upper Marlboro told NBC4.

Continue reading and watch the video at NBC 4.