Prince George's County Board of Education Disability Issues Advisory Board Meeting January 21, 2026

001enrollment capacity of 850. For our new middle schools, the seat capacity is 1,000. 250 for our K-8 academies is $2,000, and for high schools. is $2,000. We also discussed. Um, the talking points of our legislative priorities and the emphasis on capital programs is one of those. accelerants and big rocks for our district. For our accessibility. Um, update from Dr. Jocelyn Newell. She went over our process that we follow. around accessibility of buildings, so there is a process. in the district, um, we review each school every 3 years. As far as accessibility, and there's several components that we review when we look at accessibility. from how do we enter the school building. Are there… are there ramps to access stages? Do we have accessible bathrooms? Is the elevator working and functional? playground aspects, we have accessibility,

002so just a variety of pieces that we look at. For all of our schools, our physical… every school has a physical therapist that's assigned to them. Rather, they have students that they service at their school or not. So we do have some schools. Where no students receive physical therapy services. But we do assign a physical therapist, um, they are definitely the ADA expert as it comes to building accessibility. Um, Dr. Newell kind of walked the committee through when a request comes in, how do we handle that? Um, sometimes things… we work very closely with our building services team. Sometimes there's simple things that we can do for a modification. Um, we also look at the configuration of a building. So, for example, if a student. Maybe in a wheelchair that's on the second grade floor,

003on the second floor, we may look to put them on the first floor as a, as a… fix, because some of our older schools don't have elevators. Um, the other thing that we do is specialized training for our teams what to look for, um. as it relates to accessibility. They also talked about, uh, trans… we talked about transportation and looking at accessibility. Uh, for our buses and the training that is provided. As it relates to certain equipment that students may need, or things that be adapted. Um, one of the other things that Dr. Newell shared with the committee is that we actually have a full-time. what we call fabrication adapted specialists, and his role throughout the district is to. Um, look at both functions of adaptive equipment for our students. but also support making things

004and fixing things he actually builds adaptive mobility. devices for our district, so that's what he does full-time. Um, and then we also, um, talked about our maintenance plan for the district, and how that does include, um, accessibility. And that there's periodic updates to buildings based on our capital programs, but we do. make our buildings accessible. Um, and then the last thing I'll just share for the good of the group is when we received. The current commission funding for 2 years, we were able to get approval from MSDE. To take about 5 to 6 million dollars to actually make about 23 of our neighborhood schools, elementary schools, accessible. Through that funding, which was a game changer that we were able to really return a lot of our students. to their neighborhood school. If a building is

005not accessible, there's a whole process that we follow. Um, to be able to get that student to their closest neighborhood school, um, that they can attend. Um, based on accessibility concerns. So that is our update for new school construction and accessibility of buildings. Subcommittee. Thank you. Are there any questions? Yes, Chair, um, I'm asking to be recognized, because I do have a question from last night's State of the School. Okay. Mm-hmm. Hi, Ms. Bowman, I didn't get a chance to see you, I saw you in the front, but I get a chance to get over there and say hi. Um… And Board Member Brown, I didn't get to see you either. You were on the other side. I saw my other board members. Um… I did see Board Member Olivio, I was excited to see

006her, she was… it was very nice. Um, I always forget that we're the same height. Um… there was a statement that Interim Superintendent made about… I'm just going to my notes, because I was writing in the back, struggling with that. about visual alert systems, um, is that the systems that we were discussing in our, um… one of our subcommittee meetings, like, I believe last year, where was the stroke lights if they're, um… is an issue. Um, if you could just, like, just elaborate. I was all the way in the back, and I missed a part of it, but I… I have written down visual alert systems within all schools, and that's going to be under funding of $6.8 million, is that correct? Yeah, so part of that is really supporting students who may have, or

007adults who may have visual impairments and may not be able to hear, like a fire alarm going off. or a lockdown drill, it will give them flash warnings so that they can follow. what those commands would be, so we do drills all the time. Um, so if you're visiting our school, you might have been exposed to a fire drill. Um, our transportation team does safety blitz, so… That's just money that's put aside to help support those individuals and students who may have hearing impairments, so that they. If there is a fire or an emergency that takes place that gives them a warning, because they wouldn't necessarily be able to hear it. And so that's gonna be all schools. Is there a date of, like, final rollout, or beginning of rollout? Is that… Or is that

008still dependent upon the budget being passed? So I know it depends on the budget, but I know Chief Coleman and Gary Cunningham could speak to that. Um, more eloquently than I can, but I can take that back as an… just as an update, but you may hear more about that tomorrow evening as well. Okay, I'll wait and see, and if not, then I'll, um, shoot a little email to the subcommittee. Thank you. And there's no other hands, Chair Smith. Great. Thank you, Ms. Bowman. Item 6.3, Employment and hiring. The Chair recognizes Ms. Payne. Yes. So, the Employment and Hiring Committee. I would describe it's been, um, dormant. Um, we, as you know, submitted. Uh, multiple recommendations around the dedicated aid, also improvement. In recruitment overall and reasonable accommodations. And I would actually ask Chanel, Ms.

009Bowman. Um, to talk about progress with the dedicated AEP, because I believe. Um, Prince George's County Public Schools has made, um, progress in that regard. And, um, then after that, I can close out, uh… where we are in terms of next steps. Um, so we currently have roughly, I think, 22. dedicate a vacancies… vacancies, which is tremendous. Um, progress that we've made. Um, the other thing that I know that we are in, um, dialogue with, uh, Governor Westmore's offices around. Apprenticeships, and being able to look at. the transition of a phase-in of apprenticeship, um. folks coming in under ISEAs. Which is our itinerant Special Education Assistant positions, where they would be benefited. Um, so that's something that we're still in the works with and still, um, discussion… discussing, and that is a commitment that definitely

010our interim superintendent has made. Um, and so we'll continue to look at that and how we can phase that over time, despite, of course, the budget. issues that we're experiencing. There's definitely a commitment, um, to be able to look at that position and phase over time, so we're working through that. Thank you, Ms. Bowman. I think there's also the opportunity for the committee. Uh, because another, I think, demonstration of progress has been the number of vacancies, and the fact that. Um, there is proactive recruitment beginning earlier. Um, I think there's an opportunity for the recruitment and hiring committee. to meet and have conversation with, um, Trinell and whoever else she might deem appropriate, because there's been some changes. with the head of, um, human resources at the county level. Uh, for us to determine how

011we might support and bring additional recommendations. And I. We'll follow up with that. Um, uh, Chair Smith, uh, so that we can move forward with the committee. Thank you. That sounds like a plan, Ms. Payne. Um… And I do know that we do… we have an outstanding data request for this committee as well, which may also influence future work that you all may do, so… Thank you, Chair Smith, yes. So hopefully we'll have an update. All right, um, Ms. Vickery, any hands? Ms. Bowman. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Smith. I just wanted to make sure everyone is aware of our PGCPS vacancy dashboards. You're able to look, they're publicly available, you're able to look every day at our vacancies of our high-priority positions that includes. special education teachers, as well as our paraprofessionals. Um, the

012other thing that I would share with you is that we have released. dashboards for every school that will also provide you with vacancies by school, as well as growth measures. Uh, for those high schools, graduation, looking at our interim benchmark assessments, our state assessments, and a variety of data. I encourage you, if you have not had an opportunity to look at those dashboards, to take a look at that. And then I just wanted to add. Dr. Dana Edwards is our new Chief of Human Resources. Um, last week we had a press conference with the County Executive, Brave Boy. And we have kicked off, we are recruiting now, live, our recruitment season is underway. Um, which is great, we're 2 months earlier with recruiting, and we know that we're gonna have tremendous outcomes. being able to

013recruit early. Um, and accelerate the wonderful candidates that we know that are out there. Um, the other thing that I would share with you is that. We are engaging in conversations with higher ed institutions around pipeline opportunities. Uh, to really be able to not only grow our own, but be able to recruit even our interns that are student teachers that are teaching with us. Um, and supporting us, so you'll begin to hear more, um, about that. And then the last thing that I'll share is that we, um, continued, you know, to open… to… offer open contracts. Um, to candidates that are coming in. Um, and so we may not have a place of where you're going exactly, but we will be able to offer you open contracts. Which is a change, um, um, and a

014shift. in terms of being able to offer that opportunity earlier. Um, so, great things are happening, and the last thing that I will share with you is that we do have our dedicated. Um, HR Special Education Partner has started. Um, she's about a month in. Amber Wilson is doing a great job already. She has hit the ground running, and so you now have a dedicated. Uh, special education, HR recruitment advisor that is in our, um. Department of Talent Acquisition and Management Office. And her background, um, is special education, so former special education teacher specialist. and understand special ed, which is a great, and then the last thing that I'll share with you under our Division of Human Resources, we also now have an instructional specialist. Uh, for special ed that is sitting in our Office

015of Professional Learning and Leadership. And they do have subcommittees that is focusing on recruitment and retention, so to your point, Ms. Payne, we do have an operational kind of subcommittee. That is looking at our recruitment efforts, our retention efforts, and recommendations that we can make… that committee can make. to our administrative team, so it is a cross-functional team, um, that we do have in place. Excellent. Any additional questions or comments? Chair Brown, um, Chair… Jesus, where am I at? Chair Smith. Oh, no, no, I'm switched. I'm so sorry, y'all. Is it Ms. Brown, Board Member Brown? Um… Okay, y'all know this is my first meeting back, so it's, like, October, so sorry. Um, Kirsten, if I'm asking if you recognize, I'm sorry. You may be recognized. Um, I wanted to, for the record, I wanted

016to say, um, you know, thank you to the board, and thank you to Central Office staff, Ms. Bowman. I, um… Um, and I plan to bring this back up in new business, but um… being a PGCPS parent since… 2002… 2022, um, like, I have literally seen. the change that you guys have been making within this last school year. I applaud you guys. You guys are digging in and doing the hard work. Um, I applaud. the interim superintendent, um, making the necessary changes. I know some things, um. I hope I don't end up on the internet with people like, what, girl? But, no, seriously, I, um… There just have been some things, like, as a parent with a child with different abilities, like, there have literally been. extreme changes in 6 or 7 months that just

017did not exist before. And I really do want to, um, give you your flowers. I still got some bones to pick with y'all. Y'all know, when I see y'all in public, I'm like, hey, I'm about to email you. I told Board Member Olivio last night, hey. Look out for my email, I might not get it out tonight, but I got some questions. But, um, I do have to applaud you guys, like, I… at the, um, central office. Level and coming down, and as it's moving top down. you see the changes in there, and I do want to, um, say thank you for that, and I think it's really important, I don't… know that our subcommittee for employment and hiring even got to the point. I mean, I know we got to the point of saying,

018like, we needed some dedicated recruitment, but to even. Get to the point where you guys have a dedicated HR specialist for special education, and now you have an instructional, um. an instructional, uh… coach within the Professional Development Office, which is even new itself, like, it's just… These are changes that are necessary, um, so I thank you guys for that. So I just wanted to put that on the record. Thank you for that, Ms. Bakerie. Any other hands? Questions? Thank you, Ms. Payne, for your report. We are now moving on to our presentations. 7.1 election for new vice chair. Pursuant to Board Policy 1700, the Disability Issues Advisory Board is required to elect a vice chair to serve a two-year term. This evening, we will hold a vote to fill the position. Which became vacant when

019I was elected the new chair at the October 28th meeting. During the meeting, two nominees were put forward for vice chair, Ms. Brittany Patrick and Ms. Tangela Terrain Myers. I would like to invite each candidate to address the members. and share why they believe they are well-suited to serve as vice chair. And let me thank you both for stepping up to the plate. Is there a preference on who goes first? I'm sorry, Adam. Sorry, Madam Chair, um… I'm withdrawing my candidacy. I don't… want to participate. Oh, okay. No problem, thank you for considering. Thank you. So let me ask the question, Miss Patrick. Are you still interested in fulfilling this role? Sure, yeah, I'm happy to. Okay. Um, do you want to share any words? No pressure, but do you want to share any words

020with the… with the board? I will share, it's been a pleasure to serve thus far. Um, I am a former special education teacher. I've dedicated my life to not just special education, but disability rights, in particular in the workplace. And so, you know, I'm from this county, I'm a PG County public school graduate. And very, uh, much so dedicated to continuing to see improvements in some way, so I look forward to continuing to work with you all. And, um, humbly request your vote to serve as your co-chair, vice chair. Thank you, Ms. Patrick. Ms. Vickery, can you please take… Oh, um, Vice Chair… I mean, excuse me, Chair Smith? Yes. Mm-hmm. really quickly, this is Tia. So, unless someone else would like to either self-nominate or nominate someone else, um, the vice chair. Thank you.

021you don't necessarily have to go through a vote, um. it would automatically be, um, Ms. Patrick. If no one else, um… decides to self-nominate or nominate someone else, another member. Okay. So let me ask the question… Are there any additional nominations for the position of Vice Chair? Hearing none… With no objections, we would like to say congratulations to Ms. Patrick. And we are proud to have you serve as our Vice Chair of the Disability Issues Advisory Board. Thank you. I think that there is an era… on our agenda. Um… I would like to strike item 7.2, Policy 1700. disability issues advisory Board, because we already had a report out. On this one… Hopefully there are no objections there. We will move to item 7.3, Data and Recommendation Status Update. The Chair recognizes Board Member Brown.

022Too many screens, sorry you all. Uh, thank you so much. Welcome to 2026! We made it, we're here. Um, kudos to you all. As I was listening to the reports, and of course. Uh, the state of our schools. I could not be more proud at the work that DIAB was a huge. part of. So, kudos to you all. for always speaking up, for always standing 10 toes down, and for keeping us accountable. Um, and allowing us to be in a partnership and see what that actually looks like. from a… from a parent to a board to the administration, and so… This is an example of. how I kind of saw Dieb going, um, just always being collaborative, and always understanding. the voices of parents and family and community members, and so for that. I really

023want to, you know, Ms. Vickery took the shine when she thanked us, but I really wanted to make sure that I took the opportunity. to thank you all, because. this work would not have been, um… in my opinion, uh, would not have been voiced, would not have been, um… really, you know, pushed had Diab not been so vocal. Um, and had you all not trusted your board members. to relay those message to the administration, as well as. Um, Chief Bowman and everything that she does, so thank you all for the hard work. Thank you all. Through frustrations, through everything, please see that you have reaped what you sow, and continue to reap, and you'll see. The sewing from there, or how is it the other way? Yeah, read what you saw. So… Um, so I

024wanted to make sure I welcomed you all back. Um, of course, we've got recommendations from the superintendent. We were gonna go over that tonight. Was that… I want to make sure that was the plan, Teresa. Yes, that is. Okay, perfect. Um, and so… Um, starting with, you know, uh, the name change, of course, um. we all kind of were like, hey, we understand completely disability issues advisory. board doesn't necessarily, um, reflect a positive. social model of what you all want to stand for, and so the recommendations that you all did give was Advisory Council on Disability Affairs. or advisory Board on Disability Rights. Um, now, based on Policy 1700, which I will. go much further into. the name is kind of going to depend on the scope, right? Um, and I say this because. the

025name possibly could have given a level of, um, confusion as to how far you all were able to. take things or go and what have you. Um, and I say this to say because one of the recommendations that the board did also agree with. was that, um… Clarity obviously needed. to be, you know, regarded in the intent of how we're gonna expand. What are the concerns that the board did have that we also addressed with the administration. was the overlap of CCAC and DIAB, and what that looks like. They gave two recommendations. The first recommendation is that you all. join CCAC as a subcommittee. So that you all are doing the work, and the work that is not covered under CCAT. Diab is able to. perform those duties that CCAC is not performing in, or

026in the scope of. So that was the first recommendation. The second recommendation, of course, was that. Board Policy 1700 pretty much stands. Um, and the scope where you all would operate in would be. per ADA compliance. And I'm gonna stop and see if anyone has any questions. I definitely have a comment here, but um… Is… is there. Okay, do… I can add… and board member Olivio, I don't want to, um, put you on the spot. Do you have anything additional? Because she is the Vice Chair of, um… Policy and governance. Um, not right now. Thank you for giving such a great overview, but I'm happy to jump in later. Okay. Sure. Okay. Sorry, Theresa, I know, uh, excuse me, Chair Smith. This is your meeting, so I want to make sure if… I want to

027make sure I stop in the times that you all do want to speak, or did you want me to wait to the end? Okay. Sure. No, I think that this is perfect, if we could just give you calls. Um, I don't think… We already discussed the name piece, I think people pretty much are okay with that. Um, as it relates to… the scope, and then even a comment about possibly being a subcommittee under, um, CCAT. We do… we do recognize, and… and, I mean, it's a fact. Ccac is mandated. Um, by IDEA to be in place. What I will say, and maybe someone can educate me operationally from the educational side of things. Um, although that's a fact. the Board of Education is required. to have governance in place. So, my question will be… How

028does this look from a governance standpoint? Okay. Um… you know, I don't have no initial reactions of whether or not the subcommittee is fitting or not, but I would… again, my comment. Mm-hmm, okay. Would be about governance. Because I would just say that having CCAC in place does not eliminate the fact that the board is, you know. you still have a duty. Um, to fulfill this. 100%. Chair Smith, there's two hands, I don't know if you want to recognize. It was Ms. Patrick first, and then Ms. Payne. Um, thank you, Board Member Brown, for this report. I also think about, you know, if DAB was to join CCAC as a subcommittee. I still think about… think that there might be some name confusion, right? Because CCAC is special education. and Diab also addresses, you know.

029areas that may not have to do with special education at all, per se, but accessibility. Um, I would also… wonder, um, you know, if we remained our own independent body. Could the board get more granular in the policy around the areas of ADA that we are responsible for, beyond what's already there, right? Because I think about our students with disabilities. Who may have 504 plans. who may not necessarily be served under IDEA, would it be. DAB's responsibility. you know, to make suggestions or advise around that group. So I would just wonder if we could get more granular, if we did in the policy, if we did maintain our independence as a. Thank you, Ms. Patrick. Um, Ms. Vickery, what was the other… who was the other hand? Okay. Ms. Payne? Yes, I would echo, um…

030Chair Smith, um, the idea of what governance would look like. Uh, one of the issues for CCAC is we are not. what I would describe as an official advisory entity. For the board. And, um, with the merger, so to speak. I would imagine that that would change, and I also think that would strengthen. our ability… to service. our children with disabilities. I think there is a lot of overlap, um, between serving on both. committees, I think there's a lot of overlap, and I think there's a lot of opportunity for us to do more. Um, if we thought about, uh, some type of combination. But I do have a lot of questions, right, obviously, about how governance would work. Thank you, Ms. Payne, Ms. Vickery? I think I'm actually… I'm gonna take it back. I need

031some more time to, um… I need some more time to think about it, and I want to hear more of what. Board Member Brown says before I… I'm not sure if it's ready for me to speak yet, I don't know if I'm… ready yet. No problem. Any other hands? Um, the floor is back to you, Ms. Brown. All right, thank you so much, Chair Smith. Um… we're gonna definitely circle back. This is not the end of all, and I want… I've been writing down questions. that I want… I do want to bring back to the board and bring back to policy and governance. One thing I do have for Ms. Patrick, and I don't know, Chair Smith, if I can just ask her a question real quick. She wants to… she mentioned granular… as far

032as details in the policy. If she could speak on that, or even send me an email about that, um, that would be great, just for me to have a better idea of exactly what this is going to look like, so… when we re-present it to policy and governance, as we'll know, and we'll have a better idea of exactly what. Um, this looks like moving forward. Um, and also. I'm sorry. Sure. I'm sorry, uh, Chair Smith, I raised my hand, but I… Board Member Brown, I wanna… Ms. Patrick also has her hand raised, and I think it's both that we both have a statement back to your… your statement right there. Uh, no, I was not. Mm-mm. So, um, Board Member Brown, were you looking for Ms. Patrick to respond right now with an example, or

033were you… Okay. Alright, um, and then, Ms. Patrick, is your question pertaining to what she's discussing right now, or… Um, I was actually thinking of Ms. Vickery, but Ms. Patrick, you have the floor, I'm sorry. Yes, it is. I was just gonna make it quick and say, um, Board Member Brown, if I could just get, like, a week to convene with the board policy 1700 subcommittee, because I'd like to, before I email you, get their thoughts as well, but it will… be coming to you in a week or so. Fabulous, thank you, Ms. Vickery? Yes, it was pertaining to what Board Member Brown just said. I think it would be really helpful around, um, and I will be… I'm on the subcommittee. underneath, um, Ms. Patrick's leadership, but it's really helpful to have, um, some

034type of. advisory board for children who have the 504 plans. We, um, as a parent of a child who has a 504 plan and not an IEP, um, we're kind of out there in the wind on some of the things that we can get done. And we have to be really on top of our, uh, dates and our timelines and everything, because we do not have that, um… that strong federal law behind us that really pushes things forward. Um, so I know that Ms. Patrick is going to provide you more, but. that's kind of the, um, frame of thought, um. that she's going with, and I can speak for that, because she and I talk about 504 plans all the time. Um, just out in the community, I'll be driving, I'll be like, hey girl.

035Uh, this thing. So, um, that is the, um, the frame of thought that. That… that our response will be coming from, is that. parents like myself with a 504 in place and not an IEP, we need that, um… we need that board. We need a board. We need an advisory board that can push the things forward for us. Um, and Chair Smith, you have Ms. Cottrell, who has her hand up now. Okay, thank you, Ms. Bickery. Ms. Cottrell? Yeah, everything kind of echo with Ms. Vickery, like, I'm also a parent of a child with a 504, and I… jokingly call it the, you know, the… we're hoping people are going to do the right thing document. Because there is kind of, you know, no consequence or whatever, so it's like this good faith document. So

036we're hoping that the people are going to do the right things by the children. Um, so I definitely echo those feelings, and just wanting, you know, the idea of, like, what can that accountability, because what can it look like? Because they're not… we don't have the same protections as an IEP, but that doesn't mean that our children don't have needs as well. Thank you. Ms. Vickery, are there any other hands? All right, hearing, uh, Ms. Brown. Yes, and I just want to make sure. when it comes to CCAT, because I also want to address what Ms. Payne was saying as well. As far as overlapping. Does CCAC address. or assist when it comes to… or families when it comes to 504 plans. I just want to make sure. Or maybe Ms. Bowman can answer. Okay.

037So… Yeah. So, the, um… CCAC is IDEA, which is Students with IEPs. Um, so on occasion, we've had our student services team. you know, kind of come in and talk about, like, the difference between an IEP and a 504. So we do welcome them as partners, and they have come in. And kind of talked about the differences between the two, um, and have also participated in presentations over the years. But in terms of the actual statue from the federal level and COMAR, our state regulations, it is specific to IDEA. Thank you. I just wanted to make sure that was clear. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, it is. For everybody to… to know. Okay, thank you so much. Yes. Okay, so, are we ready to move on to the next? I believe we are. Recommendation. Okay. Thank you

038for your patience, so… Um, I believe we were, uh, one of the, one of the other. Sorry, I'm going down a name change, expanded horoscope. Okay, reporting flexibility, uh, modify the current annual report requirement. to a flexible, rather than mandating an annual report, clearly define the deliverable while. Allowing reports to be issued as needed, include a minimum reporting standard not to exceed. specified frequency, so part of the rationale. I think that you all came up with was making sure that there's clear deliverables while setting reasonable reporting. Uh, minimum enhancements, accountability, without unnecessary delays or administrative burdens. This approach improves oversight, uh, resource allocation, and responsiveness to policy changes. Um, the board, or excuse me, yeah, the administration responded that this is outside of their scope. I think we needed a little bit more detail on

039this, but what I can say, I was… wondering, was this in reference to the reporting that the state of Maryland has been getting as far as. special education reports and how we've been doing. I wanted to make sure I got clarity on that. No, it's not. Um, I don't have the policy in front of me, but I… and somebody, you know, hold me accountable here, but I believe Board Policy 1700 has an annual. Okay. reporting requirement to Board of Education. And… I mean, we can… Use this as an example. You know, we… this particular board provided. Mm-hmm. recommendations in June, we were anticipating a response back in August so that once we gear back up for the next school year. Yep. You know, we knew what our focus was going to be, but we can

040see it's now January. Mm-hmm, yeah. We're just not going through the recommendations report. We believe that that requirement needs to be adjusted in the policy itself. Mm-hmm. Uh, you know… We need to know what the priorities are of the district. I mean, just putting… just having it out there that an annual report has to be done. I don't know what the rationale was, let me say that, I don't know what the rationale was, but we're just recommending that we consider what that frequency should be. Yes, and that's definitely something I'm sure we can discuss further. I mean, that honestly doesn't need to be a further discussion, but what I can tell you is this. Obviously, we know what's been going on with the state of Maryland, the reports that have been happening, and so I…

041from a board member's perspective, again, I'm not a voting member, I'm just y'all liaison. from a board member's perspective. the level of accountability has. obviously really gone to our special education, right? And so. We… so let's say in June. Bohr could have said, oh, our recommendations for the year of 27-28 is going to be this. However, in January, we received all these reports, so now things are gonna shift. this needs to be the focus. And so I think there does need to be a level of flexibility. Um, when it comes to that, especially when we're dealing with our scholars who are… who may not be getting the services that. they're supposed to be getting who may not be getting, uh, their family may not be getting the support. And so. I'm… I'm gonna put a

042recommendation that we have a much more. flexible timeline, um, but again, let me know, because that's what I think needs to happen, is that there needs to be a little bit more flexibility, rather than saying, okay, in June. you know, we're gonna say this so that in August, we're gonna focus on this for the rest of the year, because. things shift, right? And we need to make sure we're flexible when it comes to that. And sometimes we have to. we have to be flexible to make sure that things are taken care of. priority rise, so I think that's definitely something we could… change in the policy, and again, I'll… Um, board member Olivio is obviously the vice chair of the Policy and Governance. So we'll definitely make sure that we go over this as well.

043Um, I hope that I answered the question. Okay, perfect. Any additional… I know that's not my job, but… I wanted to move on to the next one. We can… yeah, we can move on. Okay. Alright, so, um… Another, uh, let me… let me go to the policy… let me go to staggered appointments. Okay? So, uh… we talked about implementing staggered appointment terms, kind of like how the board members do it, like, so not everybody is… gone at the same time, and not everybody is here at the same time, just… being able to do that, um… And having planning that fosters for more consistent, effective approaches to addressing disability-related issues. So the first example, um, that you all gave was the voluntary removal, where members. who have completed their initial term may voluntarily choose to step

044down for an addition, or remain for an additional term. This decision should be communicated at least 30 days. Um, the policy will allow members to either. voluntarily exit the board or stay for a second term with a limit of two consecutive terms. Um, another option is during the year, the current board would surf fully as advisors. At the end of the members. would take their place, um, those who remain return as serving one term would bring valuable communities. So the response is. that we recommend that PGCPS employees serve as point of contacts or designees. not as standing voting members, consistent with other BOE. committees. Any discussion? So, when I read that response, it appears that… that administration is only speaking to their staff, so how we have Ms. Bowman. We currently have a vacancy with

045a compliance officer, so it would be that role as well. Yes. Mm. Mm-hmm. Um, I'm not sure if this was going to be… that response is applicable to CTAC or not, but… Outside of those particular roles, our recommendation is for the… it pertains to the district members as well. So, you know, we don't want to remove all district, and it's, you know, this is kind of like the. Mm-hmm. inaugural council at this point, because it's been dormant for so long, but we don't want to lose this institutional knowledge that has been built. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, within the last 2 years, so if we could stagger those appointments, I think. if this, you know, if this council was to remain in place. Yes. Hmm… Um, it'll build some stability. Um, from the work that needs

046to be done. So we just wanted you guys to consider looking at how the appointments are done. Yes. And, and I did make the recommendation, um, did speak on. having a stagger just like the Board of Education does. we can't all be running for election all at the same time. It's… we need… there needs to be coverage. Because there has to be a quorum, too, right, of people who are ready. And so, that is a part of the governance piece that, to me, it should be non-negotiable, and I definitely would. Um, recommend to the board members that we should definitely have staggered appointments moving forward. Um, so please stand by. Alright, we ready for the next one. We are. We on a roll today. Um… So, when it comes to bylaws and governance. You all

047did ask, um, that we mandate and, uh, adopt Robert's Rules of Order. I believe we were operating out of Robin's Rule of Order, or that was the goal? That's pretty much what all the committees. have done it in the experience that I have had thus far, is it always perfect? Not necessarily. Um, maybe… a parliamentarian might have to be some… a position that you all. um, consider to make sure that Robert's Rule of Order is always, um… followed, um, but as far as the bylaws, I was not sure about how that was gonna work. Maybe. Board member Olivo has a little additional insight on that. that she can assist, because I didn't receive any feedback from board members on that. Yeah, I think, um… And I… I apologize if this isn't, um, strictly stated, but

048I think the assumption is that it would be Robert's Rules of Order, so if that is something that we need to specify, I, you know, I don't… I don't see any… any issue with that whatsoever. It's important to have this standardized, and that's an easy… reference point, you know, that everyone can use. So, um… I'm sorry that you didn't get any specific responses about that, Robin, but I think it's something we would have just kind of assumed was in place. Ms. Board Member Olivio, could you address the bylaws piece? And I cannot remember… Um, our October 2025 meeting, but bylaws have come up a couple of times, and… I think at this point, we just need clarity as to whether or not. this board can move forward with drafting its own bylaws. I know that

049there are some advisory boards in place that have their own bylaws. Um, or if we are required, or whether or not maybe required is not the word, are we governed under. a general by-law document that's out there, and we're just unaware of it. I am not aware of a general bylaw document, um, so I do agree that that is something that should be clarified regarding the bylaws specifically. Um, and at the same time, we could, you know, go ahead and clarify in that often. I think it's. It's… in my experience, often bylaws do say, you know, we're… we use Robert Sears of Orders. So I think I understand the questions are tied together. Um… so, um… And I… I am not aware of any sort of. larger framework of bylaws, so I agree that this

050is an issue that does need to be figured out. All yours, Board Member Brown. No, Ms. Vickery, um, had her hand up, just… Yes, thank you for recognizing me. Just for, uh, the record, I do remember our first meeting, I do believe it was, um. Um, board member, staffer, um… Adam Stafford was still present at the time, and it was at that time when she read into, um… it was some documents she was reading into us. We'd have to go back to that very first meeting. Um, but at that time, it was established that this, um, board, uh, that DI had to function underneath Robert Rose Order. So I just wanted to bring that back for the record. Excellent, thank you. Yeah, I think it's pretty standard. Yeah, just to keep the order in the

051meetings. Yeah, so with that being said, Chair Smith. Would it… is… so, I'm thinking of, like, for example, PCAT. they follow Robert's Rule of Order as well, but is it a necessity to have a bot… to have bylaws. If we're also following Robert's Rule of Order. Okay. So maybe that's something we could look at as well. ECAG has bylaws! Yeah. Um… And actually… Yeah, we can possibly. What bylaws are they following? And we could kind of match it, because they're both being governed by the Board of Education. Benchmarking. So… I'm just surprised. Okay, yeah, we can… we can look into that. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. And if I'm not mistaken, I do believe, and I'll have to go back and watch that video. If I'm not mistaken, um, because I was not recording Secretary at

052that time. Um, so I just don't have the notes. I do believe she said we were supposed to work on our own bylaws at that time, too, so I'm gonna have to go back and check. But I believe that that was a statement that was made in that very first meeting. Hmm… Okay, I just want to make sure I was not on mute. Thank you so much, Ms. Vickery. Um, the next one, forgive me, let me see… CCAT, we already talked about that, we talked about membership… Go back down, hold on. Okay, so subject matter experts. Uh, we're talking about new construction and facilities subcommittee. engage in PDCPS subject matter experts to further examine. the information gathered during Diaba's initial research efforts. this subcommittee, we're kind of doing that subcommittee, and it says the preliminary

053findings reveal that there's a need for deeper investigation. To accurately identify various opportunities affecting individuals with physical disabilities. Yes, I feel like it does, but I'll yield. Chanel, did we not address that with… Has that not been addressed? I feel like that's been addressed, and maybe you can… Mm-hmm. to Chair Smith or, um, subcommittee Vickery, just from your perspective, but I do believe we do have a process in place for the district. And we did share that with the subcommittee, so I believe we're good. Okay. Yes, we are… we are well. I will say that as a chair for that subcommittee, you are doing quite well to make sure that we get our questions answered and bringing in any additional staff to, you know, address whatever the concerns are. So yes, it is being addressed.

054Okay. Perfect. The next one was, um, also was going to discuss. Uh, let me go back down… was gonna discuss, uh, employment and hiring subcommittee. Um, and talk about the compos- you know, so the administration responded back. compensation for temporary position is reviewed annually against market benchmark. in fiscal year 26, PGCPS increased DA pay rates. and expanded recruitment efforts. We are exploring benefit eligible. positions, such as interim… Interrent Special Education Assistance and state approved. So, earlier in the meeting, and please correct me if I'm wrong again. Churnell did discuss. about the hiring practices. And, um, where we're at and how we're moving forward. Does… is that… Good, Chair Smith. I just want to make sure before I move forward. there was anything additional based on this recommendation. So… So I'm going to, um… I'm gonna

055tap Ms. Payne, because… at the… I think it was the last DIAB meeting, um… There was a motion on the floor about increasing. Um, the pay rate for dedicated aids? So… I know we have the, you know, we have the details related to this particular recommendation. I just want to ask. Ms. Payne… Do you believe that we are satisfied with what has been relayed to us as it relates to that motion? Our goal was to make the position more competitive, right, so that we would be able to recruit. Um… skilled resources. What I'm hearing from the response. is that, you know, we're paying on par, right? So I… I don't know. We also want to think about broader than pay benefits. Right? Um, so I would say, from what I'm hearing, and gotta kind of

056unpack it a bit, um, I think there's still an opportunity. Uh, with our recommendation. And there's some movement. But I think our committee's vision was. there would be a broader movement, especially in the benefits area. Yeah, so, of course, they said that they're exploring, right? So that, that could mean a lot of things. Um, however, what I can say and recall what. Um, Miss Bowman had discussed with us was. the partnership with the governor's office and Maryland State Department of Education, which. talks about the interim special education and that pipeline, that state-supported pipeline. And so, yes. I agree with you, Ms. Payne. There definitely is movement. Um, and so I don't know if there's any additional. facts or information that Ms. Bowman wants to give, but that's. that's essentially what I heard, um, from her

057initial report. Thank you, Chair Smith. I did want to add. Ms. Bowman, you are recognized, sorry. that for FY25, which would have been. Last school year, the hourly rate was $15 an hour. for the FY26 budget, it was increased by a dollar. to $16 an hour, so I'm not sure you are aware of that, but there was a. $1 increase from last school year to this school year. So I do want to add that. Thank you. Any other hands? Alright. Mister Joy, you are recognized. Thank you, Chair Smith. Um, I know, because I go through the process of requesting temporary employees quite often. Um, and Ms. Bowman, feel free to correct me on this. I don't think that through the temporary employees and how that works, that there is an option that they can receive

058benefits. Um, I think when I was, um… I believe it was me that brought the motion to the floor a few meetings back. Um, with the suggestion that we look at. part-time, which does have… Um, benefits. Now, of course, that's a huge procedural change for all of PGCPS, and that's not something that. We can even decide amongst ourselves, you know, it could be, you know, one of our. our wish list, um… But, you know, I think the process. Of wanting to make it more competitive, that would be… a partial step, however, I must say that I'm so happy to hear about this pipeline idea. I think it's absolutely amazing, and I think, you know, once we get that going, I really think that's super beneficial, so… The movement is here, maybe perhaps in other ways,

059maybe in ways that we didn't expect. Um, but I will say, there… unless I'm wrong, Ms. Bowman, please correct me, I don't think there is a way that a temporary employee can get benefits. You are correct, so that it is a non-benefited position. Currently. But we are, again. the administration and our interim superintendent is committed to doing a phase. Where we would, um, have benefited positions. It's gonna take some time with the budget, but there is a commitment to look at a phased approach for those positions, absolutely. Thank you. Are there any other hands? All right, Ms. Brown? Yes, thank you so much. The next bulletin, um, that they wanted to discuss was, uh, I believe, hiring practices. And, uh, once again. Uh, Chernel did discuss that about the recruitment efforts. I'll read what the

060administration's response was, um, as far as, uh, how… The recommendation that you all gave was to adopt more innovative responsive hiring strategies. to get new talent, um, and, um, Ms. Bowman may be able to give more into details, but the response was that. PGCPS has established a strategic plan to guide hiring efforts, including those related to… especially those, I should say. related to special education as a part of the special education corrective action plan. Current strategies will be reviewed to determine where improvement may be necessary. The PGCPS Recruitment Office hosts regular hiring events, so if anyone knows, we are hiring. We are hiring, we are hiring. Specifically aimed at recruiting qualified candidates for special education, professional, and supportive roles. PGCPS remains competitive in the labor market as confirmed by annual compensation studies. Contrary to statements

061in the report, the district does offer early contracts to prospective employees. Additionally, PTCPS ensures that all positions deemed necessary by the Department of Special Education. And student services such as social workers and mental health providers. are appropriately staffed in full compliance with IDEA and ADA guidelines. Looking to see if there's hands… And if Ms. Bowman wanted to add anything additional. No hands. But she… I think she wants to add. Yes. What I will add is that our Dr. Carrie Wright, our state superintendent. um, held, um, a Maryland Superintendent Academy meeting on Friday with all of our superintendents across the state. As well as the lead of special ed in those districts. And the interim superintendent in our district brought along with me, also our Chief of Human Resources. The great thing about the meeting, it

062was a collaborative effort to really talk about special ed and staffing. Um, by bringing all the district leaders together, again, from our superintendents in the state. Um, to our leads of special ed in the state, either associate, superintendents of special ed assistants, or directors. as well as many districts bought their HR. chief or their chief of operations, or their chief of staff. But really an opportunity to come together. To talk about our different staffing models based on some different district case studies and what they're doing. Um, the other piece we had an opportunity to do is to kind of talk about, based on what we heard, what are we going to bring back in our district? Um, so I will say that it was validating in terms of. where Prince George's is with their special

063ed staffing committee and the things that we're thinking about to improve, for example, thinking about workload. Um, as we think about the instructional implications for our teachers. that provide not only the instruction, but the case management, and what does that look like, and how we can alleviate some of that paperwork in case. management duties, um, to provide more time for instruction, which you did see as one of our legislative priorities was to provide more intervention teachers. Um, so that we can give that accelerated dosage of what our students need around the specially designed instruction. So it was a great opportunity to really think about our action plan and coming back in the district, but I do want everyone to know that we are. Spinning an attention effort to really look at. Rethinking our models of

064how we provide special ed services in our district, and that is part of our. 2.0 Special Ed Strategic Plan. Thank you. Are there any other hands? Okay, Ms. Brown? Sure. Um, this was a… this was a good one, too, that you all brought up. We're… when we talk about accountability. So, timeliness. and accountability in responding to reasonable accommodation requests. Um, the request that you all gave was to reduce the average response time for accommodations from over 100 days to 30 days and provide principals the autonomy to review and approve requests. in the interim. Give me one second, sorry, my computer is… You're telling me it's dying, give me a second. Alright, can you all hear me? Yes. Okay, perfect. Alright, give me one second… Okay, so here we go. So, we wanted to reduce it,

065so… To the greatest extent possible, principles must be granted the autonomy to provide reasonable accommodations. While the central office works to restore timely processing. PDCPS must take immediate corrective action within 6 months, the average response time. Must be reduced to no more than 30 days. And so. Um, the response for the administration was that Prince George's County Public Schools remains fully committed. to ensuring that all employees are afforded reasonable accommodations in accordance. Would the Americans' Disability Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Um, strengthen internal processes and reinforce accountability to better support the staff in a timely and equitable manner. While the premise of the question suggests systemic delays. And non-compliance, it is important to note that PGCPS has made measurable progress. In this area, over the past several years, the district has enhanced training.

066Sorry, I don't know what's going on. Please stand by… Can you all hear me? I'm sorry, I'm having technical difficulties. Yes, we can hear you. Okay. Uh, over the past several years, the district has enhanced training for administrators. invested in centralized tracking systems and reinforced procedures to ensure request. Our review consistently and fairly. These efforts reflect a continuing commitment to reducing response time and ensuring compliance with both federal law. and board policy. Pdcps also recognizes. that the work of building a responsive, transparent. The process is ongoing. To that end, the district continues to evaluate its practices and identify opportunities. for further refinement. The role of school leaders, including principals, is critical in supporting staff day-to-day. But PGCPS remains committed to a centralized review and approval. process to ensure consistency, equity, and legal compliance across the

067system. As we move forward, PTCPS will remain steadfast in the commitment to protecting the rights of employees, improving efficacy. and fostering an inclusive environment that supports staff, ultimately, um, and. and benefits students. Do we have any additional feedback? Yes. Oh, I'm sorry, um… Chair Smith, uh, Ms. Payne has feedback, has her hand raised. Ms. Payne, you're recognized? Yes, I think it would be, um, helpful to understand. Mm-hmm. the components of the central review process. And the measurements associated with those… with that process and specifics around the measurements, because. We had, um, a specific benchmark. that we recommended, and I'm not hearing any. um, commitment, uh, around the time for, uh, response. for reasonable accommodation, so that would be my… my feedback. That's great feedback. Ms. Mcgree, are there any other hands? Yes, Mister. Did you

068say Ms. Doyle? Is she here? Yes, she came in around, um, 2. 3.0. So yeah, she's here. Welcome, Mr. Doyo. You have before. Hi, sorry, I've been here, but I've been off-camera, I've been, uh… doing my mom taxi duties, uh, a little bit this evening. Um, I just… I wanted to make sure I heard correctly, um… Did that report say that there has been improvement over the years in responsiveness? So, this is very confusing to me, because we came up with this recommendation based on a FOIA request put in by one of our members. And, um, the data was abysmal. And the data had actually gotten worse, and just what we noticed, um, was that when Monica Goldson was superintendent. Um, the response… I don't have the data in front of me, but the response

069time was better, and then when the administration changed to. Dr. House, um, it was abysmal. And I think we can all agree that 120 days is. Mm-hmm. abysmal. And, um, our… our staff deserves so much better than that, so I feel like this. This kind of missed the mark, um… Because it's… it's based on a premise that's not true. That's… that's all I've got. Well, what I can't… oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to… I'm sorry, I was just… just to piggy off what Ms. Doyle is stating, it would… I guess it would be good to know if PGCPS is standing behind their statement that they have made measurable progress. Based on what? What was the measurement there? I guess, Ms. Doyle and Ms. Ms. Payne, they, they, you know, they both are pointing.

070Mm-hmm. to this, um… We don't haphazardly throw out numbers, so, you know, we can… We can back up, you know, why we made this recommendation. So, I don't know, maybe… can you go back to administration and… either provide some clarity, or… Again, how do they plan… what is the… What's the action plan, pretty much? Mm-hmm. To address this. Sorry, I'm working on pulling up the data. I'm gonna see if I can put my hands on it kind of quickly, too, just so we can reiterate that. Okay. Thank you. Ms. Vickery, do you see any other hands? Thanks. Yes, it was, um, me and Ms. Patrick, but I can, uh, yield since Ms. Doyle is going to look up the data. Um, I'd rather not just say anything, but I… I agree with everyone else on

071Diab. If there was a stark, an extremely stark difference. between Dr. Goldson and then, um, Superintendent House, and there was an extreme. change in the response timeline. Ms. Patrick is out. Okay, thank you. All right, the chair recognizes Ms. Patrick. Mm-hmm. Thank you. I don't mind sharing, I'm the one who requested this data. I've requested it over a specific period of time, right? Like, a length of time. I requested information on approvals, as well as denials. And the reason I requested this is because in. administrative procedure 4172. There is supposed to be an equity assurance officer in place. who reports this information to the superintendent on an annual basis for evaluation? And what was discovered when I FOIA'd the information is that that there's not an equity assurance officer in place, at least that's what

072I have in email. At that time, it wasn't. Um, and that this reporting had not been being done. So, it didn't appear that there were eyes on it as detailed. is supposed to be done in, um, administrative Procedure 4172. So I do wonder, is… an equity assurance officer in place. At this point, right? Um, and is that reporting. being done, uh, like, for this past year. So if I was to request the information again, would we be able to see. Thank you, Ms. Patrick. specifically, are there any other hands? Right, Mister William. You're on mute, Ms. Doyle, if you're speaking, okay. Sorry, my phone… my phone is… My phone is not wanting to unmute me, sorry, I just… I was able to find that data. Um, under Dr. Goldson. It was… this is why we

073chose the… I'm remembering this is why we chose the 30 days, because under Dr. Goldson, um, the average days to determination was 32. Hmm… Um, and under Dr. House, that ballooned to 104. When they saw that. Which is… that's more than 3 months, that's just… So, like I said, the report's saying, oh, we've made measurable gains, it's like… I want to say laughable, but it's not because it's people's lives. Um, that's… It's, it's not good and to say, oh, what we're doing is okay is. Not acceptable. That's all I got. Thanks. Yeah, oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Ms. Good. I'm done, that's all I have. Somebody else can talk. Okay, I didn't know if, um, Chair Smith wanted to recognize me, or… Oh, I'm sorry, yes, Ms. Brown. Yeah, no problem. I just, you know,

074we want to follow Robert's rules, so… um, no, I just wanted to, um… Of course, I don't want to make excuses for the new administration. Number one, obviously, you know, he is. the interim superintendent at the moment. Um, and so… the information that we are getting now is not real-time of what his administration has done, uh, possibly. they're doing that in the moment, um, and so they probably don't have enough data for it to be measurable as. Uh, Dr. Golson or Mr. House, where they were here a little bit longer. Now, I will say I am on the superintendent's. Um, evaluation committee, and this is going to be addressed. So the way he handles special education, this is a measurable. Marking, I guess you can say, that'll be on his evaluation, and so I would,

075the best thing for me to say is kind of, like, stand by, um, to get real-time information, but they do see, you know, they definitely see that it is a concern. Um, obviously, too, we, like I've said throughout this call, is that we know we've been investigated a couple of times. This is not information, this is public information. Um, and so… depending on what the state of Maryland sees as well, they're gonna provide us feedback as well. So, I hope. That helps, um, a little bit as to why they are answering it this way, because they don't necessarily have measurable metrics. Uh, because they haven't been here to. give that information, that accurate information, especially if this information was. asked when he first got in. Um, I don't think it could properly be measured with

076this new administration, so that's just my feedback on there. Ms. Brown, I'm sorry, I'm gonna push back just a little bit. Mm-hmm. We got pushback, it's okay, I received it. A little bit, because we… I think we have two simple requests. The first one is literally giving autonomy. Mm-hmm. to the principal. to, um… Yeah, because even if they're… You know, even if we got a… I don't even want to say show grace, but if there is no… no dating currently because we're under the new administration. fine, but I still don't think that that's an excuse, but… we know that there… the data is indicating that there's a delay, so to address the delay, can we push from that autonomy down while we work on the process? No. Then secondly, we're trying to get a standardized

077approach to track this information. I don't think that that's a hard ask either. So, I do want to push back just a little bit if we could at least go back to the administration to just. see if what… I think what we're asking is reasonable, um… to see if, you know, they are willing to accept this. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and I… and I do see, too. So… I mean, they're stating that they're giving training. Oh man, I feel like I'm getting in my emotions right now. Why couldn't the principal… You know, if somebody just need a screen reader, why can't a principal approve that request? Why did I have to go all the way up the chain and sit for 100 days? So I'll stop right there before… string. No, I… listen… And maybe that's something,

078um, either Ms. Bowman can answer, or I can just come back. to you all with that information, but part of their response was to make sure that it was… they were also legally compliant. Um, and so that's something we have to consider when addressing. Everything dealing with our special education scholars and ensuring that. They do, but yes, should it be in a timely manner? Of course, because these are services that our scholars need. to be successful in the classroom. Uh, Chair Smith, there are two hands. Ms. Myers, I think, was first, and then Ms. Bowman. Okay, Ms. Myers? Thank you. I'm just going to kind of echo, uh, what Chair Smith is saying. You kind of mentioned in the beginning that, you know, you mentioned the federal law. Um, and for employees, and I'm… I'm

079a person that benefits from. Uh, federal, uh, law with the Disability Act. It is the 30-day requirement. And there are, uh, there is language that says interim relief. Um, the only time you get to delay that 30-day requirement is if what's being, um… asked for or given, um, for accessibility is something that has to be manufactured. Um, has to be shipped from someplace really, really far away. And it's gonna, you know, delay the time. But if these are things that are readily available, 30 days is what the law says. And, I agree. some of these things are very simple. Um, but to keep track of it, um, and to be able to report those numbers. The principals would have to do some kind of reporting to make sure that what they do supply. follows the

080guidelines and is what's needed to address whatever the accessibility or accommodation is. And I think that's part of the process, right? Somebody else takes a look at this. for example, you know, you'll have a doctor say you have this thing. And make a suggestion. And then people review that and come up with a list of, you know, things that, you know. address the accommodation or accessibility that's needed. Um, and I think we… we may get ourselves into trouble if we just have our principles approving it, and it turns out that that thing is not the thing. that was needed. So I think that's probably why there's a little bit of pushback on principles having the autonomy. Uh, to make that decision. Now, should principals have the autonomy to make an interim relief decision? And caveat

081it with, this is interim. Until, you know, it was fully reviewed. I think that. We can do both, but in the end, it is the law. So, that's it, that's all I have. Thank you, Ms. Taran Myers. Um, I think the next person was Ms. Bowman, if I'm not mistaken. Yes, thank you, Chair Smith. The only thing that I would offer is an opportunity to go back to our Office of General Counsel, just to have a discussion based on. the comments that are shared, they will be the best. subject matter expert to be able to provide an update on where we are with tracking. Mm-hmm. I will say that I am aware, um, that they are working on, um. the process of, um, you know, the unreasonable delays that we have had, and there is

082acknowledgement. and transparency that there has been delays. Um, part of that, it was a contribution of a vacancy, so we did have a vacancy. in those positions. But I do know that there's a commitment to. work as quickly, as swiftly as they can, but I do know the Office of General Counsel will be the best. office to provide an update in terms of where they are, and I'm happy to go back and, um. have a discussion with my colleagues in that office. And the, um, follow up. That would be great. Thank you, Ms. Bowman. Ms. Brown, are you okay with that as well? Awesome, thank you. Um, are there any other hands? Yes, I'm fine. All right, Ms. Ms. Brown, you probably didn't think that that was gonna take a plenty of time. It's all

083good. You know, we haven't seen each other since October, so I knew we were gonna be here for a little bit, but guess what? It's the last one, y'all. Alright. Last one. So, we're good to go. So, strengthening parent, uh, volunteer engagement in PGCPS. So, one of the recommendations that you all gave was, one, to conduct a comprehensive review. Of how volunteer policies are being implemented across schools. Number two, uh, the second one was to develop a district-wide best practices guide. Um, so part of the rationale was so that parent volunteers. are, of course, vital assets to the school. They contribute diverse skill sets. Um, and their presence can significantly… significantly enhance students' sense of belonging and support. both academic and social development, particularly important in a time. of an ongoing teacher shortages. Um… Many

084PTCPS parents have reported that they are not permitted to volunteer in their children's schools. This is deeply concerning. Um, we… you all also discussed that, you know, to ensure consistency and inclusivity in volunteer engagement. PDCPS should conduct a comprehensive review of how volunteer policies. are being implemented across schools. And how this should include identifying schools that effectively leverage parent volunteers. and using the data to develop a district-wide best practice guide. Um, so, the other thing was that you all said that the requirement for parents to retain and present fingerprinting receipts. is also an unnecessarily… unnecessarily burdensome. A centralized system should be implemented that allows schools to verify volunteer clearance directly, eliminating the need for parents to maintain and produce physical proof. By reducing barriers and promoting a welcoming environment. PVCPS can foster greater family engagement

085and reinforce a critical partnership. So, here is what the administration responded. They said that our vendors do offer. Evening and weekend Saturday hours. And there are locations across the county. The safety management system was created to take place of the fingerprint receipts. No school should be required receipts at this point. PDCPS welcomes and encourages parent and guardian volunteers across our schools. To our knowledge, there have been no incidents where individuals who were approved to volunteer were denied the opportunity to do so. While there may be occasions when it is not appropriate time. or setting volunteering, uh, engagements. This is never intended as a denial of participation. Rather, it reflects the need to respect time, space, and context in which volunteering is most effective. and supportive of student learning. We remain committed to fostering meaningful and

086respectful partnerships. With our families and communities. So that was the response. What are we thinking? So, um, it's really good to hear that there is a system that, um, talks. Yes. Back to the school district. So that's really good to hear, so that if parents are presented. with information to supply proof that they got the fingerprints. We could tell them, hey, go check the safety management system, it should be there. Yeah. Um, I think one thing that's concerning, um… I don't like to get hit when, you know, when you send things up the chain and they give you this boilerplate response. Um, I think what's happening in real time is that you… you have the… you have this pool of parents. That are, you know, they've been verified, um, approved to volunteer. But… on the

087ground, they're not being utilized, or they're being partially. utilize. So, yeah, so I hear that there may not be appropriate times to volunteer and don't view that as a sign of rejection. convenient. We get that, but let's also be realistic. Sometimes these schools. Only wants you to come in at lunchtime, or they only want you to come in to chaperone. Good morning. on, um, a field trip. And your community out here want to do more than that. with the school system. So we talked about partnership. Um… so… We talked about partnership, but then we also talked about developing a best practice guide. Um… And I don't… in the response, I don't see how that's being addressed. Mm-hmm. Um, Ms. Payne, I do have to defer back to you as well, because I believe this also

088came out of your work group. Um, so any initial reactions? Yes, it came out of our work group, and also on the CCAC side. Um, after the town hall meetings last year, and doing. Um… individual groups with parents to follow up. There were multiple parents who said they wanted to volunteer. And those opportunities were not given. So I think it definitely is an issue. And I think it's an issue that's even more important because the school system needs resources. And so we got resources, a need, and then we got parents who say. I'm not getting a chance. So, I think the, um, guide, uh, would be helpful. I also think. the collection of data. And Tranelle, when we look at the dashboard and we're monitoring, how many volunteers are being used in each school? I

089mean, that's data that could be collected to see, um, is there an opportunity for improvement? Thank you, Ms. Penn, and I don't know if… did you have your hand up to… Here, did you need to… Add any additional commentary? Um, Chair Smith, it was myself and then Ms. Doyle. Maybe not. Okay, Ms. Vickery. Um… Board Member Brown, what I originally wanted to say couldn't be said on this public way. Um, but I just… I will say that, um, yeah, as Chair Smith said, there's a… this is a top-down response. There are things that the, um… Staff and the schools are doing specifically that are not consistent with that policy. Just flat out, period. And I have experienced it personally. Um, so while I appreciate the response, it's just not true. I'm sorry, it's not true,

090it's not… it's not… They are making up their own policies and procedures and are following them on their own. Um, and until… Um, so what I reserve for a new business was basically, yeah, you guys are doing great, but until you guys go school to school, door-to-door. and start airing out these things that people have made as their own policies that are not. consistent, and they've made these own practices. that are contrary to what you guys have written, you're gonna continue to have these problems, and. That's essentially what the problem is at this point. Since your office is straight, board is straight. you guys gotta go docking door-to-door at this point. Thank you, Ms. Vickery. Um, did you say it was… I'm sorry, who was the next person? Ms. Doyle, and then, um, Mr. Dwyer,

091and then Board Member Brown. Okay. Ms. Doyle? Thanks. Um, I just wanted to echo that this top-down response isn't true. I was. Now, granted, this child is in 6th grade now, so this was a while. She was in kindergarten, but, um… I was literally told that it was an equity issue, that, like, not everybody could have. Their parent volunteer, so nobody's parent could volunteer. Yeah, that's what I was… that's what I was told. Um… that principle doesn't work for PGCPS anymore, but, um, this is… this is something that happens, and… Just echoing, they actually need to talk to people. Because it's true. That's all I got. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Deloyo. Mr. Dwyer? Thank you, Chair Smith. My… My daughter heard you say, uh, field trip, and she got excited, but now she's gone

092off to bed. So, um… I think I'm gonna say what everybody else just said, but say it in a different way. And I think that the volunteer… questions that we have has to do with. the culture that the school provides for the volunteers, and not necessarily what is being given from the top. you know, there's some schools, um, I can use Tulip Grove as an example, that are very interested in having their parents volunteer. And that they have a method in which they can coordinate that and organize it. And then, I'm only guessing, because I don't know, there's probably some schools that don't have a way to organize. and keep it, um, moving in the positive direction. Um, maybe that's an assistant principal's… task to undertake, but really, I don't know that there's anyone that

093is assigned. to be a volunteer coordinator. Maybe they could get a volunteer to be a volunteer coordinator. I mean, there's… There's that, um, as well, but I also know that Tulip Grove does have. fingerprinting on back-to-school night. Um, at the beginning of the year, so that it is convenient that while the parents are there, they can sort of. nab them, and while they're avoiding the PTA table, they can maybe go fingerprint. Um, over at the fingerprinting station, um… So, um, I think it's more so dependent upon the school and. And then I was also wondering during this conversation, what is it that we. a want from parent volunteers, because I'm sure that there are some very specific things that they can do, and some specific things that they can't do. Um, I understand the pipeline

094conversation, which, again, I love and sounds fantastic, but there are talented parents out there that maybe they're not gonna, like. go around and teach math and take the place of a teacher, but maybe they can help keep a kid on task. And I think that. was sort of the direction that we were hoping to maybe grow the volunteer position into. that they have an opportunity to lend a hand in some of these classes that might be a little too big. Some of these students that have IEPs, um, that have their… their aides that are just stretched too thin, and not that they can provide the same, um, services that a dedicated aide could provide, but maybe they could help them get to number 2, get to number 3 in their work, and just sort of

095lead them down the way. Um, but the expectation that they would have the training and to be able to replace a dedicated aide, I don't think that's something any of us. believe that they should have. But it really comes from the culture of the school and how they want to utilize that. And maybe if there was just, um… Maybe if something came from the top, it would be an expectation on how they handle the volunteers. Um, versus trying to study each school individually. Thank you, Mr. Doyle. Before calling Ms. Brown, Ms. Vickery, are there any other hands? No. Thank you. Ms. Brown. Yes, thank you, Mr. Dwyer, for saying that, and thank you, Chair Smith, and for all the feedback, um, for Ms. Doyle. Emma's Vickery, uh, as a… as a board member, I have

096heard it firsthand. That some… schools would prefer volunteers to go through the PTSO, PTAs. Or the PTOs. However, comma, we do understand that not all schools have an established. PTA, PTO, or PTSO. And I say this because most of the times, we know that principals do. have autonomy over their schools, right? And so, what works for Tulip Grove. may not work for Capitol Heights Elementary School. What works for, you know, Bowie High School may not work for Parkdale, and so… I want to make sure we're also mindful of that, that every school, like Mr. Dwyer says. does have, um, unique. challenges or even privileges, where they can use their volunteers. Um, but… so that… what I can say is, is I have heard, so I'm not denying what even Ms. Doyle is saying, that. Some

097schools are like, nope, we don't want it, it's not what we're… we're… however. Um, it could also be an education opportunity, because they don't know how to use them, right? I know, for example, in some schools in the Bowie area, they just need librarians. hey, we just need you to collect these books. And put them away, and, you know, help the students out picking out a book, and so… Um, I think that's the reason why they responded the way that they did, and like I said, I'm just doing it based on. not only just being a PGCPS parent, but also as a board member, the things that I've seen in the schools that I'm responsible for. Everyone handles, uh… volunteers very differently. And I think we understand that, um, but again, perhaps there is a

098school out there. We're struggling, but we need some… we need some help. Give us some guidance, so I think that that's where. you know, this best practice document could be beneficial. So, this would be another one if we could… kind of go back and just re-examine what the thoughts were. Um… Again, because we're just trying to… we're trying to… Bruise to get out. I think that's the easiest and nice way to say it, especially if there's this pool of. Um, volunteers that may be available. To the different schools. Um… yeah. Cheers, Smith. Chair Smith, you have, uh… Oh, you had two… three hands, but I think Miss Torian Myers. lowered hers, um, it was myself and then board member Olivo, and then I just wanted to give you an alert that we're at 8.35… 8.34.

099Okay, uh, Miss, um… Okay, Ms. Vickery. Um, Board Member Brown, for me, my thing was mainly. there was a statement in there around. There is a system that is used to track. my very clear statement is that. There are schools that are not using that. They're using that… that system. But they are also requiring additional steps for the parents. And that's when I'm talking about there is going door-to-door at these schoolhouses and asking what policy are you following, because you've made your own. And now you're making it difficult. Um, I understand about the different, um. communities and be… I saw my… my sole focus when… when the employment and Hiring Committee brought this topic up, it's basically around schools have made their own practices. Around having to have multiple documents that we are no longer

100required to have by policy. And saying, if you don't keep this one receipt. I still have my receipt from 5 years ago that I have to keep, that I have to show every year, but y'all just told me in that policy I'm not supposed to. that's what I'm talking about. Thanks, Ms. Vickery. Ms. Olivio? Olivo, I'm so sorry. That's okay, thank you. Um, I just wanted to… to thank, um, to thank you all for this, and I… what I… what I think this is, is a… is a… as… as you all know, a much more complicated issue than. kind of what feels like the very simple response that was given here. And, um… you know, I wanted to share… this has been my lived experience as well as a… as a volunteer. we feel very

101strongly that my husband was kind of actively, um… not allowed to volunteer in an elementary school. You know, many years ago. Um, while other people were allowed to volunteer, he had all the stuff. all the background, all… he'd done everything. Um, and so, I guess what I want to say to you is, is I… I do… I do understand and hear you all that I think this was. a simple response to a much more complicated issue. And, um, so… so I've been, you know, sitting here kind of thinking of, you know, how do we do this, and quite frankly, I do think, ultimately. part of it needs to be, obviously, training for our school-based staff, especially our administration. But also, the way that we really change these things is by having. these metrics be part

102of an evaluation system. So how is the principal and administrative staff evaluated. That they can demonstrate. We have X number of… volunteers who have been fingerprinted. That system, in theory, tracks everybody as well. They know that I've come to this particular schoolhouse 5 times this year. Um, and that, you know, again, I just… I just want to say that I hear you on that this is a simplistic response. to a much larger and very complicated question with our, you know, over 200 buildings. Um, but that I think… I just want to, again. indicate that this is something that is very important to me as well, um… And, um, funny enough, I did start a school librarian volunteer program way back when at my kids' elementary school. It was, um… I mean, this was… he's… he's…

103he graduated class of 2024, but it was the year that… I don't know if you all. had kids then, but, um… media specialists were cut such that our librarian was only at our school one day a week. Um, and she was at, like, three and a half other schools or something, um, and so she told us. that she could either spend her one day a week at the school, literally checking in and shelving books. Or she could… if that could get done for her. she could actually have kids come in and allow them to check out books. Um, and so we got a volunteer court. It was actually seniors in our community who came in, and they got… she trained them, and all of that, they got all their stuff. And they came in on

104a regular basis, and they checked in and shelved all the books, so that when she got there, she could have the classes come in one by one for, like, 30 minutes each and check out books. So the kids had a book for the week, um, when she wasn't there, and it was… you know, an incredible program, um, and I know that what you guys are sharing are. That that's the sort of thing that we need, so… again, I don't have the answer for you right now, but I want to just say that I hear you, I have experienced this personally as well. And, um, I think that we need. you know, we need some larger, um… No, this was good, thank you, because that's exactly… that underscores the point that we're making, so… I just

105don't want us to sweep this under the rug, so thank you. Um, Board Member Brown, I assume that that concludes your report, but… Okay, excellent. So, it is 840. I realize that we are… we scheduled this to go to 8.30, but I do need to get something. on the record, and it's dealing with our, um, our data request, so Board Member Brown, don't leave the floor too quickly. Um, because we have some data request that's been outstanding since. I think as early as, like, last April. Um, so I want to just kind of call some of these out, so we'll have it on the record, and hopefully, um. There could be some follow-up, unless you do have a direct response. Um, so we wanted to know, um… The turnover rate for AIDS, we wanted to

106know… the total number of AIDS and where were they positioned. The number of aid vacancies. Um… we wanted to know the bus driver's salaries… We wanted to know the number of students who have IEPs and 504 plans, respectively. Um, the number of students that's enrolled. the number of staff members who receive accommodations, the number of staff who are employed. Um, the number of students who require accommodations for their physical needs. The number of staff who require accommodations for their. Okay, number of students, and then the number of staff. And respectively, who require accommodations for their physical needs. Um, we also have requested a hyperlink list. of district standard operating procedures. um, policies… and administrative procedures. Um, and I'm… and this is not all… all… all inclusive, I'm just kind of skimming through this. just recently,

107um… there was a data request on the number of students. who are on home and hospital, and have an IEP and 504 plan. Um… the percentage of scheduled sessions that are canceled or missed due to lack of staff or availability all dealing with home and hospital. Um, we wanted to know the breakdown of home and hospital placements by primary disability call. Um… yeah, so I wanted to kind of get this on record, and because I think I'm feeling like we're making these data requests, and they're going in a black hole. So… Fulfilling the data request, or at least giving us some feedback on why it's not fulfilled is helpful for us. So we know how to move forward with our work. We heard earlier that. the employment and hiring work group is kind of… stagnant

108at this point, um, but I bet if they have some answers to some of the. requests that they had previously can kind of direct, you know, the next route that they should go in. So, I just request, if we could follow up to see, you know, what's the… What's the status? Um… I kind of go from there. So I wanted to get that in there. And… the next item was new business, but since it is sort of late this evening, um, I'm wondering if we do have any new business items, if we could table it for our next. meeting. Are there any objections there? I have an objection, Chair Smith. I do have new business items, but I request, respectfully not to discuss them. I would just like to read them in. So that we

109can at least get them, um, into the minutes. Okay. Sure, go ahead. Thank you for recognizing me. Um, I attended a community meeting recently, and I learned something that was jarring to me, and that is. that PGCPS does not, um, identify ASL, so American Sign Language, as the primary language of a student, while PG County does identify that ASL is a. primary language. So when we teach children who have, um… who are deaf or hard of hearing, and ASL is their primary language. We teach them not as an ESOL student. We… Kind of just teach them in a different manner, and that's kind of really weird to me. Um… having been a social worker for the deaf population in New Jersey for quite some time. I was actually taken aback. Um, so I have some

110questions and some requests, and I… I would like to discuss them at our next meeting. Um, but I want to know what is the, um, current instruction that we follow. for students, um, who's… primary language is ASL. Are we teaching them, like, our English and Second Language learners? I would like to know their, um, graduation rates. And what reading levels they're graduating at. Um… I'd also like to know if there are specific policies and what the names are. But the names of those policies are, or the titles of those policies for our DHOH. population. Um… And then, uh, my question is to Ms. Bowman. I know that there was a strategic, um, plan that was created by you about 3 years ago, and you had a very specific plan on how to, um, help our

111DHOH population. And it was to make sure that the 80% of the schools that they were in were using evidence-based programming, and so my question to you for our next meeting is, is that coming back? Will that be part of the new strategic plan for special education? And what does that look like, um, going forward? I'd also like to see a copy of that plan that you created 3 or 4 years ago. Um, to see what that looks like in comparison to the new plan that is coming out. Um… Sorry, I'm reading fast, um, I'll go back and listen to my own fast words. But I just want… I wanted to make sure I get any, everything in here. in the AI tools that were discussed in the State of Schools address will. AI be

112used for our students who have. ASL as their primary language. I also have a question around why we do not have a contract with Gallaudet University, who has a, um… K-12, uh, ASL. program, why are we sending our PGCPS children all the way out to Frederick or Columbia versus sending them to Gala. Which is about 9 miles away. Um, and when we do have children who go to Gallaudet, we're not covering the transportation. So, I have questions around that. I also want to know around our status with the Maryland School of Deaf. I've been thinking about this for 3 weeks, guys, so… everybody's looking like, oh my gosh, but I… I've been thinking about this for a while. Um, I'd like to know about our contract with them, and how they… they are a vendor

113with us. Um… and then going back… Uh, to some of the state of the school address, there was discussion around security and facial recognition. I want to understand more of that around our students with, um, different abilities and what that will look like for them. Um, there was also discussion that there's going to be a new tool coming out where we'll be able to track. kind of like the dashboards that are currently out around IEPs. I want to know when that is launching, and how can we have… when will the public have access to that? Mm-hmm. Um, and in my last two points. Uh, there was discussion at the State of Schools address. I did not attend my own at my school, but, um, insurance superintendent. had, um, every school do a welcome back disabilities

114meeting. Uh, I do have a recommendation. And that is that it's done 3 times throughout the year, um, just because our children move in games throughout the year, so having it in the beginning of the year, and then nothing against the next year is kind of wild for parents. it really should be beginning of the year. Right before spring break, or, like, coming back from Christmas, and then a closeout to… prepare for the summer. Um, I'm also… Asking if there will be, um… Normally, there's a summer slide. program that they put online. Um, from the Chief Academic Officer. Um, I haven't… I know that we do offer, um, summer. summer instruction, that's the best way to put it, for our children who have IEPs, who have been selected for that, but again. we have children

115who have 504 plans, or who do not qualify to go to that summer program. I would… I think we should explore actually having those options available for our children with 504 plans and IEPs online, just like they have the regular summer slide book. And then lastly, Board Member Olivo, were you looking at my book last night? That principle's evaluation, I'd like to know more about how we evaluate our principles, specifically what's the metric. It's around special education, do they have metrics in their evaluations? Around special education, and what are those metrics? Thank you, Chair Smith. As you know, I've been texting you about these things. I have been working on that list. For an entire 3 weeks, um, but these things are really important to me, and they're just some things I found out from

116the community, and I think we should explore them. Thank you, thank you for sharing these. So, I think I got most of them, if not all. Um, I do have a plan and meeting next week scheduled with Tia, so we'll make sure that we get these items on the next agenda. Um, is there any additional new business? Any hands? There was a hand raised from Ms. Toria Myers, but I believe it's down now. Yeah, somebody… I don't know, somebody put it down. Just a really quick question. I will just say this. I'm still struggling to figure out where I fit in, um, in this board. And so, I would love to get some idea about… I think we talked about it at a couple of meetings ago, about the orientation and onboarding process. For, uh,

117board members, the committee members. Um, we're still not officially a member of a committee. So I feel like, you know, I still have some value add to add. But it's not being, um, engaged. So if we could, you know, talk about that later, um… Doesn't have to be addressed now. Thank you. Okay, sure, sure thing. Um, we will definitely follow up with you. Any other hands? Right, not seeing any. So, the chair would like to inform the public that the next meeting of the Disability Issues Advisory Board is scheduled for February 17, 2026. Please continue to visit the Prince George's County Board of Education website for meeting details and any updates. Look, guys, we had a very robust meeting this night, so thank you all. For your valuable contributions. To our viewers, we appreciate you

118tuning in, and thank you for your continued support. I wish everyone a safer evening, there being no further business, the time is now 8.51 PM, and the January 21st, 2026. meeting of the Disability Issues Advisory Board is hereby adjourned. Have a good evening, everyone. Thanks