Platform
Scroll below or click on each topic to learn more about Arvin's 200-point plan for MCPS
Curriculum
Universal Access to all Courses via Virtual Classrooms
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Offering all courses online to all students across MCPS, in addition to regular in-person learning
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Ensuring that over-enrollment does not prevent students from taking their desired courses
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Ensuring that students can take all their desired courses, regardless of if their school offers it
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Ensuring high-quality education in online courses
Working with Students to Create Diverse and Accessible New Courses
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Streamlining the process of creating and piloting new courses
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Ensuring that student voices are included in writing curricula
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Increasing the number of schools in which new courses are offered
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Offering courses online to be accessible to all students
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Minimizing the required amount of prerequisite courses
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Creating a diverse array of elective history and studies courses
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Increasing the number of arts courses offered in each school
Inclusivity in Curriculum
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Ensuring social studies and english courses are accurate and inclusive in content
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Using diverse source materials in social studies and english classrooms
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Providing students with a diverse array of options for content, literature, and materials for study
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Regularly updating current courses and creating new courses based on student feedback to be inclusive
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Providing diverse and accessible courses options modeled after the LGBTQ Studies and Asian American Studies courses
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Requiring professional development for teachers and staff members to be create inclusive classrooms
Career Readiness Pathway Programming
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Increasing and expanding career-specific training programs like the pathways offered at Thomas Edison High School and the Aviation and Aerospace Program
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Ensuring that career readiness programming is equitable and accessible
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Offering career readiness programing online to be accessible to students across MCPS
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Promoting career readiness programming as well as career opportunities
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Providing students with experience in respective career paths
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Continuing and promoting Teacher Signing Day (signing MCPS Students to jobs within MCPS after college)
Comprehensive Health Curriculum
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Updating and modernizing the health curriculum at all levels
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Facilitating comprehensive education around mental health for students in elementary, middle, and high school
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Including comprehensive education around consent in all schools
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Require teacher sensitivity training for health educators
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Ensuring that the health curriculum in inclusive to LGBTQ+ communities
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Enforcing that updated curriculum is being taught and that health classrooms are safe spaces for all students
Teaching Real-World Skills
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Improving current and creating new courses to be oriented towards preparing students with real-world skills including financial literacy and career preparedness
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Increasing and expanding career-specific training programs like the pathways offered at Thomas Edison High School and the Aviation and Aerospace Program
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Supporting the development of a required financial literacy course
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Working with students to meet their educational needs
Minimizing Standard Testing
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Transitioning away from relying on standardized testing
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Using project-based assignments and student grades as metrics of learning, instead of adding on standardized testing
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Ensuring that testing is minimized and does not disrupt student learning or access to resources in school
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Prioritizing the mental health of students
Equity
Racial Equity
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Using the findings of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium’s Anti-Racism Audit on MCPS to find comprehensive solutions to racial disparities
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Revising curricula to be more inclusive of communities of color
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Hiring teachers and staff members who reflect the diversity of MCPS students
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Disaggregating demographic data to uncover racial disparities
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Requiring professional development, with student input, around racial discrimination and implicit bias for all teachers and staff members
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Ensuring the the police (Community Engagement Officers) are completely removed from schools to prevent the continuation of disproportionate arrests of Black and Latinx students and students with disabilities
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Implementing student-led anti-hate teaching in every elementary, middle, and high school to prevent incident of hate
Gender/LGBTQ+ Equity
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Increasing the amount of gender neutral restrooms at every school
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Ensuring that schools are providing and publicizing gender-neutral bathrooms
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Providing students with the option to easily change to their preferred name on all platforms including StudentVUE and Canvas
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Revising curricula to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ communities
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Ensuring dress codes and the enforcement of dress codes do not discriminate against any students
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Ensuring that all bathrooms provide students with free menstrual hygiene products
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Revising curricula to be more inclusive of womxn communities
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Implementing student-led anti-hate teaching in every elementary, middle, and high school to prevent incident of hate
Opportunity Gap
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Recognizing educational disparities between schools and demographics and prioritizing racial equity
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Using the findings of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium’s Anti-Racism Audit on MCPS to find comprehensive solutions to racial disparities
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Creating equitable school boundaries so that a student’s zip code, socio-economic status, or race does not determine the quality of their education
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Expanding free MCPS-provided tutoring to reach a greater amount of students
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Translating all distributed MCPS materials in an increased amount of languages
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Providing students with access to necessary technology including Chromebooks and internet routers
Support for Disabled and Neurodivergent Students
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Ensuring that all MCPS schools and facilities meet and go beyond ADA compliance to be accessible to all students
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Providing closed captions on all materials provided by MCPS
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Ensuring that 504’s, IEP’s, and extended time accommodations are easily accessible and are being provided
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Supporting the Learning for Independence program
Increasing Accountability in Schools for Incidents of Hate
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Recognizing acts of hate and violence within MCPS
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Implementing student-led anti-hate teaching in every elementary, middle, and high school to prevent incident of hate
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Ensuring school administrations take student security concerns seriously and respond to them immediately
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Increasing accountability for MCPS staff, teachers, and students
Professional Development and Teacher Education
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Requiring professional development for teachers and staff members to be create inclusive classrooms
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Using student input to create teacher-trainings around sensitivity
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Ensuring that classrooms are safe for all students
Equitable School Boundaries
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Prioritizing diversity and equity in creating new school boundaries
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Closing the opportunity gap by ensuring that a student’s zip code, socio-economic status, or race does not determine the quality of their education
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Working to solve issues of overcrowding and long travel times with new boundaries
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Working with the local communities of students and families in creating new boundaries
Student Support
Hiring School Psychologists
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Increasing the amount of school psychologists in every school
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Providing access to meetings with school psychologists virtually when school is not in session (Summer/Winter Break, weekends)
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Allocating a greater portion of the budget to mental health and hiring psychologists
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Using funding from the old 3 million dollar School Resource Officer budget to hire more psychologists
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Ensuring that the amount of psychologists meets the needs of each school’s population
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Promoting school psychologists as a resource to the community
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Ensuring that school psychologists are accessible to all students
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Working with translators to serve every student’s mental health needs
Student Resources
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Providing students with necessary resources in and out of the classroom
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Expanding free MCPS-provided tutoring to reach a greater amount of students
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Providing students with access to necessary technology including Chromebooks and internet routers
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Expanding free transportation for students, outside of school hours
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Providing free lunches and breakfasts to all students
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Providing access to mental health support and meetings with school psychologists virtually when school is not in session (Summer/Winter Break, weekends)
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Providing school clubs and student organizations with funding and grants from MCPS
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Implementing wellness days every week
Mental Health Resources
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Being proactive, rather than reactive, in prioritizing student wellness and mental health
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Limiting the amount of assignments and tests that can be given at once
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Hiring more school psychologists at every school
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Implementing wellness days every week
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Ensuring that mental health days are excused absences
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Providing access to mental health support and meetings with school psychologists virtually when school is not in session (Summer/Winter Break, weekends)
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Facilitating comprehensive education around mental health in the health curriculum for students in elementary, middle, and high school
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Improving the Signs of Suicide presentation and ensuring that it is presented in every school
Wellness Wednesdays
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Instituting a weekly wellness day in each school week
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Preventing new assignments from being assigned on a designated wellness days
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Preventing tests from being given on a designated wellness days
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Prioritizing student mental health
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Providing students with the opportunity to meet with teachers
Providing Free High-Dosage Tutoring
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Using Covid-19 funding to make up for losses in learning via high-dosage tutoring
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Expanding free MCPS-provided tutoring to reach a greater amount of students
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Coordinating with tutors and teachers to best serve students who need help
Supporting ESOL Students
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Translating all distributed MCPS materials in an increased amount of languages
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Ensuring in-school opportunities are promoted to English Language Learner students
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Requiring school administrations to be inclusive of all languages in community outreach
Resources for School Clubs and Student Organizations
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Working to connect communities, clubs, and organizations across the county
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Providing school clubs and student organizations with funding and grants from MCPS
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Ensuring that schools are supporting the activities of communities, clubs, and organizations
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Creating an simple process with minimal requirements for students to start clubs and organizations
Student Voice
Student Representation
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Requiring that student voices are represented in all decision-making
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Regularly updating current courses and creating new courses based on student feedback
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Providing and promoting opportunities for student input
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Creating and instituting a brief, standardized student feedback form given throughout the year
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Collecting input on curriculum, student safety and wellness, school culture, and student support
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Hosting community events, town halls, and forums open to all students
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Collecting student feedback via a brief, standardized form given throughout the year
Community Events
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Hosting community events including Board of Education town halls, forums, hearings, and stakeholder meetings
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Coordinating outreach to plan forums at times and locations that are accessible to the community
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Increasing accessibility by providing opportunities at locations across the county as well as offering a virtual option
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Providing students and families with the opportunity to meet with MCPS decision makers to elevate their voices
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Promoting community events and advocacy opportunities to every student in MCPS
Opportunities for Students
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Hosting and promoting opportunities for student advocacy including Board of Education town halls, forums, hearing, and stakeholder meetings
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Creating a SMOB Advisory Council open to all students to represent everyone’s needs
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Providing school clubs and student organizations with funding and grants from MCPS
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Creating and promoting opportunities to work within MCPS (Teacher Signing Day, Student Aides)
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Working to register 100% of eligible student voters in MCPS
SMOB Advisory Cabinet
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Building a team of students from every middle and high school in MCPS to assist the SMOB in representing the student voice
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Working with a diverse group of students, representative of MCPS' student population
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Host meetings in varying locations across MCPS open to all students
Student Life
Learning During Covid-19
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Closing schools when necessary to protect students and staff
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Creating safe and healthy environments in schools
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Using funding to provide resources to recover losses in learning from Covid-19
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Making virtual options for learning accessible for all students
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Expanding access to vaccines and tests for all MCPS students
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Prioritizing student physical and mental health
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Supporting the MCPS Virtual Academy and providing online courses for students enrolled in their home high schools
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Continuing to safely host school activities, virtual and in-person
School Safety
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Prioritizing student mental health with outreach and resources
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Ensuring school administrations take student security concerns seriously and respond to them immediately
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Implementing transparent communication between the school and the community as security concerns unfold
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Challenging the school-to-prison pipeline and creating a safe and welcoming environment for all students
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Ensuring the the police (Community Engagement Officers) are completely removed from schools to prevent the continuation of disproportionate arrests of Black and Latinx students and students with disabilities
School Lunches
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Providing free lunches and breakfasts to all students
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Accommodating for all diets with more vegan and gluten-free options
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Creating an open-campus policy during lunches at all high schools
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Ensuring lunches are 45 minutes long at every school
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Allowing students to use phones and other devices during lunch
Transparent Grading Policies
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Creating fair and transparent grading policies
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Communicating grading policies to students, families, and teachers
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Allowing students to easily dispute unfair and inaccurate grades
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Requiging grades to be entered quickly so students may see their grade before the end of each interim, quarter, and semester
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Ensuring that teachers assign a grade no lower than 50 percent to a task or assessment
Staffing and Hiring
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Hiring teachers and staff to reflect and meet the needs of MCPS students
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Hiring a diverse team of teachers and staff to reflect the diversity of MCPS students
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Continuing and promoting Teacher Signing Day (signing MCPS Students to jobs within MCPS after college)
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Using funding from the old 3 million dollar School Resource Officer budget to hire more school psychologists in every school
Facilities
School Renovations and the Capital Improvements Plan
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Providing opportunities for community input in the Capital Improvements Plan
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Prioritizing renovations for schools with poor infrastructure which impacts student learning
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Ensuring that schools receive necessary renovations and that the Capital Improvements Plan is equitable
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Increasing transparency in the process of planning school renovations
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Developing a quicker response time to poor conditions in schools
Environment
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Raising environmental standards in schools and MCPS facilities
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Providing education about climate change and environmentally harmful practices
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Minimizing the environmentally harmful material used in packaging in school lunches
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Facilitating the transition towards an entirely electric bus fleet in MCPS
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Facilitating the transition towards renewable energy in all MCPS facilities
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Providing and maintaining water bottle filling stations, water fountains, and electric hand-dryers in all MCPS schools and facilities
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Requiring all new MCPS schools and facilities built to rely on renewable energy
Transportation
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Ensuring that bus routes best accommodate for the needs of students
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Hiring more bus drivers with higher wages and more support
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Creating an app with the feature of tracking busses and arrival times
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Working with the Montgomery County Council to accommodate student needs with free-access to the Ride On Bus
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Expanding free transportation for students, outside of school hours
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Maintaining safe environments in school busses
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Facilitating the transition towards an entirely electric bus fleet in MCPS
Technology
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Providing students with access to necessary technology including Chromebooks and internet routers
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Providing universal access to resources via online textbooks and calculator programs
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Offering all courses online to all students across MCPS
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Supporting the MCPS Virtual Academy with the necessary resources
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Improving current and creating new MCPS programs and applications
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Ensuring that students can consistently and accurately check their grades online
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Creating an app with the feature of tracking busses and arrival times
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Streamlining communication between MCPS, schools, and families using technology