The Maryland State Board of Education concluded the public portion of its meeting on 1/25 at around 4:15. While nothing of major significance was discussed or enacted during the session, there were A few points of interest.

Requests for Calendar Changes:

Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury requested that the state regulations be amended to allow him to grant modifications in the school calendar.  Mr. Choudhury said that several local jurisdictions were requesting that their calendars be adjusted because of days lost to inclement weather and he is expecting many more to do the same.  As it is currently written, the board must meet and agree on such changes.  Mr. Choudhury is requesting that he be allowed to make the decision by himself. 

The board agreed to the request. However, prior to moving on to another topic, the board stated that, while the Superintendent could initially grant the change in calendar request from the local systems, but the board would still need to approve it at a later time.  This, the board said, was because it is ultimately the legal responsibility of the board.  So, it is still unclear what was accomplished. 

Upcoming Bills in the Legislature Affecting Education:   

There are several bills coming up in the Maryland General Assembly.  The board heard a brief overview of ten bills, several of which were curriculum related.  The board was concerned that since the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is now law and under development, curriculum bills would create confusion and be counterproductive.  Some of the bills were for additional course requirements.  None of those mentioned was being immediately considered, so the board agreed to monitor them. 

The board was informed that there was a possible bill to be brought forth regarding virtual learning, no more information was available. 

Another interesting piece of information during this part was that the board and MSDE would now be possibly taking positions on bills.  This is a change since in prior sessions MSDE and the Maryland State Board of Education did not take positions on pending legislation.

Regulation Changes:

The board agreed to update its state education regulations regarding employment history review of an applicant for a position that directly come into contact with students.  This update was simply to align its regulations with the law that was passed in 2019.  The board also approved a similar alignment to regulations that control transportation of students in vehicles that are not approved school busses.  It provides minimum driver standards and minimum vehicle standards.