Education

Commissioners Approve State Capital Improvements Program for St. Mary’s County Public Schools

Commissioners Approve State Capital Improvements Program for St. Mary’s County Public Schools

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County voted unanimously to authorize Commissioner President Randy Guy to sign a letter of support for an increase of $8,167,000 to the St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) FY2022 – FY2027 State Capital Improvement Program during their regular meeting Tuesday. Sept. 22. This funding is for the improve school...
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St. Mary’s County High School Campuses now Equipped with Lightning Detection Systems

St. Mary’s County High School Campuses now Equipped with Lightning Detection Systems

St. Mary’s County Public High Schools are now equipped with Lightning Detection Equipment at each of our three high schools. The lightning detection equipment includes an alert siren and visual strobe. When lightning is detected within 10 miles of each high school campus the alert siren and visual strobe will activate. After 30 minutes...
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UPDATE: Charles County Middle School Employee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Abuse

UPDATE: Charles County Middle School Employee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Abuse

UPDATE 9/18/2020: Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, September 18, 2020, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Anthony Tyrone Williams, Jr., 25 of Waldorf, to 25 years with all but 12 years suspended in prison for Sexual Abuse of a Minor. On January 9, 2020, Williams...
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George Washington Carver Elementary School Closed Through Friday, September 18, 2020

George Washington Carver Elementary School Closed Through Friday, September 18, 2020

On Monday, September 14, 2020, St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) was notified of an employee at George Washington Carver Elementary School (GWCES) who tested positive for COVID-19 as a result of participating in a non-school related social event outside of St. Mary’s County. Through the process of contact tracing, and in coordination with...
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Sabre Systems, Inc. Contributes $5,000 to Patuxent River Science and Technology Scholarship Fund

Sabre Systems, Inc. Contributes $5,000 to Patuxent River Science and Technology Scholarship Fund

Sabre Systems, Inc. contributed $5,000 towards the Patuxent River Science & Technology (PRS&T) Consortium Scholarship Fund. The scholarship fund provides financial assistance to local students who are interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees at St. Mary’s College. STEM education develops a future, competitive workforce of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians...
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Charles County Publics Schools Offering Free Meals to Children 2 to 18

Charles County Publics Schools Offering Free Meals to Children 2 to 18

As it did over summer and throughout the school closure last spring, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is providing free meals to children ages 2 to 18 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). In anticipation of the waiver, students’ accounts have not been charged. The SFSP will be...
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Charles County Food on The Move – Mobile Meals Start on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, and Deliver to Select Areas

Charles County Food on The Move – Mobile Meals Start on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, and Deliver to Select Areas

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is offering a meal program for Charles County children that delivers free, grab-and-go meals by school bus to select neighborhoods starting Wednesday, Sept. 9. Meals will be available from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Wakefield Community Center at 2002 Nantucket Drive in Waldorf; Arthur Middleton Elementary School...
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St. Mary’s College of Maryland Receives $40,000 Grant and Joins the Maryland State Arts Council as Regional Folklife Center

St. Mary’s College of Maryland Receives $40,000 Grant and Joins the Maryland State Arts Council as Regional Folklife Center

St. Mary’s College of Maryland was recently awarded a Maryland State Arts Council Folklife Network grant totaling $40,500 to represent Southern Maryland as a Maryland Regional Folklife Center in the Maryland State Arts Council’s Folklife Network. Regional folklife centers serve to continue “programmatic or educational efforts made by an organization to support folklife, or...
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Charles County Public Schools Announce Applications for Three Programs Open on September 1, 2020

Charles County Public Schools Announce Applications for Three Programs Open on September 1, 2020

Parents who live in Title I school zones with children who are 3 years old by Sept. 1 can apply for the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Thriving Threes and Me Early Learning Program. The application launches online Tuesday, Sept. 1 and children must meet certain criteria for program acceptance. The program features a...
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Governor Hogan: Every County School System Now Fully Authorized to Begin Safely Reopening

Governor Hogan: Every County School System Now Fully Authorized to Begin Safely Reopening

As a result of improved COVID-19 health metrics across the state, Governor Larry Hogan today announced that every county school system in Maryland is now fully authorized to begin safely reopening. The authority and decision making on safe openings continues to rest with county boards of education. Decisions should be based on a set...
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Commissioners Approve Transportation Plan for Non-Public School Bus Riders and Families

Commissioners Approve Transportation Plan for Non-Public School Bus Riders and Families

As part of their ongoing support for schools in St. Marys County, the Commissioners authorized the distribution of the non-public school transportation plan. The plan was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides detailed guidance for the safety of staff and students. The revised Parent/Student Handbook and Back to School Plan provides...
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Tuesday, August 25th Commissioner Meeting Review – Food Services, Early Childhood Education, Coronavirus Relief Grants Passed

Tuesday, August 25th Commissioner Meeting Review – Food Services, Early Childhood Education, Coronavirus Relief Grants Passed

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County held their regular business meeting Tuesday, Aug. 25. During their regular work session, the Commissioners delivered two proclamations, recognized county employees, met with the Board of Education to approve multiple grants, received a briefing from the St. Mary’s County Library, and approved multiple requests from the Department of...
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Letter from Student Affairs at St. Mary’s College of Maryland Addresses Off-Campus Party

Letter from Student Affairs at St. Mary’s College of Maryland Addresses Off-Campus Party

The following letter was sent to parents and students of  St. Mary’s College of Maryland: Dear Seahawks, We have learned that a significant number of students attended an off-campus party the weekend of August 15, where expected pandemic mitigation protocols may not have been followed. Students must understand that these perceived actions have consequences....
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Charles County Schools Hold New Teacher Orientation, Announces 33 Teaching Positions Open

Charles County Schools Hold New Teacher Orientation, Announces 33 Teaching Positions Open

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) held New Teacher Orientation Aug. 17 to 19 — a three-day hybrid of virtual and in-person trainings. Topics covered an analysis of standards, curriculum and instructional resources, classroom management in a virtual world and training on Synergy, the student management system. Other trainings targeted each grade, subject or educational...
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Commissioners of St. Mary’s County Partner with Board of Education to Increase Broadband Opportunities for Students

Commissioners of St. Mary’s County Partner with Board of Education to Increase Broadband Opportunities for Students

On August 6, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan announced an additional $10 million in grant funding to support expanded broadband access for education through the Broadband for Unserved Students Grant. St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) and the St. Mary’s County Government Information Technology Departments had a week and a half to prepare a grant...
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Charles County Public Schools to Provide Devices and Hotspots to All Students

Charles County Public Schools to Provide Devices and Hotspots to All Students

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff is working to inventory and provide laptops to all secondary students, and complete requests for devices at the elementary-school level. Some students may receive a device by the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 31, while others may be assigned a laptop shortly after the start of the...
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Governor Hogan Announces $10 Million in Grant Awards to Expand Broadband Access for Education

Governor Hogan Announces $10 Million in Grant Awards to Expand Broadband Access for Education

Governor Larry Hogan announced $10 million in grant awards to support expanded broadband access for education. The Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband has awarded nearly $8 million in grant assistance to increase internet access for Maryland public school students. Approximately $2 million will support feasibility and design studies for a new statewide wireless network...
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Charles County Schools Meal Program Begins Monday, August 31, 2020, at 17 Serving Sites for Charles County Students

Charles County Schools Meal Program Begins Monday, August 31, 2020, at 17 Serving Sites for Charles County Students

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is set to begin its standard school meals program on Monday, Aug. 31, which is the first day of school for students. CCPS students are starting the school year in an online format, meaning meal service will continue as curbside distribution. The school meals program provides a meal bag...
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Details Released: Huntingtown High School Teacher Arrested – Accused of Having Sex with Student at School

Details Released: Huntingtown High School Teacher Arrested – Accused of Having Sex with Student at School

On Friday, July 31, 2020, an 18-year-old female, who is a 2020 Huntingtown High School graduate reported to a school administrator that a teacher had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with her during the 2019-2020 school year. She told authorities, she was 17 years old when the sexual relationship began. The student identified the...
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First Gene Knockout in a Cephalopod is Achieved at Marine Biological Laboratory by Professor Karen Crawford and Team

First Gene Knockout in a Cephalopod is Achieved at Marine Biological Laboratory by Professor Karen Crawford and Team

St. Mary’s College of Maryland Professor of Biology Karen Crawford, who was the Whitman Scientist this summer on a team at Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, is first author of a milestone study reported in the July 30 issue of Current Biology. The team at MBL, led by MBL Senior Scientist Joshua Rosenthal...
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Governor Hogan Continues to Stress Vigilance In COVID-19 Fight, State Superintendent Sets Guardrails for Schools to Reopen

Governor Hogan Continues to Stress Vigilance In COVID-19 Fight, State Superintendent Sets Guardrails for Schools to Reopen

Governor Larry Hogan today provided an update to Marylanders on the state’s ongoing COVID-19 response and recovery, stressing the need for continued caution and vigilance. The governor was joined by Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon, who announced that MSDE will extend flexibility to local school systems to determine...
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Calvert Education Association and Teachers Release Statement on School Reopening

Calvert Education Association and Teachers Release Statement on School Reopening

Today the Calvert Education Association (CEA), the union representing the teachers and other certificated staff employed by Calvert County Public Schools issued a statement about the reopening of Calvert County Public Schools for the 2020-2021 School Year. Their statement follows: The Calvert Education Association (CEA) supports the Maryland State Education Association, Baltimore Teachers Union...
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Charles County Public Schools Online Registration Assistance Begins July 27, 2020; Enrollment Updates for Parents

Charles County Public Schools Online Registration Assistance Begins July 27, 2020; Enrollment Updates for Parents

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is offering help for families with the online registration and enrollment process. Starting July 27, parents with appointments can meet with a staff member at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building. The Starkey Building is located at 5980 Radio Station Road in La Plata. Online registration and enrollment information...
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Anne Arundel County Public Schools to Employ Vitrual Learning for First Semester of 2020-2021 School Year

Anne Arundel County Public Schools to Employ Vitrual Learning for First Semester of 2020-2021 School Year

Anne Arundel County Public Schools will engage in virtual learning for the entire first semester of the 2020-2021 school year under a plan Superintendent George Arlotto will review with the Board of Education at a public meeting on Wednesday, July 22. Dr. Arlotto made the decision after numerous conversations with Anne Arundel County Health...
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Charles County Public Schools Receive $3 Million Technology Grant for 2020-2021 School Year

Charles County Public Schools Receive $3 Million Technology Grant for 2020-2021 School Year

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is launching new technology initiatives to support enhanced student and staff access to distance learning. The initiatives will support distance-learning plans for the 2020-21 school year, and beyond. Through funding CCPS received from a CARES Act technology grant, the school system will provide all high school students with a...
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