Past Action
Community Action Taken:
Police Free Schools Motion
On September 10, 2020, the HCPSS Board of Education voted on a motion proposed by Student Member Zach Koung to remove SROs from all schools. The board voted as follows:
Coombs - Abstain Cutroneo - No Delmont Small - No Ellis - Yes Mallo - Yes Taj - Yes Kong - Yes Wu - Abstain The motion failed, but there is still hope to make change in the future, through policy and voting. Read more about the motion here Read more about what is being done to address SRO presence in HoCo schools here summary: focus groups and town halls will be held to evaluate SRO presence |
Policy 1080 Educational Equity
On August 18, 2020, over 50 people (students, individuals, and representatives of groups) testified virtually at the Howard County Public School System Board of Education meeting on an Educational Equity Policy. More extensive information about this policy can be found here.Those who gave testimony shared their own experiences with discrimination and inequity, along with statistics and data to support why the policy must be passed.
On September 24, the motion to adopt new Policy 1080 Educational Equity as amended was passed. The new policy will become effective immediately. Read the press release about the policy here |
Learn about this policy in this video by the Howard County Library System
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“The Rise of Student Activists with Howard County Teen Leaders and Advocates”
Oakland Mills Online (OMO) hosts bi-weekly social justice/activism sessions. On July 30, 2020, OMO held a community forum “The Rise of Student Activists with Howard County Teen Leaders and Advocates" to connect student groups, share their missions, and educate the wider community about how they can support these groups. 16 different student activists/student groups presented their stories, and 98 community members attended, varying from elected officials, parents, educators, and more.
Student activists/leaders answered the following questions: 1. What was the catalyst for you to take action? 2. What are your goals? 3. What do you need to be successful? How can members of the Howard County community support your efforts? You can learn more about the session and the students/student groups that attended here |
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The petition to the right (which can also be read as a google doc) was addressed in Howard County School Superintendent Michael Martirano's Juneteenth Recognition Statement, which you can read here.
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You can read an article in the Baltimore Sun about it here
School Action Taken:
Learn about Long Reach High School's Restorative Justice Initiatives that will be implemented during the 2020-2021 year, #OneLongReach
View Mt. Hebron High School's Black Lives Matter resources page
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Individual Action Taken:
Read Centennial High School student David's Open Letter on racism to Centennial's principal