The Most Dangerous Local Story

Friends, there are local things to write about today. I just don’t feel like writing about any of them.

There was a tragic fatal shooting of a three year old.

A controversy in a local parade.

Some folks are upset about a nearby quarry.

A member of the County Council will be proposing the creation of a new Inspector General position.

The County announced a partnership with HCC to support childcare for the young children of students there.

The new superintendent of schools is beginning his first ninety days in office,

There’s a new head at CA, too.

And yet…

All I have on my mind this morning is the Twitter account of the Howard Counry M4L chapter which is spewing falsehood after falsehood. The latest?

The teachers unions are killing education in America. Why every parent should be outraged.

Yes,there are plenty of stories both big and small that are on our minds this morning.

Please don’t let any of them obscure the fact that M4L is looking to gain traction on our Board of Education and that you have an opportunity to vote for something better: candidates who support working in partnership with educators, who believe in the power of intellectual freedom and in teaching the truth about history, and who will work to make schools welcoming for all children and families.

Accept no substitutions. Those are the qualities that are needed to create successful learning environments for our kids.

Village Green/Town² Comments

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Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

F ³: Who Belongs at the Library?

One of these things is not like the others One of these things doesn't belong Can you tell which thing is not like the other By the time we finish our song?* Did you guess which thing is not like the others? Did you guess which thing doesn't belong? If you guessed this thing is not like the others Then you're absolutely right. Our library promotes equity. Our library promotes literacy for adults who have come here from many places. Our library promotes accessibility to materials and opportunities. Our library is hosting multiple Harry Potter themed events? Tell me this isn’t so. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, has and continues to use the profits from those books to advocate for laws that diminish the rights of trans people. She has and continues to use her fame to influence public opinion to view and treat trans people negatively. In short, Ms. Rowling is using the Harry Potter book series to make transgender people around the world less safe....

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