A Step in the Wrong Direction

I haven’t asked you to write a letter lately, so: here goes. The following is from the Anti-Racist Education Alliance:

CALL-TO-ACTION

AREA is joining the HCPSS BOE in opposing local bill Ho Co 15-25, which would impose an unfunded mandate on HCPSS to study weapons detection technology for our schools.

If you share our objection, please send a letter to the Howard County Delegation by 6pm on Tuesday, January 28. You can reach all of them at once using this email address: hoc1@mlis.state.md.us

Below you’ll find a link to an email template but it’s not necessary to use it.

Please share!

Email template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qYvBCUBTukQlYOlA0sLW9wjNnCum13gXIOkFCvhs_sc/edit

Draft legislation: https://www.howardcountymd.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/Ho.Co_.%2015-25.pdf

AREA advocacy letter

We should not be diverting valuable resources from educational programs, especially at a time when needs are so great and financial resources are so limited. I wholeheartedly agree with Matthew Vaughn Smith, President of the Anti-Racist Education Alliance, who says:

School money should be spent on competitive salaries for educators and wraparound services that help support our student's emotional capacity.

Not on an expensive study. Not on bogus AI tech.

AREA is encouraging community members to sign their petition and to support the Howard County Board of Education and Anti-Racist Education Alliance, Inc. by telling the Howard County Delegation to vote 'no' on local bill HoCo 15-25.

I hope you will take some time to read the advocacy letter printed above and give this issue some thought. We all want our kids to be safe in school. The last thing we want to do, though, is to throw a lot of money at something when it almost certainly won’t help and could even make things worse.

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