“I want to thank FOX45 for asking the question because it caught me off guard,” Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright told FOX45 News Wednesday.

That “question” Wright referenced, which concerned transparency, was asked by FOX45 at the August state school boarding meeting.

MSDE had just released the most recent state test results known as MCAP — the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program. When FOX45 News began analyzing the data, something didn’t seem right.

“We can’t see how any kid in that entire school performed on the MCAP,” said FOX45 News’ Chris Papst to Wright at the board meeting.

Within the results released by MSDE, the public can see in math 24.1 percent of Maryland students tested, scored proficient. In English, 48.4 percent scored proficient.

Digging deeper into the data, FOX45 News found 185 schools statewide had 5 percent or fewer students score proficient in math. Nearly 60 of those schools are in Baltimore City. But that is all the public can see. The proficiency levels for many schools have been suppressed — replaced with asterisks. In those 185 schools, taxpayers don’t know the number of students who scored proficient.

But taxpayers soon will, after FOX 45 brought this issue to Wright’s attention.

“Rather than, having just, an asterisk you get a percentage of the percentage of students that are at that actual level,” explained Wright.

Here’s the back story.

In January 2023, FOX45 analyzed that year’s state test results and found 23 Baltimore City schools where zero students, among those tested, scored proficient in math. After that story aired, the state changed the way it reports test scores to the public. Instead of reporting the scores for the lowest performing schools, MSDE chose to suppress the scores by replacing the results with asterisks. It was a move that kept parents and taxpayers from seeing how poorly many schools were performing.

That decision by MSDE sparked criticism from the community. But when FOX45 tried to question then State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury about it, he locked himself behind a door.

When Wright became the new State Superintendent, following Choudhury’s resignation, FOX45 asked if she would reverse the previous administration’s decision and once again make the results available to the public. At the time, Wright said she would look into it.

“I think that’s just important for the public to know,” Wright said in March.

At last week’s board meeting, Wright announced her department would reverse course and unredact the results. But when FOX45 analyzed the 2024 data MSDE, we noticed the results for many schools were still suppressed and hidden behind asterisks. Project Baltimore questioned Wright about it at the board meeting.

A few days later, MSDE told Fox45 in an email that the department “inadvertently continued the previous practice of applying an additional suppression rule.” And a new report with unredacted results would be released later this month – so taxpayers can see how all the schools performed.

“Finding this extra suppression rule that was not needed, that surprised me as well,” Wright told FOX45. “Taxpayers deserve to know, parents deserve to know, exactly what’s occurring in their schools and in their communities. And so, for me, it’s not a finger pointing exercise. It’s not an outing exercise. The data speak for themselves.”

Once the results have been updated and uploaded to the state website, Fox45 News will analyze the information and report the results.

The two schools are located about a mile apart, just outside the town of Sykesville in southern Carroll County.

Water fountains at both schools have been turned off and alternative water sources, including bottled and filtered water, are being provided until “a permanent solution is implemented,” according to a notice sent home with students at those schools. A notice will also be posted online, according to Gaddis.

PFAS — short for per- and polyfluo​​roalkyl substances — are human-made chemicals that have been used since the 1940s in a range of products including stain- ​and water-resistant fabrics and carpeting, cleaning products, paints, cookware, food packaging and fire-fighting foams. Known as “forever chemicals,” they do not break down.

Current research from the Maryland Department of the Environment suggests that high levels of PFAS may lead to high cholesterol; changes in liver enzymes; decreased infant birth weight; decreased vaccine effectiveness in children; increased risk of high blood pressure in pregnant women and increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer. Most Americans have likely already been exposed to some level of PFAS.

PFAS tests were conducted on July 29 at each county school whose water is sourced from a well, according to Gaddis. Runnymede, Sandymount and Mechanicsville elementary schools use well water, but water at each of those schools was deemed safe, she said.

Every other public school in Carroll County receives public water service, which makes it the responsibility of the local government to test the water and address elevated PFAS levels.

The Maryland Department of the Environment enforces federal regulations such as the National Drinking Water Regulation, which mandates that public water systems must implement solutions to reduce PFAS to meet the regulation standards by 2029. Public water systems are also required to monitor and provide the public information about PFAS levels by 2027.

“Although the (Environmental Protection Agency’s) regulations do not require any actions from our water system until 2027, we feel it is necessary to act now,” the notice states.

The regulation issued in April sets a maximum contamination level for six PFAS chemicals commonly found in drinking water. The levels are:

• PFOA: 4 parts per trillion
• PFOS: 4 parts per trillion
• PFHxS: 10 parts per trillion
• PFNA: 10 parts per trillion
• HFPO-DA: 10 parts per trillion
• Mixtures containing two or more PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFBS: Hazard index

South Carroll was found to have 15.6 parts per trillion of PFOA and 12.7 parts per trillion of PFOS while Winfield was found to have 11.5 parts per trillion of PFOA and 5.42 parts per trillion of PFOS, notices state. Another Winfield sample found 4.59 parts per trillion of PFOS.

In Howard County, tests found PFAS at seven schools and water use was discontinued at one, Lisbon Elementary, according to communications from the system. Each of the schools tested is in the northwestern region of the county and receives water from a well.

Five Harford County schools are also prohibiting students from consuming water at school after tests revealed excessive levels of PFAS. Harford County Public Schools’ upcoming capital budget request to the county will include money for remediation of PFAS-contaminated school wells, according to Manager of Communications Jillian Lader.

Maryland environmental officials in December began testing for PFAS in drinking water as schools and daycare centers served by wells. Of 200 schools and daycares tested, officials have identified at least 36 with levels of PFAS that exceed federal limits, spurring distributions of bottled water as students return to the classroom for a new school year.

Additionally, state officials recommend that anyone receiving drinking water from a well at home should test their water at least annually.

Baltimore Sun reporters Matt Hubbard and Christine Condon contributed to this article.

The new school building opened last fall with a temporary traffic pattern, but completion of the school’s bus loop was delayed about a year after a large obstructive rock mass was discovered. In December, the board approved up to $600,000 in additional funds to remove the rock.

Tuesday marked the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year for Carroll County Public Schools.

The school system’s 22 elementary, eight middle and seven high schools, as well as the Carroll County Career and Technology Center, Carroll Springs School and several alternative schools, are back in session with about 26,100 students settling in for the new year.

Enrollment is projected to climb to around 28,941 students by the 2032-2033 school year, according to school system documents.

Approximately 240 regular route buses will travel more than 5.2 million miles to provide school transportation this year. Nearly 25,400 students ride the bus, according to the school system.

Carroll County school buses were involved in 55 traffic accidents last school year, according to Michael Hardesty, the school system’s transportation director, which averages about 1.5 incidents during a typical full week of school.

Last school year, the sheriff’s office issued 5,084 citations to motorists caught on camera passing a school bus when it had its stop arm extended while picking up or dropping off students, which is illegal. Cameras captured 8,933 motorists failing to stop for a school bus during last school year, according to Hardesty, but not every violation results in a citation.

Carroll County Career and Technology Center students will benefit from a newly renovated building this year. A four-year, $74 million construction project added 108,205 square feet to the facility, which opened in 1971. The center was designed for 380 students in 19 programs and currently educates about 800 students in 24 programs per semester. Carroll schools Superintendent Cynthia McCabe said in February that the renovation will improve the quality of existing programs but will do little to raise the school’s capacity.

The school system has an operating budget of $416.3 million for fiscal 2025, which began July 1 and will encompass the 2024-2025 school year. The largest increase in the budget compared to last year’s budget is $19.2 million for boosting employee salaries. The fiscal 2025 budget also includes an increase of $6.9 million due to inflation, $4.6 million for technology, $2 million for special education, $700,000 in state Blueprint requirements and $400,000 for transportation.

County commissioners provided the school system with $6 million more than legally required for fiscal 2025. The bulk of Carroll County’s operating budget (42.06%) goes to public schools.

Teachers in Carroll County now earn a starting salary of $60,000, which will be legally required statewide by fiscal 2027.

Hiring and funding initiatives to develop staff were among the county’s biggest challenges outlined in a June plan to implement the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. In the wake of the salary increase, Carroll has had far fewer teacher vacancies than in previous years before the start of classes.

The Blueprint, a multibillion-dollar state law passed in 2021, is designed to make Maryland’s schools among the highest performing in the country by providing more time for teachers to plan lessons and develop skills outside the classroom, allowing high school students to enroll in unlimited community college classes at no charge to them or their family, and offering universal prekindergarten for 3-year-olds, among other initiatives.

The college signed a memorandum of understanding Aug. 15 with eight county agencies to create a “Justice System to Careers Initiative” pilot program. The program aims to reduce the rate of crime, by supporting individuals to re-enter the workforce, said Angelica Carter, the college’s director of community engagement.

“The fundamental undertone of the program is to give folks hope,” Carter said, “to see more in themselves, so that they can achieve more and contribute more to our local economy.”

The Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office and Carroll County Circuit Court both signed onto the memorandum, and may make participation in the program a condition of sentencing. Other agencies who signed include the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll County Health Department, Carroll County Workforce Development, Justice Jobs of Maryland, Inc., The Carroll County Public Defender’s Office, and Carroll Community College Workforce, Business and Community Education.

“This partnership is invaluable and will provide individuals with the resources that will reduce recidivism in Carroll County,” Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker said in an Aug. 21 news release.

The initiative represents agencies coming together with a shared vision of better outcomes for formerly incarcerated people, Carter said.

Each participating entity was enthusiastic about the prospect of the program and its potential to improve the community. Carter said the most challenging part of finalizing the memorandum was coordinating with so many busy entities to schedule a time to meet.

“This initiative underscores our commitment to providing justice and supporting rehabilitation and reintegration efforts,” Sheriff Jim DeWees said in the release. “By working with the college and other key stakeholders, we reinforce our dedication to creating opportunities that enable individuals to turn their lives around and contribute positively to society.”

Carter said she is not aware of any other Maryland county with a similar program.

“The number of partners is unique,” Carter said. “It’s a landmark initiative where we’re eight agencies across the county who are partnering for this one initiative.”

Community college programs selected for the pilot program were chosen because they were deemed a good fit for formerly incarcerated individuals, Carter said, which means they generally have higher levels of physical engagement and shorter durations.

“When someone’s coming home from being incarcerated for a while, they need to earn money right away,” Carter said. “A short-term credential is alluring in that regard, because they’re getting paid a small stipend during their participation of the program, a short program duration facilitates the ability to turn right around and get connected with employers.”

According to Carroll Community College spokesperson Lisa Slappy, participants may enroll in:

• A three-month, 90-hour dental assistant course for $1,870, with graduates expected to earn $20 per hour;
• A three-month, 84-hour home inspector course for $1,058 that prepares graduates to own a business;
• A weeklong, 40-hour electronic assembler course for $1,780, with graduates are expected to earn $24.13 per hour;
• An eight-week, 280-hour truck driver (CDL-A) course for $5,500, with graduates expected to earn $16 to $22 per hour; or
• A 10-week, 80-hour pathways to entrepreneurship course, which is fully funded, that prepares graduates to own a business.

A high school diploma is required for the dental assistant or electronic assembler programs. Prospective truck drivers must have a valid Maryland driver’s license and pass a drug test, and dental assistant applicants must pass a safety exam, according to Slappy. The cost of drug and permit testing is included in the cost of the truck driver program, and the cost of a certification exam is included in the electronic assembler program.

“A shift in framework makes all the difference,” Carter said, “because if you feel like you have to settle for any job that you can take, you become part of this cycle where you never get ahead, and that’s conducive to making poor choices. That’s conducive to being a victim of circumstance. What we’re trying to do is change that paradigm and really empower people to lean into who they are, and if they’re not there yet, we’re going to help them get there.”

The truck driver, home inspector and dental assistant programs are restricted to those 18 and older. Participants are supported with weekly counseling, stipends, and additional resources aimed at ensuring they complete the program and successfully transition into the workforce, according to the release.

The college is also building a portfolio of employers who will guarantee at least an interview, Carter said.

“Instead of sending them to jail, perhaps we can course-correct and send them to a specialty training and education program,” Carter said, “and we can give them a stipend while they’re enrolled into the program, and set their course correction that way.”

The pilot program is ripe for growth opportunities, Carter said, including featuring new and longer programs, and garnering additional state partners.

“The Justice System to Careers Initiative agreement represents more than a document,” Carroll Community College President Rose Mince said in the release. “It signifies a unified vision and a shared dedication to making a meaningful impact on individuals navigating the criminal justice system.”

The program is also likely to create better outcomes for family members of those involved, Carter added.

“The families of the justice-involved citizens are going to be critically impacted,” she said. “Imagine an individual who has struggled their entire life and has made mistakes and has found themselves incarcerated. They come out, they don’t have any new skills, they don’t have any new connections, so they’re even worse off than when they went in. That is the driver of recidivism. The differentiating intervention that we are applying here is the ability to change their circumstances, and if we can change someone’s circumstances, while at the same time letting them see that they are empowered to do that themselves, we’re going to change their lives.”

Anyone seeking more information may reach out to Carter at acarter6@carrollcc.edu.

New Maryland test scores for English, math show little change across schools

A temporary traffic pattern was in place during the last school year.

The new school building opened last fall in Westminster, but completion of the school’s bus loop was delayed about one year after a large obstructive rock mass was discovered. In December, the board approved up to $600,000 in additional funds to address the rock removal.

Paving is finished, including pavement markings, landscaping will soon be complete as grading is being finalized in some areas, and sign walls have been installed. According to the report, signage and an electronic message board will be going up before school begins on Tuesday.

The school system’s construction supervisor Jim Marks reported last month that curbs, gutters, and a paving base were installed along along Tuc Road and Longwell Avenue; a coil cement sub-base was installed for the bus loop before paving was finalized.

Once completed, the project will increase the number of parking spaces from 70 to about 100, Marks said. Parking at a nearby county government parking lot was used in the interim.

The school board first approved the construction of the new middle school campus on Longwell Avenue in December 2019; the project had a $60 million budget at that time. Costs increased to $65.9 million by the time the new building was completed.

The school system began construction on the East Middle School replacement project in November 2021.

The new building features sculpted wall art from the old building treated with an anti-graffiti coating, a stage between the gymnasium and cafeteria that is split to accommodate an audience on either side, an ADA-compliant elevator, and a B.E.S.T. (Behavioral Educational Support Team) special education suite inside the building to better integrate the program previously housed in a structure just outside the school.

The former school building was 120,400 square feet and was constructed in 1936. It served for 35 years as Westminster High School, then nearly 50 years as a middle school, until it was closed last year. Additions were built in 1941, 1950 and 1964, and it was last renovated in 1976. It was replaced by a new three-level 126,000 square-foot building that opened for students in September.

East Middle School has a capacity of about 750 students, including 40 students in the Behavioral Educational Support Team program according to the report.

About $34 million of the project’s cost was paid for by Carroll County, while the state contributed nearly $40 million, according to the system’s capital budget for fiscal 2024. The project was not included in the capital budget for fiscal 2025.

The project adds 108,205 square feet of space to the facility, which opened in 1971. The center was designed for 380 students in 19 programs and currently educates about 800 students in 24 programs per semester.

Instruction at the center was maintained throughout construction, according to a report presented to the county school board earlier this month.

Board of Education member Donna Sivigny said a four-year phased project is especially challenging.

“Career and tech being a four-year project, phase-occupied, has been one of the hardest projects we have ever done as a group,” the system’s construction supervisor Jim Marks said, “and we’ve done a great job.”

Superintendent Cynthia McCabe said in February that the renovation will improve the quality of existing programs but will do little to raise the school’s capacity.

“With this renovation, this big addition that we’ve undergone, we haven’t been able to really take any more students into the program,” McCabe said in February. “What we’ve done is we’ve been able to bring our programs up to specifications.”

Finishing construction at the career and technology center is worthy of celebration, Sivigny said.

“We’re really coming down to the historic moment in terms of the career and tech,” Sivigny said, “where it’s going to be finished after four long years.”

Last school year, the sheriff’s office issued 5,084 citations to motorists caught on camera passing a school bus when it had its stop arm extended while picking up or dropping off students, according to the release. In November there were 631 citations.

Vehicles are legally required to stop and give a 20-foot berth to a school bus displaying red lights and an extended arm with a stop sign attached.

Each citation represents a violation that was deemed legally enforceable by the sheriff’s office’s automated enforcement team. This means that in each case the bus displayed both amber and red lights as required, the offending vehicle was too close, and pictures captured a clear image of the vehicle, including at least one visible license plate, according to Cpl. Jon Light.

Cameras captured 8,933 motorists failing to stop for a school bus during last school year, according to Michael Hardesty, the school system’s transportation director, but not every violation results in a citation.

Civil violations incur a $250 fine but do not result in points on a driver’s license. Violators may choose to go to court, where a judge may increase the fine to as much as $500, according to Light. In addition to automated enforcement, a police officer who witnesses an offense may issue a ticket, which incurs a $570 fine and three points on the violator’s license.

“Our number one priority is keeping our students safe,” Carroll County school Superintendent Cynthia McCabe said in the joint news release.

In Carroll County, students are instructed to cross roads approximately 10 feet in front of their bus, after ensuring that the bus’ red lights are flashing, according to the school system. Parents are responsible for supervising students while walking to or from school or while walking to, from, or waiting at the bus stop. For more information about the school system’s bus policies, visit: https://bit.ly/3AzwIDt

“Safety is all of our responsibility,” said Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees. “Knowing that there will be additional parents, students, and buses on the roadways, make sure to allow yourself extra time for your commute, and be especially alert around bus stops.”

The school system and the sheriff’s office partnered with BusPatrol in 2020 to install cameras on the entire fleet of over 300 buses. According to the release, the nation’s most deployed school bus safety program uses cutting-edge automated photo technology to gather evidence, which aids law enforcement in addressing illegal bus-passing incidents.

Justin Meyers, president and chief innovation officer at BusPatrol, said the camera system is proven to make roads safer.

“These results are shocking, but not surprising, given the national epidemic that exists with illegal school bus passings,” Meyers said in the release.

Carroll County school buses were involved in 55 traffic accidents last school year, according to Hardesty, which averages about 1.5 incidents during a typical full week of school.

Carroll County’s public schools open for students on Sept. 3.

School board member Donna Sivigny proposed at an Aug. 14 meeting that the board create a mechanism to send topics to appropriate committees for further discussion, which she said would strengthen the school board’s ability to receive feedback.

“Maybe [we] have a specific agenda item at the end of every meeting to say, ‘is this a topic that would be good to send to one of our board committees, so that we’re constantly thinking about what would be the things that we want feedback on,” Sivigny said.

Superintendent Cynthia McCabe said she could provide such an opportunity, and no vote from the school board was required. Additional opportunities for the school board to seek feedback on a topic could make the Community Advisory Council particularly effective, McCabe said.

“We can certainly do that,” McCabe said, “because we’ve been thinking about what kinds of things would be good for for CAC to discuss and give input on.”

The council, which includes a representative from each public school, was established by the school board in 2009, and serves as a forum for public concerns, advice and communication. The superintendent or school board may call upon the council to make recommendations on matters related to student education.

Board of Education Vice President Tara Battaglia was vocal about her support for the idea.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Battaglia said, “because oftentimes there are things that we have to decide on, or we get reports on, and then come the end of the meeting, we’re like, ‘what if this could be something that could be discussed in one of the committees?'”

The 31-member board-appointed committee will address three topics. It will review current and proposed instructional materials used in health lessons for all school levels and make recommendations to the school board; review elementary and secondary lessons and current materials; and review the school system’s permission process for health education.

Recently, the committee recommended that the school board exclude “The Family Book,” by Todd Parr, and “The Great Big Book of Families,” by Mary Hoffman, from the county’s elementary health curriculum. The books depict different family structures, including families with same-sex parents, adopted children, single parents and stepparents, but do not include any discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity.

At its July 10 meeting, the school board followed the committee’s recommendation and rejected the two books, in a 3-2 vote.

The committee is made up of 25 parents of public-school students, as well as educators, healthcare professionals and a Board of Education member. The school board approved a new cohort of members for each of its seven advisory boards and committees on Aug. 14, including the family life committee.

Those selected will serve for only the 2024-2025 school year, though members are typically part of the committee for two years. According to the application, those selected will, “fill several open seats for the second year of the two-year term.” The applications deadline was July 26.

The Family Life Advisory Committee will meet a minimum of four times during the 2024-2025 school year, scheduled for Sept. 26, Nov. 21, Feb. 6, and April 10, in the board room at 125 N Court St., Westminster.

One school board member and up to one alternate also serve on each of the system’s committees. The board on Aug. 14 approved member Donna Sivigny’s continued appointment to Family Life Advisory Committee and allowed board member Steve Whisler to become the committee’s alternate.

Whisler was also added as the alternate for the school system’s Curriculum Council and Special Education Advisory Committee. The board will have another opportunity to assign members to committees in December. The board will have two new members by then, elected during the November general election.

Sivigny and Marsha Herbert, the board’s president, have reached their term limits this year and were unable to run again.