Online registration was open to the public one week prior to tonight's Board meeting and was closed at 3 p.m. yesterday for anyone wishing to speak at this evening's meeting.  Each speaker is allowed three minutes to address the Board.  No speaker substitutions will be allowed. 

Based on Policy 8315 (as amended on July 11, 2023), representatives from the following categories are invited to address the Board during the public comment period of the Board's meetings. A maximum of five (5) spaces will be allocated in each of these categories:

1.  School system-affiliated groups

2.  Unions

3.  Nonprofit community groups

4.  Individual citizens or students 

So that a diversity of viewpoints receives the opportunity to address the Board, when there are more requests than available spaces in any of the categories, first priority will be given to those groups or individuals who have not spoken during the two prior Board meetings.  When the spaces reserved in any of the four categories are not filled, those spaces will be offered, on a first-come, first-served basis, through the wait-list sign-up sheet.

If not selected, the public may submit their comments to the Board members via e-mail at boe@bcps.org.  

The Baltimore County Police Department's Homeland Security Unit and Office of School Safety has recommended the following safety and security protocols:

• Participants should be seated in the room during meetings.  Individuals who need to stand should go into the hallway to do so.
• Participants should not approach the table unless called upon to speak and should not approach the dais.
• Materials brought to the table are limited to electronic devices, presentation papers, and posters no larger than 11 by 14 inches.  Other items should be left in the seat.
• Documents to be given to the Board are to be handed to the staff member who is seated in the front area of the meeting space.  Information for other attendees is to be left on the designated table outside in the hall.
• In the event of an emergency that requires an emergency response such as a lockout, lockdown, or evacuation, staff from the Office of School Safety will direct participants.

More information is provided on the Board's Web site at bcps.org, under Board of Education, Participation by the Public.

Attached is the FY2024 General Fund Report of Revenues, Expenditures, and Encumbrances–Budget and Actual for the period ending December 2023.

The 2024-2025 school calendar is being revised to ensure compliance with Senate Bill (SB) 610, Chapter 804 enrolled by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2023 legislative session, as well as follow-up correspondence sent to LEA Superintendents from MSDE, related to the use of virtual education days.  Per the Bill, "The county school board may authorize the use of virtual education days in severe weather conditions" and "The county superintendent may decide to provide a day of virtual education only if the LEA has used all the days incorporated into its calendar for school closures for severe weather conditions." 

As a result, Friday, December 20, 2024, and Friday, May 16, 2025, previously listed on the 2024-2025 school calendar as "Schools and Offices Close 3 Hours Early, Students will engage in asynchronous learning", will no longer be listed as such.  Both dates will remain as 3-hour early closures for students and staff, but instruction will take place in-person instead of asynchronous.

Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) annually publicizes student enrollment counts and projections. The Department of Facilities Management and Strategic Planning collaborates with several other BCPS offices to publish the Students Count 2023 report with comprehensive data on enrollments, projections, and school capacities.

Attached is an update on the 2024 Legislative Session House and Senate bills that have been introduced and presented during the session.  Bills are being tracked by the Department of Governmental Relations and Constituency Services.