I am a 67 year old runner and conservative. I taught for 31 years and retired a few years back. In my life, I have coached and judged gymnastics, coached softball, and raised two amazing kids.
It was standing room only again at the October 24th meeting of the Town Commissioners meeting. That’s the way it’s been at every meeting since February of this year when the Commissioners announced the surprise retirement of the long-term police chief Pat Maxwell. Many people of Oxford were activated to get involved with town politics by that event and started to demand transparency and change in the town government. This is evidenced by increased citizen participation in meetings, elections, etc. and more opinions being stated.
Tuesday night was no different.
The evening began with the obligatory reports from maintenance and the police chief and approval of the minutes.
The minutes from a recent closed meeting on 10/12/23 and the workshop 10/14/23 along with meeting minutes from 10/12/23 were approved.
From there, the Resolutions 2310, 2311, and 2312 regarding special elections were approved/edited after lawyer Lindsay Ryan explained changes and additions. These resolutions were part of the recently passed referendum to require a special election to replace commissioners who leave office mid-term.
Ryan then reviewed minor changes to the recently discovered town financial policy that had been in place since 1996. The changes were made to update the resolution and remove references to old Maryland code.
In what could be classified as the most engaging discussion of the night, two different proposals were presented for the creation of a financial advisement committee for the town, an idea that was suggested during debate of how the town’s millions of dollars for projects could earn more interest in the Maryland Municipal Investment Fund than they were currently earning in Bay Vanguard Bank. The funds were moved to the MMIF. Many citizens were concerned that neither the Commissioners nor the current Town Manager had the financial expertise to make unilateral decisions on the town’s fund management.
Tensions in the meeting grew as Commissioner Greer reviewed the first proposal which had been discussed in a town workshop on Thursday, October 14. Greer explained that the town currently has 8 million dollars passing through the town coffers and she had hoped for a more collaborative meeting on the document during that workshop.
Appointed Commissioner Botkin complained that she did not have “fresh copies” on the night of the 14th and couldn’t possibly have collaborated using an old copy of the document. Greer responded, “I’m sorry you didn’t bring yours that evening.”
The differences of the documents were highlighted. Most centered around who would be eligible to be on the advisory committee. Costigan’s plan requires that members of the new committee are registered voters in town. Greer’s suggested voters and/or property owners and not just registered voters. Town manager Lewis said that although there is no restriction in the town chart regarding committee members, it’s been an understood “policy” that members of committees are full time residents of Oxford and registered voters. Research into these committees show that the town has placed unofficial restrictions on who can participate in decision making bodies.
President of the Commissioners Tom Costigan told attendees that the two documents would be posted on the town’s website ASAP so that residents could view them and ask questions. While Costigan and Greer encouraged public participation in the matter, appointed Commissioner Botkin wanted to approve Costigan’s plan during the meeting without further citizen input. Both Costigan and Greer said they preferred public input even if that would push the adoption of the committee to December’s meeting.
*As of the publication of this article, the two documents are still not available. Inquiries to the Town Office asking when they would be posted, were answered by the Town Manager: “I am attempting to update the website agenda at the moment. The next meeting is on November 14, 2023.”
It seems odd that in this day of electronic documents, scanners, etc. that it would be such a chore. We certainly hope they are up before November 14.
The last bit of business during the meeting was the adoption of a new town hiring policy drafted over the summer by a committee of residents. The policy was created after questions regarding the hiring of the current Chief of Police without advertisement and interviews for the position. The policy also attempts to remove nepotism from the hiring process a problem that was also discovered last winter.
Commissioners Costigan and Greer approved the document, while appointed Commissioner Botkin questioned whether the clause requiring applicants to disclose any family or business relationships with current town employees was “legal”. She referenced that applicants at her business were not required to disclose family relationships or medical information (which was not on the application.) She reminded the audience that Talbot County is a small area and that the likelihood of people being related was much greater than in large urban areas. Attorney Ryan assured Botkin that the clause only required disclosure and did not prevent people from applying and being hired for town jobs and that the policy did not mention medical disclosures at all.
The disclosure is for transparency, something the citizens of Oxford asked for repeatedly in many matters.
As soon as the two financial committee documents are posted, we will share and comment.
SPECIAL NOTES:
Appointed Commissioner Botkin came to the meeting wearing a headset which made her look and sound like she was running a fast-food drive through. If this is a new technology the town is testing, they may want to reconsider since meetings are held during what most citizens consider dinner time.
Former Commissioner Jimmy Jaramillo was present at the meeting, the first time he has been to a meeting since he did not run again for his position. He was quoted in the Star Democrat affirming his approval of Commissioner Costigan’s proposal.
Robyn Sachs addresses the Maryland Voter Integrity Group at the Talbot County Community Center Wednesday night.
A progressive political operative tried to shut down free speech in Talbot County Wednesday night. He was unsuccessful. The event organizers prevailed after finding a new venue and persevering.
A bi-partisan event regarding election integrity with main speaker Robyn Sachs had been planned for weeks at Sts. Peter and Paul High School by the Maryland Voter Integrity Group. It was cancelled by the school a little over twenty-four hours prior to the event due to phone calls initiated by a local Facebook post. When canceling the event, the school didn’t give a reason other than the fact that they don’t host political events at their school. It took them almost a month to come up with that excuse.
This was news to the organizers since there had previously been no pushback from the school regarding the topic of the event. In fact, the school acknowledged via email that the tone of the event was bi-partisan and non-confrontational and confirmed that belief in an email to the event planners.
But, when someone stirs people up on social media by using lies and misrepresentations, low IQ followers will take action with threats and coercion to the venue. Here is the post in a group run by Len Foxwell. Len wrote the post:
Here are the rules of the group where the post was found. Mr. Foxwell is an administrator of the group but obviously ignores his own rules:
In his inflammatory post, Foxwell referenced the main speaker, Robyn Sachs, who investigates voter fraud of all kinds for Independents, Republicans and Democrats. Here is Robyn’s bio:
Robyn Sachs is the Chair of the Maryland Voter Integrity Group, dedicated to ensuring Free & Fair Elections in Maryland. Additionally, Robyn has served as president and CEO of RMR & Associates, Inc. since purchasing the company in 1987. She is well known and respected in the business community for her insight and keen knowledge of marketing techniques. She shares this enthusiasm at live speaking engagements and podcasts throughout the Washington, DC Metro Area. Robyn’s “Marketing Bootcamp” Seminars provide an interesting and educational high-level view on the proper procedures to conducting a successful marking campaign. She is also the author of Market to the Max. Complete with case histories, this easy to read, comprehensive book takes the reader step-by-step through proven marketing techniques. This book is a valuable reference tool in any successful marketing endeavor. Over the years, RMR & Associates (RMR) has earned a reputation for aggressive campaigns that produce measurable results for a diverse client base. In 2000, RMR was named the 10th fastest growing PR agency in the United States and the fastest growing PR agency in Maryland by PRWEEK. RMR has also been awarded the “MC Icon Award” for best branding campaign in the country for their work with PSINet and an “ADDY Award” for the best commercial website by the Ad Club of Washington, DC. In 1998, Robyn was awarded the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year Award.” Additionally, the Washington Business Journal has recognized RMR as one of the Top 25 Advertising Agencies and Top 25 Public Relations Firms annually since 1991 and included RMR in its listing of Washington’s Largest Women-Owned Businesses since 1990. As further recognition as an industry leader, Robyn is on the Executive Board of the Washington Business Journal’s Leadership Trust. As a member of this vetted community of the region’s business influencers, Robyn contributes articles and participates in Expert Panels to build RMR’s business and connect and collaborate with other top decision makers.
She doesn’t sound like a “far-right extremist,” does she.
When you dissect the Facebook post about the event, Foxwell uses phrases right off the Progressive, Marxist list of inflammatory terms; “far right, extremist election denier,” “disenfranchisement” and “suppress the vote.” He wanted to make the event into something it was not. Apparently, Mr. Foxwell believes that bipartisan efforts to keep elections honest and transparent are a bad thing. No surprise based on this story about his political history:
Earlier this year, Foxwell attempted to get other Talbot County venues to cancel events he didn’t like. His efforts were impotent. This could have bruised his fragile ego, particularly since these events were run by women.
Of course, there are people who are more than willing to follow Len’s marching orders. There are organizations like Sts. Peter and Paul School and Easton Club East (the second secured venue that was canceled last minute) who are afraid of their own shadows and will cancel events because of complaints of a minority of callers. As someone said to me, these groups are so afraid of bad publicity they will just give in, even if it is the wrong thing to do.
Based on the success of the event at the third venue, organizer Shari Wilcoxon said, ” We had over 100+ people. Democrats, independents, and Republicans. It was a great event…lasted till after 8:30 p.m. because people were very engaged. I think SSPP missed a great opportunity to be part of leadership for healing and bipartisanship for Talbot County.”
Foxwell’s tactics, which are right out of Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, seemed to work until they didn’t. While it took extra work and time to find a good venue, the group accomplished their goal.
In the above self-congratulatory post, Foxwell can’t keep from lying and misrepresenting the Voter Integrity event and Robyn Sachs. By the way, is being a Republican illegal? Apparently, Mr. Foxwell thinks it is.
I think he spiked the football a tad early on this “victory.” He didn’t achieve his goal. In fact, he did exactly the opposite!
Why do I say that? Because the organizers of this event quickly pivoted to find other venues and found one that was twice as good! Not only that, but so many people who read Mr. Foxwell’s vitriol decided to attend the event that they had to bring in extra chairs. Over 100 people showed up. Political figures such as State Senator Johnny Mautz, State Delegate Tom Hutchinson, Sheriff Joe Gamble, Easton Town Council President Frank Gunsallus and Congressional candidate Chris Bruneau attended. (Councilman Dave Stepp was at a family obligation in Baltimore.) All local officials were invited.
Someone posted this graphic:
It’s very sad and somewhat terrifying that Foxwell thought canceling free speech was the thing to do. Freedom of speech is one of the main principles our Country’s founders. It is so important they put it as the first amendment to the Constitution.
One wonders what he is afraid of? If the ideas of the people presenting this event are so wrong, then wouldn’t he want them to be heard so he could prove them wrong?
The problem is that Mr. Foxwell and those who side with him don’t believe in freedom of speech. Many American disagree and cherish this sacred freedom. In his July 4th decision to defend social media platforms from being hijacked and controlled by the Biden Administration, U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty wrote:
“The principal function of free speech under the United States system of government is to invite dispute; it may indeed serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger.” He added later in his defense of free speech; “American citizens have the right to engage in free debate about the significant issues affecting the country.”
While Judge Doughty’s opinion centers around government control of free speech, it is an important message to all of us that free speech, while sometimes controversial, is critical. As we debate important issues such as election integrity, protecting young children from indoctrination and pornographic material in classrooms, parental rights, medical freedom, etc. we will sometimes hear things we don’t like or agree with. It’s then up to us to argue our points with facts and reason.
Mr. Foxwell apparently wants to practice his right of free speech; he just doesn’t want others to do the same.
Maybe he finds listening to opposing ideas too intellectually taxing and difficult. He and those like him would much rather throw a temper tantrum and cancel events they don’t like. This time it almost worked.
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
It was a great non-partisan event. I enjoyed discussing the information presented with everyone independent of party. Confidence in our election process and shutting down free speech are American problems, not party problems.
Organizations that give into fear and hatred using Alinsky Rules because they are “afraid of bad publicity” should feel it ten fold through peaceful and civil ways. Let the organizations know how we feel.
Last edited 23 hours ago by David Morsberger
3
Reply
Estrin’ Shor’ patriot
Guest
15 hours ago
Well known to Easton community, history of oppressive tactics and extremism social media activity, disruptive to sensible community standards. Everyone must be defensive of their own rights encroached on by these oppressive actions.
This article was originally posted on the Easton Gazette, eastongazette.com
It’s really amazing when the people speak up. Whether it’s a small town, a county, a state or even the federal level, the people in charge, those responsible for the house of cards they created, get very upset. They lash out at those who challenge them. In some cases, fancy big-time lawyers who live in town tell the people they are embarrassed that the great unwashed should speak up and ask for answers. In other cases, they attack the persons or people who are speaking up, even those in public office. Sometimes they ridicule newly elected officials for their lack of experience, as if being new in a position makes an official any less effective. In fact, we know the opposite is often true. Just look at the long timers in Congress. More on that later.
So it is in our little town of Oxford. We have two new commissioners in office in our town. One was elected by an overwhelming majority because people wanted her to do just what she is doing, asking questions. The other was appointed by the minority in the town who want her to do what she is doing, rubber stamping everything.
Because the newly elected Commissioner Katrina Greer is asking questions about town finances and demanding answers from a highly paid town manager who wants all the power but bristles when people question her, those who have previously been in power are now resorting to cheap shots against Greer.
Enter former Town Commissioner John Pepe in a letter in the Star Democrat. (shown below) Mr. Pepe is a fervent supporter of the Oxford Town Manager Cheryl Lewis. That’s his right. However, it brings into question whether he has an objective unbiased view of Ms. Lewis. That is troublesome considering his long tenure and influence as a commissioner who evaluated her work. Because Greer made comments about Ms. Lewis’s performance in a recent interview, Pepe says this “warrants a trip to the woodshed with the ethics committee” for Greer. What will be exposed that he is afraid of? Or is he just clutching his pearls because questioning of Lewis might implicate him in poor stewardship of the town as a commissioner?
Funny he should mention ethics, since many in the town have been saying that ethics have been violated. Not by Commissioner Greer, but by the Town Manager and possibly some recent Commissioners.
The last eight months have exposed some of the actions of the Town Manager in conjunction with compliant Town Commissioners of the past. They range from nepotism in the hiring of a family member for a well-paid position, protecting financial and other public records from the view of citizens, overstepping her duties, resisting the posting of ANY type of information regarding town affairs including employee salaries, and questionable personnel actions in the sudden, unexpected retirement of a long time Police Chief and the selection of a new Chief of Police etc. Many point out the micro-management of every department in town by the manager, including law enforcement.
The issue Pepe references in his letter is that Lewis claimed she was unaware of a financial policy that existed for the town until she suddenly found it a few weeks ago. The Commissioners were in the middle of the discussion about creating a financial advisory committee for the town and suddenly, out of the depths of the town archives, this policy appeared. Convenient and suspect from a woman who overtly claims to know everything about all town business all the time. The discovery coincided with Lewis’s assertion that the town keep millions of dollars in a local bank instead of a Maryland Local Government Investment Group account where the money could earn the town substantially higher interest. This is what prompted Greer’s comment on Lewis’s job performance.
Pepe attempts to alleviate Lewis of responsibility for knowing the old policy by saying it was created before she was hired, and she had no reason to be aware of it. If that’s the case, no elected or hired public employees or officials would never have to know and abide by laws and regulations that existed prior to their tenure. That’s not how it works, John. If it was, we would all be a world of trouble and the world would be even more chaotic than it already is. It was her job to know. Period.
He also claims the policy was never enacted, something that is disputed.
Pepe seems to take personal offense at Ms. Greer’s questioning of town actions, claiming that her inquiries “not only tried to sully the reputation of the town administrator but has (SIC) called into question the decisions of every sitting commissioner since the mid-90’s as well as every yearly financial auditor that has been involved with the town finances.”
If only Mr. Pepe was as concerned about the reputation of several other town employees who have had their lives turned upside down by actions of the town administrator and commissioners. It seems that “sullying reputations” is a tactic this town is not averse to using against others.
Bottom line is there is a big difference between stating a truth about an employee’s obvious mistake as Ms. Greer did and removing long time town employees and then spreading lies and innuendos about the reasons for their departures as the town office has previously done.
Better think twice about who needs to go to the woodshed and address the ethics commission Mr. Pepe.
As for questioning the decisions of every sitting commissioner since the 90’s, that’s a given. It occurs at every level of government in this country and about every public official. It has for over 200 years. That’s what our country is built on, a healthy questioning of ALL decisions by public officials and employees. Uncomfortable for some, but it’s part of a government built on the will of the people. I’ll continue to do it and I hope every other citizen will do the same, including Commissioner Greer, even if she has only been in office for eight months.
Maybe if Mr. Pepe, a former Oxford Commissioner with extensive experience, posed more questions when he was in office, we would know more about how our town was being run. Maybe some terrible missteps would have been avoided or at least handled more professionally. Maybe citizen complaints would have been heard and heeded. We will never know because he didn’t ask questions. He let his “friend” in the town office handle everything.
Mr. Pepe, as a former commissioner, if you take offense at being questioned, you should never have run for office. I know you are good friends with the Town Manager. While I thank you for your time in public service and I applaud your loyalty to a friend, people who object to open questioning of town officials and employees know there is something to hide. I hope that doesn’t apply to you.
Afternote: I saw a great video the other day of citizens in a meeting in Chicago. They were protesting the influx of illegals into their community who were being housed in local facilities thus taking their availability away from the tax paying citizens. The citizens were not happy. Here’s a link:
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
Someone call Indiana Jones. We may need him to find missing documents in Oxford.
During a Commissioner’s Meeting Tuesday night, Town Manager Cheryl Lewis disclosed that she had found a document outlining the town’s financial investment policies which had apparently been “missing” for more than a decade. She found the document after she did “research” on whether such a policy existed. Ms. Lewis has been at her job for approximately eleven years working with town bank accounts and funds and apparently never knew of such a document which had existed since the 90’s.
The announcement of the discovery of the document coincided with continued discussion about Commissioner Katrina Greer’s idea to move millions of dollars in the town’s funds from Bay Vanguard Bank to the Maryland Local Government Investment Group to increase the interest on the money to almost five percent rather than the lower rate provided by Bay Vanguard Bank. Bay Vanguard has a branch in Oxford which was one of the reasons Ms. Lewis gave for wanting to keep the money there. In three months, however, keeping the money in Bay Vanguard cost the town possible earnings of $30,000 in additional interest.
The sudden document discovery also coincided with Greer’s proposal that the town enlist a committee of citizens with financial and money management experience to advise the Commissioners on money matters and investment.
Curious coincidence if you believe in coincidences.
When Lewis announced that she had found the document in her version of “my bad,” Greer stated that she was embarrassed for the Commissioners and, in particular, Lewis. Lewis stated that the policy had been created in the 90’s and she had just never seen it before.
In the 90’s, the State of Maryland required all towns and municipalities to create such a policy in order to be in compliance with State law. It seems odd that all the Town Commissioners, Town Manager Lewis, and town lawyers of the past decade either didn’t know about it or ignored it.
Oxford is a small town. In fact, appointed Commissioner Delean Botkin described it as a “tiny town” in an attempt to brush aside the need for financial matters to be handled carefully with the advice of a financial advisory committee for the town.
However, Commissioner Greer pointed out that the town has had approximately $30 million dollars run through accounts in the past decade including a huge grant for the water/sewage treatment facility. That is a large sum of money to most people. And even small towns deserve a return on their funds and assurance of fund security.
The issue has caused lively discussion in the town. Many citizens are questioning why different banks and accounts where not investigated in the past. Others are afraid that Bay Vanguard will close its “branch” if the town’s money is taken out. Bay Vanguard is a bank headquartered in Baltimore with over $555 billion in assets. Hardly seems feasible that they would leave town for the removal of this relatively small amount.
Others have pointed out how badly the Bay Vanguard Bank stock is doing:
Regardless, as one citizen pointed out in a passing conversation, “it’s clear that the people running our town have no idea what they are doing.” That may sound harsh, but in the past eight months we have seen mis-managed personnel/hiring decisions, refusal to listen and act on citizen complaints, refusal to answer citizen’s questions, nepotism, suspect appointments, unclear hiring practices, ineffective law enforcement procedures and most important, non-transparency.
Maybe we shouldn’t expect any different from our commissioners since they get paid a pittance for their service. However, they RAN for those positions of their own volition. No one held a gun to their heads. In fact, many of them begged for us to vote them into office so they could change things. One bragged to me that she had managed a $50 million budget in her time on the school board. She should know better than allowing one person to control all the money.
So far, only Greer has delivered on her promises. She is the only one raising questions and seeking information.
Even if we can’t blame our commissioners, we certainly deserve better from our highly paid employees.*
At the very least, they should all do their due diligence and research. It’s what they are there for. And maybe they should open the town’s books to people who are financial and money management experts. We used to have a certified public accountant that did the books. We haven’t for a decade.
Let’s not forget that in the past couple of town audits, not having advice from such a committee has been cited by auditors as a flaw in town financial practices.
Seems odd we would ignore that.
So many coincidences. So many things hidden.
Like I said, Oxford needs Indiana Jones. Or maybe someone like Sherlock Holmes.
*To be sure, there are good people working in the Town of Oxford. Our town maintenance manager and crew work tirelessly to keep the town clean and to keep town property in good shape. Before, during and after storms they are on duty for days at a time picking up debris from down branches and trees and just doing clean up. If you ask them for help, they are there.
Our police officers are responsive and polite when they are here and on duty.
We have a thirty-five-year employee in the town office who is always there with a smile and a professional attitude.
SPECIAL NOTE: The author was not present at this meeting. Information was gathered from the livestream archive and others who were present.
According to the town attorney, Lindsey Ryan, the policy was not attached to the ordinance it was supposed to be attached to. This was after Commissioner Katrina Greer asked if Oxford had an investment policy.
In a text message Wednesday, Greer said it was “unacceptable” for town administration to say they did not know about the policy.
“Knowing the town laws and comporting with them is the primary function of an administrator,” she said. “This is deeply concerning that a highly compensated long-term employee did not know about a town investment policy.”
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?
I’m an American, a citizen of the best country in the world.
In our mission to be more proactive in school systems and to hold school officials and school boards accountable for what goes on in our public schools, it is easy sometimes to confuse and conflate terms in our arguments. It’s also easy to misunderstand labels.
Don’t feel bad if you have made a mistake in terminology or details, the public-school bureaucracy wants it that way. Like most government agencies, they use acronyms like MCAP, ELL, ESSR, SEL, CRT, etc. It’s such a prevalent strategy that we used to publish a list of acronyms for new teachers and parents so they would know what all the acronyms meant.
However, when you are speaking to education administration you HAVE to know certain information. One thing you must know is terms and what they mean. The other is history and how we got where we are today, what has been tried in the past, etc.
We are going to tackle terms today. Two of the programs in school systems are Community Based Schools and School Based Health Centers. Honestly, neither of these terms are new. Both have been around for quite a while. They are different with different requirements and missions.
Let’s begin with Community Based Schools. The Maryland State Department of Education defines Community schools as:
In Maryland, a community school is any school that receives Concentration of Poverty Grants. The grants are formula-based and awarded to schools on an annual basis. The determining factor for eligibility is the 4-year average of the percentage of the school’s students living in poverty (excluding 2020-2021 school year), as determined by the compensatory education enrollment. This is essentially the number of students receiving free and reduced-price meals.1
People are often confused and think that the designation as a Community School means that a school is unsuccessful academically. While it is often true that schools in areas with high poverty may not do well academically, that is not a requirement for being a Community School.
Some also think that being designated a Community School means that the State of Maryland will come in and take over the school. That is also not correct. While the State may become more involved in Community Schools, they do not do a “take over.” The Maryland State Department of Education details what happens with a Community School:
Wraparound Services
Community schools work in collaboration with community partners, local governments, and other stakeholders to identify and address structural and institutional barriers to achievement. Leveraging the power of the collective allows community schools to provide resources to students and families where they need it the most—neighborhoods that have been historically underfunded and underserved. Community schools provide a wide array of wraparound services that enhance student’s ability to be successful.
Examples of wraparound services:
Extended learning time
Extended school year
Safe transportation to and from school
Vision and dental services
Expanded school-based health center services
Additional social workers, counselors, and psychologists
Additional mentors and restorative practice coaches
Healthy food in-school and out-of-school
Access to mental health practitioners
There are many hoops a Community School has to jump through in order to get these services. They also cost more money to the State and local taxpayer. One of the big problems with Community Schools is that the overreach of government in these schools can easily turn into encroachment on parental rights.
School Based Health Centers are a similar but much bigger problem. Here is the definition of School Based Health Centers in Maryland:
The Maryland School-Based Health Center Program provides comprehensive primary, acute and preventative health services and chronic condition management to students, families, and communities in clinics physically located on a school campus. There are currently 89 active school-based health centers across 16 jurisdictions in Maryland. School-based health centers play a critical role in increasing access to health services for students in Maryland schools, especially in underserved communities. School-based health centers are known to improve both the health and educational outcomes of students. Their strength lies in their ability to innovate and integrate into the local school and broader healthcare system.2
All children are eligible for the SBHC in their school. The nurse practitioner and physician prescribe medicines as needed. Some medications may be obtained at the SBHWC; others may be purchased at your local drug store. SBHWC staff will explain how to take the medication and answer your questions about it. With permission of a parent, children may be seen for sick care without a parent being present. The nurse will contact the parent on the day of services. Parents are encouraged to be present for all well child visits.
Some districts contract these services out to private vendors while other use their county health departments. Five schools in Talbot County, Easton High School, Easton Elementary School, Easton Middle School, St. Michaels Elementary/Middle/High Schools have School Based Health Centers. Services provided are generally billed to Medicaid.
Community Schools and School Based Health Centers are considered by many to be an intrusion on parental rights. Parents need to be aware that when they sign school enrollment forms in the beginning of the school year, they are generally signing permission for their child to be treated medically in that school. Many parents choose to opt out of having their child treated in school except in emergencies.
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment allows students (via themselves or their parents) the following:
The PPRA won’t protect a child from treatment in the schools all the time, but the text can help parents back up their actions to opt their child out.
In a time when locals are struggling to fund schools so they can fulfill their primary mission of teaching children the basic academic skills, Community Schools suck up needed funding AND distract schools from that primary mission. And, of course, they take space and extra personnel in the buildings.
They are also an invasion into the privacy of families and a flagrant usurpation of parental rights.
School Based Health Centers create many more problems. Aside from funding issues, they also allow the schools to be much more involved in a student and family’s personal medical decisions, even those dealing with pregnancy, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases.
As we saw during Covid, schools were not above manipulating students into getting the Covid vaccine, despite evidence of possible medical harm and over parental objections.
Here is a story from Baltimore City where they are still coercing students as well as parents: (Watch the video!)
Baltimore City is saying that students who are not vaccinated are not in “compliance.” There is no law or mandate that students in Baltimore City schools are vaccinated against Covid. They are worried about needless vaccines while neglecting their job, educating children.
It’s interesting that the claim from the State of Maryland says that School Based Health Centers are known to improve both the health and educational outcomes of students. A screen shot of a video on FOX News:
They have School Based Health Centers in Baltimore. Based on the info above and in this video, they don’t work.
Whenever schools take their eyes off their academic mission, our students are hurt.
Many in government claim that the Community Schools and the School Based Health Centers will help students stay healthy. The claim is that the government needs to keep students get medical care, particularly if they are poor. But, isn’t that what County Health Departments are for? Don’t we spend millions on Health Departments already?
The most damning part of the Community Schools/School Based Health Centers program is that they can hide from parents treatment given to their children. Consider this headline:
The parent in this story had signed permission for his daughter to be treated. He probably, like most parents, didn’t think that this would mean they would prescribe and send prescription drugs home with her in a baggie.
When SBHC’s can provide all these services without parental knowledge, they can also transition students as in another story from Maine:
And they can do this with personnel who may not even have a license to practice.
Parents and taxpayers need to speak up about these two programs. They are the beginning of a process that takes way the rights and responsibilities of parents to make decisions that will affect the lives of their children. They are an encroachment on the privacy of families. And, like the cases above, they could be dangerous to our kids.
But, when we do talk about them, we need to know our facts.
Does your school district have a Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Policy? Parents Defending Education has published a list of districts in the country which have policies that openly state that district personnel can or should keep a student’s transgender status hidden from parents.
The list for Maryland is below with links. A link to a national list from Parents Defending Education is at the end of this article.
A year ago, the State of Maryland delayed the publication of scores from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program for four months because they were so bad. The State claimed it was for administrative purposes as they tested specific test items to see if they were an accurate assessment of student skills. But, eventually, they released the scores in late January.
The scores were bad. At the time the State Superintendent brushed the scores aside and said “they weren’t as bad as he thought they would be.” One wonders if he will say that this year as he takes a quick exit from his position at the helm of Maryland schools.
Once again, the scores are bad. Very bad.
On Wednesday night, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for the Talbot County Public Schools Dr. Helga Einhorn presented the county’s 2023 scores at the Board of Education meeting.
There was no spin. No “look on the bright side.” Nothing that was an attempt to make the scores look better. To use the old adage, “it is what it is.”
You won’t find the scores on the Maryland State Department of Education website yet. As is usual, the State releases state scores first, then allows locals to release theirs, and then allow individual schools to release theirs. In this way, they let everyone have the right to get first crack at making the public aware of the condition of their schools.
In English Language Arts Grades 3-8, Talbot County had 42% of students score in the “proficient” or higher range. Mind you, “proficient” means that a student can do basic work in the subject. There are four score ranges, politically named, beginning learner, developing learner, proficient learner, and distinguished learner. No one wants to tell any parent whose child is in the first two levels that their kids have no academic skills. The State average is 47%. Talbot was ninth from the bottom.
Top in the State was Worcester with 68% of their students proficient in English Language Arts. Bottom was Baltimore City with 25%.
Tenth grade students fared better on the test, with 55% of tenth graders scored proficient in ELA. Of course, that is slightly over half of the tenth graders in the system, meaning 45% are NOT proficient in ELA.
The picture was worse in Math. This was true both in the State and in Talbot County.
It is a disastrous picture. Talbot only had 18% of students grades 3-8 scoring in the proficient range in math. This was 7th from the bottom in the State. Only Baltimore City, Prince Georges’, Somerset, Dorchester, Kent, and Charles scored lower. The top in the State, Worcester, scored at 47%. The State average was 25%. Two sub-groups in Talbot, African American and English Language Learners, scored less than 5 % proficient in math.
There were other scores. In Science, 29.5% of Talbot students scored proficient. The State Average was 34.5 %. In Government, 33.1% were proficient. Nothing to cheer about here.
There were no reasons given for the poor testing performance. It’s been three years since the pandemic and the Blueprint is being implemented.
According to Talbot Superintendent Sharon Pepukayi, they have implemented math coaches in the schools to help train teachers in the best methods for teaching math. The system is focusing on math and reading in a way they have not in the past.
Is it enough?
It might be if there wasn’t so much standing in the way of success. Between all the mandated programs of the Blueprint, teacher shortages, system overreach into Community schools which provide “wraparound” services for students, discipline issues, CRT, mental health counseling, there may not be enough hours and days in the school year to cover the 435 standards in math and the 122 standards in English Language Arts that the tests require.
When I was a teacher, I remember someone doing a workshop about why American schools needed to change their focus. This was in 2004 and the consultant said, “The problem with American schools is not that they don’t do enough. The problem is that they do too much.” Then he went on to explain, “The American curriculum is ten miles long and an eighth of an inch deep.”
With so much to do, teachers are rushing through content with no depth nor student mastery or true competence. Add to that all the other initiatives they are asked to conduct each day, and the rush to get through it all is paired with less and less time. Teachers adapt by teaching to the middle, the mean, at the expense of students at the top or the bottom of the class. Students on the top end of the learning pyramid are able to grasp content, but it is not necessarily with the expertise that they should have. Those at the bottom are perpetually lost. Yet, they get passed on to the next grade.
Another concept I was taught when I was teaching was the importance of “time on task.” The Japanese thrive on this idea, making sure that classroom time is productive and uninterrupted. The American classroom is one intrusion after another, making it impossible to get through good, solid instruction. One special project after another stops the flow of learning.
There are other ways to remove distractions. Get rid of laptops/iPads in the classroom unless students are using them for a very narrow, specific purpose. Technology is more of a distraction and a crutch than a real aid to learning. Stop paying companies like Apple millions to create a generation of eager consumers for their products. Teach kids to use their brains to solve problems, not technology.
Finally, allow teachers to teach. Give them the tools, the strategies, the authority to teach. Make sure they are competent in their content. Mentor them, listen to them, help them. But let them teach without asking them to do things they are not able to do.
The problem with these solutions is they are not glamorous or expensive. They won’t get anyone kickbacks or big publicity. No one will sell books or become a consultant based on these ideas.
But maybe, just maybe, the kids will thrive, achieve, and learn.
Sadly, one wonders if that is what the education establishment wants. Because they are doing a great job of doing just the opposite.
A year ago, the State of Maryland delayed the publication of scores from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program for four months because they were so bad. The State claimed it was for administrative purposes as they tested specific test items to see if they were an accurate assessment of student skills. But, eventually, they released the scores in late January.
The scores were bad. At the time the State Superintendent brushed the scores aside and said “they weren’t as bad as he thought they would be.” One wonders if he will say that this year as he takes a quick exit from his position at the helm of Maryland schools.
Once again, the scores are bad. Very bad.
On Wednesday night, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for the Talbot County Public Schools Dr. Helga Einhorn presented the county’s 2023 scores at the Board of Education meeting.
There was no spin. No “look on the bright side.” Nothing that was an attempt to make the scores look better. To use the old adage, “it is what it is.”
You won’t find the scores on the Maryland State Department of Education website yet. As is usual, the State releases state scores first, then allows locals to release theirs, and then allow individual schools to release theirs. In this way, they let everyone have the right to get first crack at making the public aware of the condition of their schools.
In English Language Arts Grades 3-8, Talbot County had 42% of students score in the “proficient” or higher range. Mind you, “proficient” means that a student can do basic work in the subject. There are four score ranges, politically named, beginning learner, developing learner, proficient learner, and distinguished learner. No one wants to tell any parent whose child is in the first two levels that their kids have no academic skills. The State average is 47%. Talbot was ninth from the bottom.
Top in the State was Worcester with 68% of their students proficient in English Language Arts. Bottom was Baltimore City with 25%.
Tenth grade students fared better on the test, with 55% of tenth graders scored proficient in ELA. Of course, that is slightly over half of the tenth graders in the system, meaning 45% are NOT proficient in ELA.
The picture was worse in Math. This was true both in the State and in Talbot County.
It is a disastrous picture. Talbot only had 18% of students grades 3-8 scoring in the proficient range in math. This was 7th from the bottom in the State. Only Baltimore City, Prince Georges’, Somerset, Dorchester, Kent, and Charles scored lower. The top in the State, Worcester, scored at 47%. The State average was 25%. Two sub-groups in Talbot, African American and English Language Learners, scored less than 5 % proficient in math.
There were other scores. In Science, 29.5% of Talbot students scored proficient. The State Average was 34.5 %. In Government, 33.1% were proficient. Nothing to cheer about here.
There were no reasons given for the poor testing performance. It’s been three years since the pandemic and the Blueprint is being implemented.
According to Talbot Superintendent Sharon Pepukayi, they have implemented math coaches in the schools to help train teachers in the best methods for teaching math. The system is focusing on math and reading in a way they have not in the past.
Is it enough?
It might be if there wasn’t so much standing in the way of success. Between all the mandated programs of the Blueprint, teacher shortages, system overreach into Community schools which provide “wraparound” services for students, discipline issues, CRT, mental health counseling, there may not be enough hours and days in the school year to cover the 435 standards in math and the 122 standards in English Language Arts that the tests require.
When I was a teacher, I remember someone doing a workshop about why American schools needed to change their focus. This was in 2004 and the consultant said, “The problem with American schools is not that they don’t do enough. The problem is that they do too much.” Then he went on to explain, “The American curriculum is ten miles long and an eighth of an inch deep.”
With so much to do, teachers are rushing through content with no depth nor student mastery or true competence. Add to that all the other initiatives they are asked to conduct each day, and the rush to get through it all is paired with less and less time. Teachers adapt by teaching to the middle, the mean, at the expense of students at the top or the bottom of the class. Students on the top end of the learning pyramid are able to grasp content, but it is not necessarily with the expertise that they should have. Those at the bottom are perpetually lost. Yet, they get passed on to the next grade.
Another concept I was taught when I was teaching was the importance of “time on task.” The Japanese thrive on this idea, making sure that classroom time is productive and uninterrupted. The American classroom is one intrusion after another, making it impossible to get through good, solid instruction. One special project after another stops the flow of learning.
There are other ways to remove distractions. Get rid of laptops/iPads in the classroom unless students are using them for a very narrow, specific purpose. Technology is more of a distraction and a crutch than a real aid to learning. Stop paying companies like Apple millions to create a generation of eager consumers for their products. Teach kids to use their brains to solve problems, not technology.
Finally, allow teachers to teach. Give them the tools, the strategies, the authority to teach. Make sure they are competent in their content. Mentor them, listen to them, help them. But let them teach without asking them to do things they are not able to do.
The problem with these solutions is they are not glamorous or expensive. They won’t get anyone kickbacks or big publicity. No one will sell books or become a consultant based on these ideas.
But maybe, just maybe, the kids will thrive, achieve, and learn.
Sadly, one wonders if that is what the education establishment wants. Because they are doing a great job of doing just the opposite.
I sent my two kids to private school for eight years and then had them finish the last four in the local public high school.
I chose a private school for my children because I was seeing so many things going on in the local public schools that would keep my kids from getting the education basics I knew they needed to have a successful life.
When my husband and I made that decision it was more a matter of overcrowded classrooms, whole language reading, and a disregard for tried-and-true, sound instruction. And, by the way, what was taught wasn’t decided by the teachers, it was the whims of the administration in our district at that time.
I’ve never regretted that choice.
I had no idea that public schools would be invaded by insanity in the twenty plus years later. Throughout the pandemic, the public schools ran slipshod over the needs of their students, shut schools down and moved to hastily prepared “virtual” learning, mandated that students sit for 8 hours a day (if you include bus rides to and from school) in unhealthy and mentally cruel masks, allowed non-medical personnel to illegally test and quarantine kids, and usurped the rights and responsibilities of the parents.
I had no idea that school curriculums would turn away from content knowledge and skills and turn to dividing students by race and confusing them about gender. I had no idea that pornographic material would be on the shelves of school libraries and schools would fight to keep them there.
And now, the madness continues while state test scores stagnate or drop. Now kids can be counseled that they are not the gender they think they are by school personnel who keeps this info from parents. Some states openly state that parents should be kept from knowing the struggles their children are suffering.
After being called terrorists for speaking up at Board of Education meetings, parents have decided enough is enough. Many have decided to head for private schools where they anticipate more input and control over what is taught, better discipline, more focus on academic achievement and less inclination to cave to useless Covid measures and wild activist programs and teachers.
Pre-plandemic, there were roughly 50.8 million students enrolled in public schools and only about 5.8 million in private schools. Many parents thought the public schools were doing a fine job with their children. At the very least, they couldn’t see how there was a big enough difference between public and private school education to justify the average private/parochical school tuition of $11,000 a year investment, especially when local taxes that those parents pay support the public school system in their area.
In fact, many private/parochial schools were losing ground in attendance to public schools.
Suddenly, with the pandemic, private/parochial schools started to gain ground. They started offering more financial assistance to parents, hoping to capitalize on the sudden interest from the public. They knew that if they could get the kids in the door, follow through on parents’ hopes for a strong education and disciplined environment, and do their job correctly, those students and families would be more likely to stay. In some more highly priced schools, 75% reduction in tuition was offered.
In 2020, upwards of three million students were suddenly absent from public schools. Half a million of them were kindergarten children whose parents did not want their non-reading children chained to virtual learning. In the Fall of 2021, an additional 1. 5 million joined the others in the public-school exodus. (2)
Seeing the trend, private school administrators, who tend to view the parents of their students as customers, were busy talking to parents, accepting their input, trying to make sure they were meeting their needs.
But, like so many who can’t sustain a good, successful model, it seems as though the private/parochial schools are starting to work REALLY hard to kill their golden goose.
It started with the local parochial school attempting a mask mandate. No one is quite sure, but rumor had it that threats had been made from the public sector that they would release a story that Catholic Schools didn’t care about the safety of their students. Say what you want about the public schools, but they weren’t going down without a fight. It worked.
The Archdiocese caved, much to the dismay of the parents who had already signed enrollment contracts. On top of that, parents found that their kids were being subjected to the same classroom bully tactics regarding the vaccine from Covid Cultist teachers as public-school students. Sometimes they were asked to raise their hands if they had been vaccinated so teachers could point out and publicly shame those who weren’t. Other times the teacher virtue signaled her achievement of getting stuck with an injection that is neither safe nor effective and then placed a big old value judgement on those who hadn’t. There were videos shown in class from CNN promoting the vaccines.
And let’s not even discuss the school “medical” staff who found it necessary to “quarantine” cupcakes brought in for student birthday celebrations just in case Covid was lurking in the icing. (I must admit, it is a clever way to get extra snacks if the staff wants them.)
In fairness, when enough parents complained, these practices stopped, at least temporarily.
Other private schools in the area did equally stupid things. One parent was threatened with their child being removed from her school because the parent spoke out about mask and vaccine mandates in a meeting.
Schools were promoting overt racism and instruction in sexual preferences in their classrooms too. It didn’t matter what parents paid; they still got a hidden agenda. That local school my kids once went to? The headmistress listed her “preferred pronouns” at the bottom of her emails and referred in a meeting to the population of our area with the characterization of us being stupid and backward. Seriously? What a difference 20 years makes.
Imagine writing a check for $16,000 a year for THAT! There are more examples.
For one, there is this story from a parent whose child attends an exclusive parochial school outside Baltimore:
The parent in this story discovered that “social justice” i.e. CRT, and some vague gender ideology was being taught in a required class but was being billed as a religious class. Here are some excerpts from the story in Epoch Times:
“My daughter came home yesterday and said she was confused,” she recalled. “When I asked her to show me what confused her, she wouldn’t show me. That’s because she knows it’s something I won’t want to see. You shouldn’t want to hide things from your parents.”
The parent did not disclose her name because she feared for retaliation. She goes on in the article to describe the ambiguous grading practices of the course and some of the troubling discussion topics. Also from the Epoch Times:
Michelle Christman, a JC alumnus and 2022 candidate for state senator, says she isn’t a fan of “social justice warrior programs.”
She also doesn’t like that the school appears to be hiding things from parents.
“The school needs to be transparent,” she told The Epoch Times. “When you’re talking about a private school, a parent is paying for that. There needs to be clarity as to what is being taught. Especially in today’s day and age.
“We are absolutely seeing what these social justice warrior programs have done. They’re taking the United States’ history and sweeping it under the rug. Children don’t even understand what freedom is, or what’s in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”
Ms. Christman is also alarmed that parents such as Mrs. Fletcher are reticent to come forward publicly.
John Carroll High School charges $20,000 a year for children to get a “Catholic” education.
Parents whose children are enrolled at Salisbury School in Salisbury, Maryland can relate. The other night at Back to School Night, parents and students were greeted by the following poster in the doorway to a science teacher’s classroom:
Maybe this poster doesn’t bother some, but it is in the doorway to a CHEMISTRY classroom where students are supposed to learn CHEMISTRY, not gender ideology. Perhaps this teacher was trying to show support for LGBTQ+ people, but that is not her job. Her job is to teach chemistry to ALL students.
A student who saw this poster in the doorway to their teacher’s classroom commented that he/she didn’t care about people’s gender or sexual preferences, but he/she just wished teachers would allow kids to learn about the subjects they teach, not some ideological stuff. The student feels uncomfortable constantly having sexual identity and preferences shoved in his/her face.
While this teacher has a right to her private opinion about these issues, it is NOT her right to foist them upon students, especially when the comments on this poster make many students feel uncomfortable and unaccepted. Can an average student who is not LGBTQ+ expect fair treatment from this teacher? Who knows. But, kids will make an assumption that they cannot.
What can a parent do?
Across the country, parents are beginning to sue private schools for breach of contract when those schools teach CRT, DEI, gender ideology.
As the article states, parents generally sign contracts with private schools before handing over anywhere from $16000 to $50000 a year for their child to be enrolled. What happens after that is often subject to change (from Fortune):
When Jerome Eisenberg enrolled his daughter at the Brentwood School in Los Angeles, where Adam Levine met some of his Maroon 5 bandmates, the investment manager says he expected her to get a traditional liberal arts education.
But after the murder of George Floyd, the $50,000-a-year school said it was reimagining its purpose “with an eye toward anti-racism” and diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. In Eisenberg’s view, Brentwood was pulling a “bait and switch” on parents. He sued the school last year for breach of contract, civil rights violations and emotional distress.
The results of suits have been mixed (from Fortune):
Parents determined to challenge private school teaching and policies face a number of obstacles. Public school parents can argue that the government is infringing on their First Amendment rights by forcing DEI or similar instruction on their children. Parents largely waive those rights when they enroll their kids in private schools.
“Private schools are bound by their own policies and not the US Constitution,” said Jennifer Rippner, a law lecturer at Indiana University, Bloomington’s School of Education.
When parents do sue private schools, it’s usually for breach of contract, according to New Hampshire education lawyer Linda Johnson, who represents independent schools and consults with them on managing their legal risk. The process sometimes starts off with “a 10-page, single-space letter addressing everything that the parent thought the school did wrong to try to justify a repayment of tuition,” she said.
Many of the disputes arise out of school disciplinary action, Johnson said. In the current environment, that can have political overtones.
Those parents who don’t win move their children to other schools or homeschooling. But, they can find allies in their cause, groups such as Parents Defending Education and Moms for Liberty. Those groups understand that parents don’t send their children to any school, much less private schools, to have them taught distorted values and causes that don’t align with their parents’.
“We have a nation that’s awake now to the rampant educational failure that’s happening in our schools, and the fact that they’ve become indoctrination centers instead of places of learning,” said Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice.
For now, parents need to be very careful when signing that enrollment contract with a private school. They need to get assurances that their child will get the academic education they will pay for and not indoctrination. And, if that isn’t the case, then they need to be ready to fight back or make a change.
Disclosure: The author of this article is a chapter chair for Moms for Liberty.
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury stated that he will not seek renewal of his contract for another year. This comes after much controversy over Choudhury and his methods and management style during his tenure in charge of Maryland’s Public Schools.
Throughout his time in Maryland, Choudhury has been rude to state legislators in session, faced allegations of workplace harassment of employees, and has threatened to take full control over Maryland School systems and their curriculums. The workplace allegations were based on the reports of 30 plus employees at the State Department of Education.
Former employees complained about Choudhury, saying he created a “toxic” workplace. Local educators who met him on county visits, described him as aloof and arrogant.
He seemed to have little or no influence on improving state test scores despite his being proclaimed a “creative and bold” leader by some. This departure will add to Choudhury’s history of “voluntarily” leaving school districts after short tenures.
In recent months, despite full and undying support from State Board President Clarence Crawford, Choudhury was losing favor with many in power, including Governor Moore who didn’t comment on Choudhury in particular but said in a recent interview, “I want transparency. I want accountability, and I want a superintendent that believes in it and can deliver it. The results we’re seeing right now are not satisfactory results, and I demand better.” That quote seemed a precursor to the end for Choudhury who often sparred with state legislators and the Accountability and Implementation board of the Blueprint for Maryland’s future. It was also a bad omen when the State Board did not renew his contract when they were supposed to in August.
He was also accused of erasing text messages from his government cell phone, which is against the law. His department was accused of hiding test scores of failing schools as well.
It’s unclear as to whether Choudhury will finish his term or leave before the end of his contract in June. There were also no details on when or how the search for a new State Superintendent will being.
State Senate President Bill Ferguson, a former teacher, issued a statement thanking Choudhury for his work “during an unprecedented time of upheaval in education” as schools grappled with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. He also noted Choudhury’s dedication to the goals of the Blueprint.
” It is vital that Maryland’s next superintendent of schools embody the same commitment to improving educational outcomes for all students,” said Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat who is a former teacher. “Our State’s public schools need a leader who can ensure every child is ready to thrive in a 21st century economy upon graduation.”
Portions of this article were taken from THE BALTIMORE BANNER.
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
