Anne Arundel County Public Schools board meeting, Apr 8, 2026
3 h 37 min · 3 public speakers
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What happened
What happened at this meeting
Board amends grading policy to provide class rank on request to rising juniors 3:19:56
- Staff also presented an annual Wellness Council update that highlighted Tyler Heights Elementary School. 1:12:25
- The board voted 7-1 to amend Policy II, Grading, so that a rising junior's class rank may be provided upon request to a student or parent/guardian for scholarship, university, other post-secondary, or post-college and career readiness applications, with parents/guardians notified of the student's request. 3:20:36
- A further amendment stating that AACPS shall calculate class rank but may not use it to determine Latin honors or to designate a valedictorian or salutatorian passed 8-0. 3:28:06
Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →
Item by item (15)
- Opening and agenda 7:13
- Gloria Dent opened the meeting with the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance and called for approval of the minutes and the agenda order. 7:13
- Monthly honors and recognitions 8:33
- Dawn Pulliam presented the Educator of the Month award to a speech-language pathologist at Crofton Meadows Elementary School. 8:49
- Erica McFarland recognized a Facilities Division custodian as Employee of the Month, and Joanna Bache Tobin, Ph.D., recognized a Central Middle School STEM program parent as Volunteer of the Month. 12:49
- A staff member recognized the newest International Parent Community Leadership Academy cohort of 24 parents representing 13 high school clusters, 15 countries and 7 languages. 22:01
- Public comment 28:54
- A speaker at public comment said class rank creates unhealthy stress and competition among students. 48:23
- A speaker at public comment said the Crofton Middle School administration had been told it would lose 8.5 teacher positions next year and that class sizes would go up. 50:37
- A speaker at public comment described a Crofton Middle School social studies teacher who would not be at the school next year. 52:50
- Committee reports 54:24
- Dana Schallheim said the Policy Committee met April 7th to discuss policies on student use of personal electronic communication devices and on student sexual harassment and misconduct, and that both would come before the board on first reader. 54:42
- The Equity Committee report said the committee met on March 24th and began revising the hate and bias regulations and the bullying regulations. 55:26
- Open Meetings Act opinion and president's report 56:25
- Gloria Dent said the Open Meetings Compliance Board found the board did not violate the law on most allegations but found violations in how members sought advice of counsel during a recess or by text on November 5th and in untimely responses to complaints. 57:55
- Gloria Dent said the board has revised its procedures to use closed session to obtain advice of counsel rather than recessing or texting. 1:00:00
- Dawn Pulliam said graduating seniors planning to enlist in the military could apply for a military service award, with applications due April 17th. 1:01:55
- Superintendent's report 1:06:49
- The superintendent said the Pre-SAT and SAT will be given free of charge during the school day on April 15th to all 10th and 11th graders. 1:08:37
- The superintendent said high school students who are not testing will go to school 3 hours and 30 minutes later than normal that day, with a second bus run provided. 1:08:50
- Wellness Council annual update 1:10:29
- The Tyler Heights Elementary School principal said 93% of students receive free and reduced meals and that the school rose from an 8 percentile rank and 2 stars to a percentile rank of 54 and 4 stars, with an average daily attendance rate of 95%. 1:14:26
- A district staff member said the Student Wellness Liaison cohort had 17 active participants last year and 42 this year. 1:29:32
- One board member, said dual language programs benefit both native and non-native English speakers, and another board member asked the presenters to continue sharing their practices across the county. 1:34:08
- Consent contract awards 1:52:41
- Personnel actions 1:53:57
- Executive team policy revision 1:54:44
- Policy rescission and salary policy 1:56:45
- A district staff member said Policy GBP was recommended for rescission and Policy GCI, Salaries Units 1 through 4, was being updated to reflect current practice, and that no comments were received on either. 1:56:45
- Grading policy and class rank 1:58:18
- A district staff member said 14 comments were received from the public on the grading policy, which was being updated to permit calculating a student's class rank upon the request of the student or the student's parent/guardian. 1:58:18
- Dawn Pulliam moved to amend Section C8 to provide class rank to rising juniors for scholarship, university, post-secondary and career applications, and an amendment adding parent or guardian notification of a student's request passed 8-0. 2:58:35
- One board member said a proposed change was not necessary, and a second member said Latin honors are determined by GPA alone but that they would support another member's motion. 3:13:24
- One motion failed 4-4, another passed 7-1, and a third passed 8-0. ~3:14:06
- Remaining policies and legislative update 3:28:10
- The director of legislation and policy said Policy KBD and new Policy GCJ, Salaries Units 5 and 6, received no comments during their 30-day comment periods. 3:28:28
- The director of legislation and policy said the Maryland General Assembly concludes April 13th and presented bills on which the board took a position that passed their chamber of origin. 3:29:40
- School educational specifications 3:30:24
- The superintendent's recommendations covered educational specifications for Glendale Elementary School and Arundel Middle School. 3:30:34
- A district staff member said the superintendent recommended approval of the Riviera Beach Elementary School educational specification. 3:32:22
- The motions on the educational specifications passed 8-0. 3:31:02
- Meeting calendar and adjournment 3:32:49
Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.
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Other meetings of this board
Video: posted by the district as “BOE Public Session 4-8-2026”