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Tag: pgcps

  • Prince George’s Co. schools look to curb student eligibility rule-breaking in high school athletics – WTOP News

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    After violations, high school athletic directors, coaches and principals attended a mandatory “refresher” on Maryland’s policies for transfers and student participation,

    After two of its high schools received punishments for breaking student eligibility rules during the football season, Prince George’s County Public Schools said it is responding to ensure policies aren’t broken again.

    High school athletic directors, coaches and principals attended a mandatory meeting and training session as a “refresher” of the Maryland school system’s policies for transfers and student participation, Director of Secondary Programs Mar-c Holland told WTOP.

    During the meeting, athletic officials were reminded that they are responsible for ensuring a student-athlete is compliant with the system’s policies. Holland said it is also important for athletic stakeholders to have open communication with a student-athlete’s family to ensure rules are being followed, calling it “a collaborative effort.”

    “We felt it deemed necessary to pull those together that oversee this area to make sure that they are familiar and informed of those specific policies and procedures,” she said.

    The meeting comes after two high schools — Charles H. Flowers and DuVal — were found to use ineligible players during varsity football games. It is the third time in two years that a football program was found breaking the system’s policies, Holland said.

    Following an investigation, each school forfeited games won “in which the violation occurred,” Holland said. Flowers, which was undefeated at the time, vacated four wins while DuVal forfeited one game. Both teams’ head coaches were also suspended for the rest of the season.

    In recent years, schools around the D.C. region have been barred from postseason play after recruiting and eligibility rules were broken. In Virginia, Fairfax High School’s football team was banned from the state playoffs after Fairfax County Public Schools determined the program violated recruiting policies.

    However, officials did not assess postseason bans for Flowers and DuVal. According to Holland, issuing a playoff ban was not considered, as the investigation followed “state and district policies and procedures.”

    To ensure it does not happen again, Holland said athletic directors and principals will participate in an ongoing monthly training. Some of its rules are also being evaluated.

    “We are definitely reviewing how we monitor eligibility, including rosters, transfers, academic checks and so forth,” Holland said.

    PGCPS’ zero tolerance on rule breaking will continue as the winter sports season begins in December. While football draws the most attention, Holland told WTOP that other sports are dealing with similar eligibility issues.

    “We need to ensure that rules are followed, and we lead with integrity,” Holland said.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jose Umana

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  • Anonymous donor helps dozens of Prince George’s County schools get new, modern libraries – WTOP News

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    Prince George’s County Public Schools is getting help from an anonymous donor and nonprofit Heart of America with sprucing up many of its libraries.

    While Prince George’s County has embarked on an aggressive endeavor to rebuild old school buildings, many of the classrooms currently in use are several decades old.

    Now, the Maryland school system is getting help from an anonymous donor to spruce up many of its libraries.

    These renovated libraries, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars each, are all being paid for by a donor who grew up in Prince George’s County and donated the money to the nonprofit Heart of America. One of the first new libraries to open is at Andrew Jackson Academy in District Heights.

    “When I first came here five years ago, it was in shambles,” Principal Warren Tweedy said. “Antiquated, terrible flooring, old books, shelving … we needed new lights. We just needed a lot of things.”

    This fall, he got all of that and then some.

    Heart of America helped transform the school’s media center. There’s new lighting, new shelves, new furniture and flooring. The walls are painted a bright and vibrant color with inspirational quotes in English and Spanish found throughout.

    A wall and reading area in the newly renovated library at Andrew Jackson Academy in Prince George’s County, Maryland. (WTOP/John Domen)

    And the new library also came with new books — lots and lots of new books.

    “They were diverse books,” Tweedy said. “So it met the needs of our diverse populations here at the school, because we have about 23 different ethnicities within the building. Just to see yourselves in a book, it’s pivotal for a kid when it comes to their academic success.”

    The process of remodeling the libraries is being overseen by Heart of America, a decades-old nonprofit that focuses on transforming learning environments in schools and community centers.

    A total of 46 different school libraries around Prince George’s County are getting remodeled through the large donation. Most of them will be finished by the end of the year, and those behind the renovations said there’s no time to waste.

    “These students that are here now don’t have an opportunity to make these important … developmental gains a year from now, five years from now,” said John Flynn, vice president of innovation with Heart of America. “Their development is happening real-time as we speak.”

    He said the anonymous donor, whoever it was, attended Prince George’s County Public Schools.

    “We use custom graphics, inspirational quotes, innovative design,” Flynn said. “Because we know today’s students and communities operate how they do today, but there’s a tomorrow that we need to prepare for.”

    The new library at the academy includes a 3D printer and a poster maker.

    “The children are so excited. They’re coming up with wonderful ideas,” Andrew Jackson Academy librarian LaDonna Perkins said.

    But as excited as the students are every time they walk in, she might be even more excited about showing up to work every day.

    “I believe that the library is the heartbeat of the school,” Perkins said. “We are a place where people can gather and read and do other searching for information in a different atmosphere.”

    The schools were all given different templates to choose from to help shape the direction of the library. Some libraries were designed to be STEM or STEAM focused.

    Others were collective learning and literacy hubs. That’s the direction Andrew Jackson Academy went.

    “So often today’s libraries and schools are antiquated,” said Jill Hardy Heath, president and CEO of Heart of America. “They’re forgotten spaces, when they really need to be the pinnacle of the school.”

    a library
    The library at Andrew Jackson Academy is seen before renovation. (Courtesy John Flynn)

    While Heart of America has done this to several libraries around the country, remodeling 46 different school libraries almost at once is the largest undertaking they’ve ever had.

    “It has provided our kids the opportunity to really become more invested in reading, and it creates a better school culture,” Tweedy said. “Kids are now excited about coming to the library. They’re now starting to see the purpose and meaning of reading and how it can take you to many places in this world.”

    And it’s a dream come true for Perkins.

    “I usually stay late because there’s so much that I want to get out to the children,” she said. “I’m still going through things. I love to read the books that we get because then I can talk about them in a more profound way. And I love sharing the books with the children. That’s my greatest joy of being a librarian, sharing the stories that we have with the children.”

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    John Domen

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  • Prince George’s County’s school bus problems aren’t fixed yet. But they seem to be getting better – WTOP News

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    A bus driver shortage is being felt nationally, but it’s especially noticeable in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

    For years, the start of every new school year led to an overwhelming number of complaints about school buses — or the lack of buses — in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

    Irate parents would take to social media to complain that buses didn’t show up, and that they were stuck on hold for sometimes hours when they would call to find out if their kid was getting taken to school.

    A bus driver shortage is being felt nationally, but it’s especially noticeable in Prince George’s County, which is one of the largest school systems in the country and one that needs to bus tens of thousands of students to class every day.

    “The bus situation has been really frustrating over several years,” said Michael Geise, of Cheverly.

    Not so much for his oldest son, who is now in high school. But his middle schooler would miss all of first period every day if he waited for the bus. Parents in his neighborhood have set up carpools so kids can get to class on time.

    He said the message he got from the school system was “if you really want bus service, you had to let your kids be late to school consistently,” Geise said. “And for me as a parent, that really wasn’t the approach we’ve been following.”

    But this week, Geise said, he’s noticing an improvement.

    “On Monday and Wednesday this week, the morning bus for pretty much the first time this year, was really only like 10 or so minutes late,” he said. That meant his son could get from Cheverly to his school in Greenbelt “in time for the start of first period. That is a small sample size, but encouraging compared to earlier in the school year.”

    And on social media, the number of complaints about county school buses is also starting to decline. So are the calls made to the school system’s transportation department.

    “Things are things are definitely improving,” said interim superintendent Shawn Joseph. “We’re still down some bus drivers, so there’s still challenges, but not as prevalent as previous years.”

    The county started the school year off short about 130 bus drivers, which was actually an improvement over recent years. But over the last month, about 40 new drivers have been hired, and Joseph said about 200 more are in the hiring pipeline. Not all of them will end up getting hired, but he said it’s an indication that efforts being put into recruiting and hiring are paying off. No one is spiking the football yet though, and Joseph says he’s not satisfied with where things are yet.

    “There are still issues in certain communities, because the busses are looping so we still have too many late busses, and it’s still causing a disruption in different communities,” said Joseph. “The majority of us are getting to school on time, but there is a healthy minority that is still late, particularly in the mornings.

    “I think the evenings are getting better, but the mornings have been a challenge, and it’s something we have to look at because we’re working on addressing truancy,” he also said. “And part of the truancy issue could be the number of busses that are late.”

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    John Domen

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  • New security measures at high school sporting events in Prince George’s County after fights, robbery – WTOP News

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    A high school football game marred by fights and a robbery in the parking lot last weekend has led Prince George’s County Public Schools to institute new security protocols for football games.

    A high school football game marred by fights and a robbery in the parking lot last weekend has led Prince George’s County Public Schools to institute new security protocols for football games.

    Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph said extra police officers and sheriff’s deputies will be on hand outside the events, where they tend to experience the most problems.

    “We typically don’t have issues inside the game,” Joseph said. “Inside the game, you’ve got students that we know, and we have the administrators, and we have our security teams in there monitoring, and it’s rare that there’s an issue in the game. When there are issues, it’s typically outside, in the dark.”

    Spectators will also be required to purchase tickets in advance, and anyone who hasn’t already bought a ticket won’t be allowed inside. Only students of the two schools competing will be allowed in the events, and they’ll need to have a student ID that proves they go there.

    The same protocols will be applied to high school basketball games once the season starts.

    It comes after two high profile incidents that occurred at nighttime events at Wise High School in recent months, both of which, according to Joseph, involved students from other schools causing trouble.

    “That’s what makes it hard, when you don’t know the kids coming to your games,” Joseph said. “It wasn’t their kids or their community.”

    Less than two weeks ago, D.C. Public Schools made a similar decision to enhance security at football games, citing “multiple instances of spectator conflict.”

    Joseph said it’s really a national issue.

    “We’ve got a parenting crisis where parents aren’t putting their expectations on their kids as properly as we would like or hope,” Joseph said. “So kids are coming in and they’re acting like no one has taught them issues of civility, and how to be a good citizen.”

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    John Domen

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  • Prince George’s schools face safety, staffing and tech challenges as new year begins – WTOP News

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    An eventful summer within the Prince George’s County public school system has come to an end and now it’s time for students to return to classrooms for a new school year.

    From saving on school supplies to the impact of federal cuts, the WTOP team is studying up on hot-button topics in education across the D.C. region. Follow on air and online in our series, “WTOP Goes Back to School” this August and September.

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    PGCPS parents are getting a new app to track their kids’ school bus

    An eventful summer within the Prince George’s County public school system has come to an end, and now it’s time for students to return to classrooms for a new school year.

    The summer began with the abrupt departure of former Superintendent Millard House II, who was forced out by the school board, so that new Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy could bring in someone new.

    That’s where interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph enters.

    He’s been meeting with parents, community groups and educators throughout the summer to hear what they have to say about what’s working and what isn’t in the county school system.

    “We need to let our communities know we’re serious about getting it right for them, getting them in the buildings, letting them see what’s what and just being transparent,” Joseph said. “There are areas where we’ve got work to do. There are areas that we’re working well. Let’s just fix the stuff that needs to be fixed, and let’s continue to build on the stuff that’s working.”

    Special education

    The first topic Joseph mentioned hearing about was special education. He said making sure there were enough special education teachers and paraeducators where they’re needed has been a problem. But so has communication with the parents who have special needs children in the system.

    “I think a lot of our special education families have been a little frustrated. They don’t feel like we’ve been responsive when things needed to be improved, and they could be right,” Joseph said. “We’ve just got to get at it, and we’ve got to have a stronger collaboration with families, and that’s what we’re going to work toward.”

    School safety and transportation

    School safety is also an issue, with Joseph stressing that clear expectations for behavior in school classrooms and hallways need to be laid out, and when students don’t adhere to those expectations: “We’ve got to address it,” he said matter-of-factly.

    But just getting students to school has also been a major difficulty for Prince George’s County Public Schools. The school system is driving into the new year nearly 130 bus drivers short of what’s needed, which is actually better than recent years.

    “We’re going to have vacant routes,” said Keba Baldwin, transportation director for the school system. “Those routes will be covered by existing staff. So that means we may have to double back to pick up trips. … That does mean delays.”

    But Baldwin promises better communication than what’s occurred in the past. And in the weeks and months ahead, parents will soon be switching from using the Stop Finder app to a new app called Chipmunk.

    “We will have that opportunity for you to track the bus, see where the bus began,” Baldwin said, explaining how a map pops-up on the Chipmunk app and will show the user the route the bus is taking to get to their child’s stop. “You will always be able to see where the bus has been.”

    WTOP got a tour and saw the app in action while going through Fort Washington last week.

    “Once they’re on, you can see the stop being serviced, a little message pops up and it gives you the time. So parents will have a time-stamp of when their kids were able to get on the bus,” Baldwin said.

    The ability to send out push notifications in a near instant will also help parents stay informed about other issues that may crop up while the bus is out. Plus, if English isn’t your first language, the app will translate the information into your native language too.

    School leaders tout the app as a “game changer” when it comes to keeping parents informed about their child’s journey to and from school, especially when an unexpected delay might have them wondering if the bus is even coming.

    But they also admit that the time to start the rollout was well before this point. So that means the app isn’t quite ready yet — at a time when they know the driver shortage could mean a chaotic first several weeks of school.

    School officials warn that, in some cases, delays could be the routine until the school system figures out where changes need to be made. In some cases, it could happen when a new driver is hired, but they will also be working to assess where routes could be adjusted or combined.

    The first bus riders to use the Chipmunk app will be special needs students who ride a bus to their school. That should start to happen in September.

    “It’s a more targeted, smaller population,” Baldwin said. “It allows us to really tweak our practices. … Having 85,000 students (who ride a bus), it is hard to roll it out en masse.”

    “We have this phased approach that makes it work easier for us, and just allows us to analyze and tweak where we need to tweak, before moving on to a next phase,” he added.

    He expects the entire county to be using Chipmunk by the end of the first semester. Parents will log in through their ParentVUE accounts tied to the school system.

    If parents haven’t set up that account yet, they will need to contact their child’s school. But there’s no other way to get linked into the Chipmunk app without it.

    After an account has been established, Baldwin said the hardest aspect of the Chipmunk app will be the initial log in — a far cry from the difficulties parents have endured with the bus system in recent years.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    John Domen

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  • Prince George’s public schools announces big expansion of mental health offerings – WTOP News

    Prince George’s public schools announces big expansion of mental health offerings – WTOP News

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    Prince George’s County Public Schools announced more than $24 million in grants that will bring in 18 different nonprofits to help students with mental health in schools across the county.

    PGCPS leaders hold a giant check for $24 million while announcing the funding will go toward mental health services. (WTOP/John Domen)

    The mental health of students garners more focus these days, and it’s something Prince George’s County Public Schools Superintendent Millard House has emphasized since he arrived on the job in 2023.

    On Friday, the school system announced more than $24 million in grants that will bring in 18 different nonprofits to help students in schools across the county. The money comes from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission and the Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports.

    “Thanks to their efforts, this program will offer year-round access to health support for students,” House said. “This funding will allow for us to expand mental health services across the district, providing a broader range of care to really meet the growing needs of our school.”

    On hand to sign and deliver a massive check to celebrate the moment was state Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk.

    “This is a critical moment for our community in Prince George’s County,” Peña-Melnyk said. “We’re so polarized. Everything that’s going on in the world, social media, these are not the times when we grew up. Our kids face a lot of a lot of issues and problems. So, today is about more than just new services of these 18 organizations. It is also about creating a future where every child can thrive academically, emotionally and mentally.”

    The consortium that helped disburse the grants was created under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future plan. Statewide, there are 137 grants worth about $114 million going to schools from Garrett County to the Eastern Shore.

    “These grants have collectively served more than 26,000 children in just their first four months,” said Gloria Brown Burnett, deputy secretary in the state Department of Human Services and a former Prince George’s County director of social services.

    She also serves on the consortium.

    “The consortium is currently funding services in more than 60% of Maryland’s public schools statewide,” Brown Burnett said. “Over 400 staff have been hired by our grantee organizations to do this important work.”

    The nonprofits that earned grants to help students in the county vary in specialty, as well as the amount of funding they got. Different programs will also target students of varying ages, as well as their families. Some offer in-person services, while others offer telehealth opportunities. Focus areas include stress and anxiety and other behavioral health concerns, as well as intellectual and developmental disabilities.

    “If a child is not OK between the years, we can’t expect for them to be able to really gain the momentum that we want them to gain to be college and career ready,” House said.

    The announcement was made at Dr. Henry Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, where one senior at the school agreed on the importance of offering these types of services.

    “Mental health is important because it affects how we handle stress, schoolwork and relationships,” said Alonda Munoz. “Without good mental health, these challenges can lead to stress, anxiety and burnout, making it harder to focus, stay motivated or enjoy learning. When we take care of our mental health, we can focus better, feel more motivated and stay balanced, even when things get tough.”

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    John Domen

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  • Drones, 3D printers and racing robots are just some of the new classroom materials at Tayac Elementary – WTOP News

    Drones, 3D printers and racing robots are just some of the new classroom materials at Tayac Elementary – WTOP News

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    Students at Tayac Elementary School experimented with robots, magnetic building blocks and 3D printers inside their STEM center that just opened.

    Officials cut the ribbon for a new STEM center at Tayac Elementary School in Fort Washington, Maryland.(WTOP/Luke Lukert)

    Students at Tayac Elementary School experimented with Bumblebee robots, magnetic building blocks and 3D printers inside their brand-new STEM center that opened Tuesday morning.

    Dozens of kids packed the STEM center at the Fort Washington, Maryland, school after its ribbon cutting, playing with electrical circuit toys and robots that follow a marker-drawn track that reacts to different colors.

    “This is probably my favorite part of the whole school day,” said Aliya Newman, an excited student at Tayac.

    “I like the ‘littleBits,’ so it’s like little magnetic pieces and it teaches positive and negative charge. If you put them together the wrong way, they will not snap together,” Newman added.

    The STEM center is one of dozens sponsored by the Exelon Corporation and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.

    “They’re learning circuitry. They’re learning coding. They’re learning how to program. They’re learning some of the real basics of robotics,” said Steve Salem, president and CEO of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. “Ideally, there’s a continuation where they go to middle school, they go into a more advanced level of STEM learning.”

    Since 2019, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has installed STEM centers in over 560 schools nationwide.

    “We saw a gap growing even wider between kids from certain neighborhoods to the introduction and interest in science, technology, engineering and math. So this was our way to help bridge that gap,” Calvin Butler, president and CEO of Exelon, told WTOP.

    “We put tools in front of our children that will help them be ahead in both math and science, technology and engineering. Our students are happy to be here today. We’re all happy to be here,” said Tayac Principal LaTonya Wright.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Luke Lukert

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  • 10 Prince George’s Co. students charged in connection with school threats – WTOP News

    10 Prince George’s Co. students charged in connection with school threats – WTOP News

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    Ten students in Prince George’s County, Maryland, have been charged in connection with multiple school threats so far this academic year.

    Ten students in Prince George’s County, Maryland, have been charged in connection with multiple school threats so far this academic year.

    The students charged are between 13 and 16 years old.

    Prince George’s County police said in a news release that they investigated 47 school-related threats at the start of the 2024-25 school year.

    The department said they “will continue to aggressively investigate all threats of violence at county schools,” which are mostly spread through social media.

    Additionally, police recognized four more juveniles younger than 13 years old who were connected to those threats. They can’t be charged under Maryland law, according to police.

    Police are pleading with parents to have conversations with their kids about this serious matter for the safety of students and staff.

    “We take each threat seriously and when possible, we will charge those responsible,” the department said in the release.

    Online threats have been on the rise in the D.C. region since the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia in September, which left four people dead. In that same month, a Maryland teen was arrested after posting threats on social media aimed at D.C.-area schools.

    Three Prince George’s County schools — Central High School, Kipp Elementary and Crossland High School — also faced a threat of a shooting that was scheduled for Sept. 25.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Tadiwos Abedje

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  • Prince George’s Co. elementary school teacher charged with sexual abuse of former student – WTOP News

    Prince George’s Co. elementary school teacher charged with sexual abuse of former student – WTOP News

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    A Maryland teacher has been arrested on a charge of sexual abuse of a former student, with police saying he possessed sexually explicit images of the victim.

    A Maryland teacher has been arrested on a charge of sexually abusing a former student, with police saying he obtained sexually explicit images of a girl under the age of 10.

    Mark Cobb, 44, of Bowie, teaches at Cooper Lane Elementary School in Landover Hills.

    According to the Prince George’s County police, Cobb was texting with the young student between June 2023 and this August. During that time, Cobb asked for and received sexually inappropriate photos of the student, police said in a news release Tuesday.

    According to charging documents, the girl told police Cobb asked her to engage in sexual acts with him.

    Police said they were first made aware of allegations against Cobb on Sunday, who was arrested Monday after an interview with police and a search of his home.

    Cobb told police the young girl did send him sexually explicit images and that “he wanted to see how far she would go,” charging documents state. He also admitted to asking to engage in sexual acts with the young girl, according to the documents.

    He’s charged with sexually abusing a minor, nine counts of possession of child sex abuse images, and another charge related to obtaining sexually inappropriate images.

    Detectives have not discovered any more victims at the school, and they are asking anyone with information relevant to the case to call them at 301-772-4930. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online via Crime Solvers.

    In a letter sent to Cooper Lane Elementary School families, Principal Micah Pate said the school is fully cooperating with law enforcement. Pate also said additional counselors will be available to assist students and staffers who need additional support.

    “We understand that students, staff, and families may experience a wide range of emotions in
    response to this situation,” Pate wrote in the letter. “In light of these events, we strongly encourage parents and guardians to be vigilant about their children’s digital activities and online safety. Monitoring online interactions and maintaining open communication with your child about their digital habits are critical steps in keeping them safe.”

    The letter did not specifically mention Cobb, or any action surrounding his employment with the school system.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Thomas Robertson

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  • Back on the bus for back to school: Prince George’s County’s driver trainers talk transportation – WTOP News

    Back on the bus for back to school: Prince George’s County’s driver trainers talk transportation – WTOP News

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    School bus drivers are getting ready for the new school year in Prince George’s County, where schedules have been streamlined and bus stop locations have been updated.

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    Prince George’s County’s driver trainers talk transportation

    From vaping, the cost of school supplies to cellphone policies, the WTOP team is studying up on hot-button topics in education across the D.C. region. Follow on air and online in our series “WTOP Goes Back to School” this August and September.

    School bus drivers are getting ready for the new school year in Prince George’s County, where schedules have been streamlined, bus stop locations have been updated, and families are being supplied with information on apps dedicated to helping them get ready to get to school.

    There were three community information sessions in August ahead of the first day of school to help parents understand the latest transportation information.

    At the Fairmont bus lot, not far from Fairmont High School in Landover, driver trainer Charles Woods and several of his colleagues talked to WTOP about the job of a bus driver.

    He has ferried children of all ages, from kindergarten to their senior year of high school, for years and insisted he has no favorites. He said he loves the job of transporting kids, and even on the toughest day, he said he considers it a “character-building day for me.”

    He said his favorite time of year is around the holidays, including Halloween and Christmas, when kids come to school in costumes or are just in a festive mood. Woods said he makes it a point to greet each student and to get them off to a good start to the day.

    Sometimes, he said, they’ll surprise him with little “tokens showing you how much they truly appreciate us. That right there, a lot of times, is better than actual monetary gain.”

    Any time you get at least 60 children on a bus, there can be issues surrounding behavior, and yes, Woods said, there has been an adjustment in the post-pandemic period. It’s something he meets with patience and empathy.

    “Just trying to get them reacquainted or reacclimated to actually being out and being able to function out here in society is so paramount in these days and times,” he said.

    Larrissa Frost, a driver trainer at the Greenbelt bus lot, said every driver takes a de-escalation class every year.

    “And it helps us with each student because every day is a different challenge,” she said.

    But like Woods, Frost was quick to say the work of getting children to school safely is truly rewarding.

    Frost said she tells new drivers to get plenty of rest, bring a positive outlook, “and just always know that you are transporting the most precious cargo in the world right now.”

    Safety begins when each driver arrives and inspects their bus, from the exterior to the interior, where controls are checked, from the lights to the mirrors to the first aid kits that are stored on board.

    Woods said drivers should keep in mind how buses move through traffic. Their sheer size and weight mean they require more space — and more time — when maneuvering around the unexpected.

    “Just please realize that these vehicles weigh 28,900 pounds, which is close to 15 tons. So, moving at your basic speed of 35 mph — that’s a little bit less than a football field to stop,” Woods said.

    Woods knows no one likes getting stuck behind a school bus while commuting or running errands, but he said, “I understand that you have a lot going on, we all do. I ask people to just be a little bit patient, that’s all.”

    The work of the foreman at each bus lot begins early, the district’s transportation supervisor Rhonda Tuck said. Many are at the bus lot at 5 a.m.

    “We have routes that can leave the bus lot at 5:15 in the morning, because we transport from the southern end of (Prince George’s County),” she said. “We may transport those students all the way up to Baltimore.”

    That would be in cases where students have a specific placement to have access to special services, said Tuck.

    With the changes in the new year — updated routes and changing bell times at some schools — Tuck said, “We’re in a process. We’re not perfect, but what we are doing is making sure that our children get to and from school safely.”

    And as the school year starts, she said, “We’re making sure that students get on the bus first, before we make adjustments, but adjustments will be reviewed.”

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    Kate Ryan

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  • Legal expert tells WTOP that under the law, home is often where you say it is – WTOP News

    Legal expert tells WTOP that under the law, home is often where you say it is – WTOP News

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    Some in Prince George’s County have reacted with outrage after finding out a school board member had spent essentially all of 2024 working in Missouri.

    This report is in continuation to exclusive coverage by WTOP.

    Some parents and voters in Prince George’s County have reacted with outrage after finding out a school board member has spent essentially all of this year working for a school system in Ferguson, Missouri, while maintaining his elected office in Maryland.

    They were quick to point out a state law that said school board members are required to live in the district they represent, making it — in their minds — impossible for someone to hold a full-time job that requires them to work in-person halfway across the country.

    In the court of public opinion, they might have a case. In a court of law, they might not. It turns out where you live is where you live, even if you’re not really living there all the time.

    “We all think we know where we live, but it gets awfully complicated,” said Donald Tobin, an election law expert and law professor at the University of Maryland’s Carey School of Law in Baltimore. “Once we have a domicile or residence, that is our domicile or residence until we have successfully changed that to a different domicile or residence. Going somewhere else doesn’t necessarily change that domicile or residence.”

    Then, he provided an example that could really resonate in the D.C. region.

    “If you think about, in the Washington area, especially, somebody could live in Arizona and they could decide to join an administration that took over in Washington and become a person who works in government for eight years. And they could have a place that they lived in, in Washington, but they didn’t necessarily give up their state’s domicile. They might still have a house. They might intend to return. And so they’re actually still a resident of that original state for tax purposes and other purposes,” Tobin said.

    Concerns about residency have long followed elected leaders in the county, and not just on the school board. These kinds of cases pop up all over the country, and Tobin isn’t saying it’s right, even if it’s technically legal.

    “That’s what’s sort of confusing, and also a little bit troubling, I think to people, is that they expect that their representatives from a particular district don’t just reside in the technical sense in the district, but also are there (as) a part of the district and are engaged with the district,” Tobin said. “And so you can have a disconnect and say, ‘well, technically the person resides in a certain place,’ but also have a practical recognition that the person who is not available and not in a place is probably not best suited for the job. And so those are two different things.”

    But owning property, as Prince George’s County Board of Education District 1 representative David Murray still does in Laurel, and even staying registered to vote, helps satisfy the legal requirements needed to claim you’re a resident somewhere — whether you really are or aren’t. Time spent somewhere doesn’t.

    “If you are going somewhere to work, three, five, I would argue, eight years, but that is not the place that you intend to be permanently, I think there’s a strong argument you continue to reside in that original place,” Tobin said.

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    John Domen

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  • Transportation audit outlines problems and solutions for Prince George’s County schools – WTOP News

    Transportation audit outlines problems and solutions for Prince George’s County schools – WTOP News

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    In Prince George’s County, Maryland, the hiring process for school bus drivers is long and inefficient, taking up to 16 weeks, which results in a large percentage of drivers dropping out. That’s one of the findings of a new audit.

    In Prince George’s County, Maryland, the hiring process for school bus drivers is long and inefficient, taking up to 16 weeks, which results in a large percentage of drivers dropping out.

    That’s one of 12 key findings outlined in a comprehensive transportation audit, presented Thursday at a Prince George’s County Public Schools Board of Education meeting.

    The audit also found unreliable technology, school buses that were nearly half empty, and unsatisfactory communication with families.

    “My son’s bus has gotten him to school 30 minutes or more late every day for over 100 days. That’s totaling more than 50 hours of missed instruction for him and his classmates. We’ve been complaining about it for months, dozens of tickets submitted, no meaningful response, and you lecture us about attendance,” said one father at the board meeting. “You have actionable recommendations in front of you to save millions of dollars and solve the problem. You have no more excuses. Fix it.”

    The audit made 12 recommendations for long term solutions. The first recommendation is to shift bell times later at some schools, which would eliminate up to 119 buses and save an estimated $16.9 million a year. Other recommendations include consolidating bus stops and increasing the use of vans or sedans instead of buses.

    PGCPS Superintendent Millard House II will present his implementation plan at the next board meeting.

    Read a summary of the audit here, and the full audit and analysis here.

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    Linh Bui

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