PARENTS: PRINCE GEORGE’S CO. GRADING SCANDAL EXTENDS TO YOUNGER KIDS

Three months after a state audit found Prince George’s County school officials were tampering with grades on a high school level, a group of parents told WUSA9, the scandal may go much deeper.

Three months after a state audit found Prince George’s County school officials were tampering with grades on a high school level, a group of parents told WUSA9, the scandal may go much deeper.

Multiple parents, who have students at all different middle and elementary school in Prince George’s County, say this is happening at the lower levels as well. They believe grade tampering is widespread in the district, beginning at the elementary and middle school level.

“There is no way he could get an A or a B, and that is what we received,” said Mrs. D. (We are not identifying parents by their full name to protect their children’s identity.)

RELATED: Leadership change at Prince George’s Co. school over ‘grade scandal’

Mrs. D said based on her son’s grades on his school assignments, he should be receiving failing grades. Instead, he is earning A’s and B’s on his report card.

“I don’t want my son to be out in the world and not be able to survive and not be able to add, subtract, comprehend or read, or really get a successful job,” said Mrs. D.

For Wyletta, it started five years ago for her youngest daughter.

“What they have done is given her straight A’s to shut me up but she has not earned them,” she said. “They simply want to just pass her on.”

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This marking period, just like every other, Wyletta’s daughter got A’s and one B and made the honor roll. However, Sanders says it doesn’t add up.

Here is why:

She has received failing grades on her school assignments. She received the lowest grades possible on her state standardized tests that measure classroom performance.

Even a psychologist employed by the school district evaluated her daughter’s school performance and found that she performs below grade level.

RELATED: Audit finds big problems in Prince George’s Co. graduation rate

“So how can she get A’s if she is still below grade level,” asked Wyletta.

The group of parents who spoke to WUSA9 are now calling on the head of Prince George’s County School, Kevin Maxwell, to take action.

Dr. Maxwell wouldn’t sit down face to face with WUSA9, but he did send the school’s professional public relations representative for an interview.

WUSA9 reporter Hilary Lane spoke with him.

“In light of what has happened on a high school level, allegations of grade tampering are pretty serious,” said Lane. “Just to be clear, the superintendent doesn’t think these are issues that he should address with us?”

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“Of course not,” said John White, spokesman for Prince George’s County. “The superintendent is concerned about any issue in the school district, but I am trying to help you because I want to be able to explain to you the most direct route to a solution a parent can have.”

White said it’s up to the teachers and principals to resolve this issue, not head of school Dr. Maxwell. However, emails show parents have been communicating with school administrators and they say their children are not being helped.

RESOURCES: PGCPS Guide to addressing Questions and Concerns

Lane presented White with documents gathered from parents.

“This is good information to resolve a problem,” said White. “I would like to take it to him (referring to Dr. Maxwell).

Parents are calling for answers and action.

“Let’s start embracing the problem and let’s start fixing it,” said Ms. D.

“I am not backing down,” said mom Robyn. “Because the kid that sits next to him matters. Until every kid in this county gets what they deserve, I am not going to be quiet.”

WUSA9 will be following up with the Prince George’s County school district to find out if/how they plan on addressing concerns from the parents featured in our story.

Do you have questions about the grades your child is receiving? The following is the district’s hierarchy resolving an issue in Prince George’s County:

• First, speak to your classroom teacher .
• If the problem isn’t resolved, contact your professional school counselor and/or assistant principal.
• Then go to the curriculum and instruction office. If you still aren’t satisfied, seek out the Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning office.
• The last step the school offers is Ombudsman. According to the district, it is “an independent party that seeks to resolve school and school-system issues or concerns from students, parents, and the public.”

To contact the Prince George’s County Board of Education, click here.

Via WUSA9

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State’s attorney: Suspect charged in Oxon Hill HS student shooting is ex-girlfriend of victim

Zanaya Bryant (Photo: Prince George’s County Police Department)

OXON HILL, Md. – Court documents and prosecutors have revealed new information about what led to the shooting of an Oxon Hill High School student Monday evening.

The 17-year-old male victim was shot in a vehicle located in the parking lot of the high school at around 5:15 p.m. Monday, according to police. He was transported to the hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the upper body. The teenage student was released several hours later.

Prince George’s County police arrested 17-year-old Zanaya Bryant and 18-year-old Anthony Hollingsworth on Tuesday for attempted murder and other related charges in this case. Both teenagers are being charged as adults. Police say they are searching for a third suspect.

Court documents say Bryant was the ex-girlfriend of the victim. On Monday, the victim got into her car where she and two other males were in the back of the vehicle. One of them grabbed the victim and then gunfire rang out. The victim was able to get out of the vehicle and then ran to the school where he realized he had been shot.

Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks believes that this was a planned attack.

“He was set up,” Alsobrooks said. “He was invited to get into that car. He was invited by someone he had a previous relationship with. The young woman in this case we are told was involved at some point in a romantic relationship, unfortunately, with the victim in this case.”

Police believe robbery may be a motive for the shooting.

Via Fox5DC

17-year-old Zanaya Bryant and 18-year-old Anthony Hollingsworth

18-year-old Anthony Hollingsworth

In addition to extra security, school officials also have another crisis counseling team on campus to provide support for anyone who needs it.

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EXCLUSIVE: Mom believes her young daughter with autism was abused at PGCPS System

Mom believes her young daughter with autism was abused at Prince George’s County school

WASHINGTON – “She can’t talk. She can’t say, ‘Mommy I’m hurt.’ She can’t say, ‘Mommy, something is wrong with me.’”

For months, Tyree Glover-Knott had a feeling something wasn’t right.

“She came home with a busted lip,” Glover-Knott said.

Her daughter Tyliah is four years old. She suffers from autism and epilepsy, and her most recent seizure in September was a red flag for her mother. Glover-Knott said she was told by the staff at H. Winship Wheatley Early Childhood Center that Tyliah had “a little fall.” The girl’s mother said when she asked if it was documented, they told her it wasn’t.

Only minutes after being picked up from H. Winship Wheatley Early Childhood Center, Tyliah turned blue in the face and began to have convulsions. Weeks later, the young girl would come home with cuts on her lips.

When her mother confronted the teacher and teacher’s aide, there was allegedly another misstep.

“She said, ‘Come here, come here’ and she kissed Tyliah on her nose and then she kissed her in her mouth,” Glover-Knott described. “And she said, ‘See, I’m like an auntie.’ I said, ‘No,’ and my husband grabbed Tyliah away.”

Then a scratch on Tyliah’s face turned into a bulge.

“I said, ‘Do you see this scratch? And she said, ‘Oh, a little boy hit her on the side with the block,’ and she was like do you want me to document it?” said Glover-Knott.

For Tyliah’s mother, this has been the biggest issue. She said there has been no paper trail until Monday. She said she received a call from Child Protective Services after a report was made by an anonymous witness.

“The worst that she said was she made contact with Tyliah’s face,” her mother said.

On the day after, there was another complaint from the same witness.

“The lady took Tyliah and shoved her in the chair to make her sit down, then threw her on the floor and put a blanket on top of her head,” said Glover-Knott. “So the person that witnessed it went and looked at Tyliah, pulled the blanket off of her to see if she was breathing.”

That was the last straw. Glover-Knott pulled her daughter out of school and changed a routine that is imperative for her child’s well-being – for fear of what could happen next.

“I feel like I failed my daughter because I should have did something right away,” Tyliah’s mother said. “I feel like I should have just taken her out when I first saw something, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I feel like I let her down. I feel like I put her in the hands of monsters. Other parents need to know this. Just because I took my daughter out of the school or you move her class, it doesn’t mean that these people have stopped what they are doing.”

We reached out to Prince George’s County Public Schools and they would only confirm that Child Protective Services is investigating.

Throughout the day, FOX 5 asked the school district multiple times if school staff has been placed on leave or disciplined as a result of the investigation. But the school system did not have an answer as of Tuesday night.

Via Fox 5DC

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Police activity at Parkdale High School in PGCPS.

RIVERDALE, Md. – Parkdale High School is on lockdown, according to Prince George’s County Schools. Police are investigating.

According to reports, police are investigating an incident that happened Tuesday afternoon behind the school in Riverdale, Maryland. Police are investigating. MORE: http://bit.ly/2FR7oqM

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Police: Boy in critical condition after high school parking lot shooting in PGCPS.

The shooting happened at Oxon Hill High School, located at 6701 Leyte Drive in Oxon Hill. Officers responded to the shooting around 5:15 p.m. (Jay Korff/ABC7)

OXON HILL, Md. (ABC7) — A boy is in critical but stable condition after he was shot Monday in the parking lot of a high school in Prince George’s County, police said.

The shooting happened at Oxon Hill High School, located at 6701 Leyte Drive in Oxon Hill. Officers responded to the shooting around 5:15 p.m.

“The shooting did take place on school property on the parking lot,” police spokesperson Lamar Robinson said.

Prelim: At approximately 5:15 pm, officers responded to a shooting. Once on scene, they discovered a juvenile male with gunshot wounds to the upper body. The juvenile male was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

— PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) February 5, 2018

Police said a student got into an argument with someone inside a car in the school’s parking lot and was shot. The victim, an 11th grade student, then ran into the school for help and collapsed. He was transported to the hospital in critical but stable condition with gunshot wounds to the upper body.

“You send them to school with the expectation they are going to school and come back the same way you sent them there, ” parent James Monteiro said.

Investigators are on scene attempting to establish a suspect(s) and a motive. Detectives do not believe this is a random crime. Anyone w/ info in this investigation call @PGCrimeSolvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. You don’t have to reveal your identity. $$$ reward. pic.twitter.com/0MV9MTgn0r

— PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) February 6, 2018

 

Parents rushed to the school because their children were at basketball practice at the time of the shooting.

“I hurried up here to make sure that my daughter was good and found that they had locked all the kids down in the auditorium and they are waiting on the parents to come get them out,” Monteiro said.

Robinson said it was “very disheartening” to see a shooting happen on school grounds.

“This is a place of learning. This is supposed to be a safe place. And we want to keep it a safe place here in Prince George’s County, ” Robinson said.

BREAKING: @ABC7News first on scene at shooting near Oxon Hill HS. Parents are picking up children locked in school. pic.twitter.com/BJpXfGuD1c

— Jay Korff (@Jay7News) February 5, 2018

The suspect fled the scene following the shooting.

Police believe the shooting was not a random act of violence and that the victim and suspect know each other. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call 1-866-411-TIPS.

Via WJLA

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FBI, U.S. Education Department investigating D.C. Public Schools graduation scandal

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) holds a news conference with Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson to review the findings of an independent audit of the city’s graduation rates. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Education Department Office of the Inspector General are investigating the District of Columbia public schools, The Washington Post reports.

Citing sources in D.C. government, the newspaper reports that the probe is focused on high school graduation practices in the district, which have come under scrutiny amid reports and investigations that have drawn national attention to schools in the nation’s capital.

A report released earlier this week by the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent found that roughly one in three students who graduated from the city’s high schools in 2017 were awarded those diplomas in error because they missed too many classes or improperly took makeup classes.

The city commissioned the study in the wake of an investigation by Washington public radio station WAMU, showing that Ballou High School, a long-troubled school in the district, awarded diplomas to many students last year despite the fact that they were chronically absent from class.

Amid the ongoing probe, the district’s leadership has reassigned Ballou High’s principal. A Ballou assistant principal and D.C.’s chief of secondary schools Jane Spence (Former PGCPS Senior official) was placed on administrative leave following graduation scandal in DC Schools.

The report from the Office of the State Superintendent also found that teachers felt pressure from school administrators to find ways to graduate students, even those who did not come close to meeting the requirements to earn a diploma.

While the district has vowed to step up monitoring of student graduation requirements in, it does remain unclear whether there was a deliberate effort by high-ranking school leaders to manipulate the district’s graduation numbers.

PGCPS TIES AND DC SCHOOLS

Before the WAMU story shed light on the practices at Ballou, the district touted its record-high graduation rate as proof that education reforms in the system were yielding benefits. It’s just the latest in a series of revelations that have called district practices into questions. However, there appeared to have been a coordination with Prince George’s county Public Schools (PGCPS) fake graduation rates and DC Schools experiencing the same. Officials in both districts starting with Jane Spence and Monica Goldson of PGCPS are close friends with many others connected to them with a history of cover-ups in PGCPS.

In the past year, both PGCPS and DC Schools Districts have also come under fire for misrepresenting student suspension rates. DC Schools faced questions about the former schools’ chancellor skirting the school lottery system to help well-connected parents land their children spots in coveted city schools. PGCPS is facing similar allegations with the selection process of the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George’s Community College in which well connected students are given the first chances.

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American University Announces Anti-Racism Plan, Required Diversity Course

American University student protesters block traffic in Bender tunnel to demand support for students of color

American University in Washington. D. C. with strong ties to Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), has announced plans to insert an Anti-racism Plan on the campus after Black students said they feel alienated and unsafe after student Taylor Dumpson, and AU’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated was targeted with bananas hanging from nooses last year.  A survey identified only a third of African American students feel the school is inclusive juxtaposed to 70% of their white student peers, according to an announcement by officials on Tuesday.

American university in Washington DC is a leader among Washington DC universities in global education. The University enrolls a diverse student body from throughout the United States and nearly 140 countries. It  a reputation for impacting negatively and producing very racist lawyers and judges some of them practicing law through Washington DC Metro area and other places without creating meaningful change in the world. Many local lawyers, lawyers for organizations and judges mentioned in this blog  some of them have ties to American University. The training on Anti-Racism Plan therefore needs to go beyond students and into faculty itself for better outcomes. The training should also go beyond into many places American University Students currently working including PGCPS.

First up in the plan will be a required course on diversity for all entering freshman. The course is aimed at prevention, and hopefully, will offer a two-pronged education emphasis that will discourage predators and at the same time teach potential victims how to defend themselves.

university president Sylvia Mathews Burwel

“We’re transparent about the fact that a number of our students of color don’t feel like they belong,” Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the university’s president, said to NBC Washington. “That’s a cultural issue that we need to work on.”

It seems a bit weird that such a class is even necessary. But the university has a past with racist incidents beyond the noose and bananas referenced earlier, which shows the course is not a bad idea. Of course that won’t stop us from wondering who will teach it and what specifically will the curriculum entail?

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The university’s $121 million plan asks the school community to acknowledge racism on campus.

Students of color experience bias and feel alienated and unsafe, the university said in a report released with the announcement.

Only a third of African-American students said they felt included on campus, compared to 70 percent of white students.

Burwell said she hopes an “inclusive excellence” plan will help end an exclusive culture on campus. The plan focuses on hiring a more diverse faculty, changing the processes for reporting hate incidents and requiring all freshman to take a diversity course.

The course, known as the American University Experience 2 or Aux2, tackles a number of issues, including diversity, bias, privilege and race, and social identity, the school’s website says. School officials say the class, which began in 2016 as a pilot course, aims to help change campus culture.

“Students reported feeling happier about their transition to the university and that AU was a place where they belonged,” the school said.

The plan will invest a total of $121 million over the next two years for a number of programs that promote equality, including training programs for faculty, staff and administrators, offering grants for community projects that promote inclusion and providing more scholarships for underrepresented groups and veterans.

“I think it’s important because it’s specific, it creates accountability in our leadership, it asks the entire community to join in,” Burwell said.

The changes come after multiple racist acts on campus.

Confederate flag posters apparently decorated with cotton were posted on bulletin boards as the school year started in September 2017. Most recently, an unknown person posted anti-immigration posters that linked to a white supremacist website. Last year, a black sorority was targeted with bananas hanged from nooses.

Read more >>> NBC4

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PGCPS Board votes in favor of ‘Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools’

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – Students in Prince George’s County will be learning about and discussing the Black Lives Matter movement in the classroom. The Prince George’s County School Board voted unanimously to pass a resolution called the “Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools.”

It will start on Monday and will continue through the week at all schools in the school district.

While the words and movement behind Black Lives Matter can be controversial, school board members said this is about encouraging conversation and reflection about social justice in schools.

The Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools is actually a national movement started by a group of teachers, parents and administrators. Prince George’s County Public Schools will be one of the first school systems in Maryland to pass this type of resolution.

It is still a bit unclear exactly what types of discussions or activities will happen during this week, but school board members told FOX 5 it will be up to the teachers’ discretion on what to implement and when – whether it is before, during or after school and if it does include instructional time.

“I think this is something that our students and our families see every day, especially being a largely minority population,” said board member Raaheela Ahmed. “We have 60 percent of our students that are African American, 30 percent that Latino and this is something that they see and hear every day –on the news and day-to-day lives. It’s something that we felt was really needed and necessary at this time.”

“I don’t believe it is political,” said Amanya Paige, the student member of the school board. “I believe it is a movement to encourage minorities and African American students to be proud of who they are and to embrace who they are because we live it every day. I think that it is important to understand our culture and understand where we are coming from in order to be productive citizens.”

The resolution that was unanimously passed reads in part:

“The thirteen guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter movement highlighted during this week of action are a means of challenging the insidious legacy of institutionalized racism and oppression that has plagued the United States since its founding.”

via Fox5DC

“I don’t believe it is political,” said Amanya Paige (shown above), the student member of the school board. “I believe it is a movement to encourage minorities and African American students to be proud of who they are and to embrace who they are because we live it every day. I think that it is important to understand our culture and understand where we are coming from in order to be productive citizens.”

“I think this is something that our students and our families see every day, especially being a largely minority population,” said board member Raaheela Ahmed.(shown above) “We have 60 percent of our students that are African American, 30 percent that Latino and this is something that they see and hear every day –on the news and day-to-day lives. It’s something that we felt was really needed and necessary at this time.”

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3 Arrested in Cold Case Death of 18-Year-Old Former PGCPS Student

Prince George’s County officials said 18-year-old Allyssa Banks was shot to death on Prince Place in Largo, Maryland on October 19, 2016.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – Three men have been charged with murder in the death of a Prince George’s County teenager who was gunned down in 2016 just five months after celebrating her high school graduation.

Investigators said 18-year-old Allyssa Banks was with her boyfriend when they were both shot near a parked car along Prince Place on October 19, 2016.

On Thursday, Prince George’s County officials announced 21-year-old Josue Vasques of New Carrollton, 23-year-old Daniel Butler of Laurel and 20-year-old Thomas Jenkins of Riverdale were charged with murder in Banks’ death. Authorities said Vasques, who was already in custody for an unrelated crime, was indicted by a grand jury for his murder charge.

Banks had graduated from Largo High School, where she was president of the school’s Student Government Association earlier that year.

Family and friends of Banks described her as quiet, sweet and kind.

“Whoever did it, they don’t know how much of a great person she was to have around and they don’t know how she affected many people’s lives in Largo and her family and just anywhere she went,” said her friend Dyonna Nelson, who spoke with FOX 5 after her death.

Banks was shot across the street from where she lived with her mother. She died a short time after she was hospitalized. Her boyfriend survived the shooting.

Authorities said the motive for the shooting was still under investigation, but detectives believed there was an ongoing feud between two gangs. Banks and her boyfriend were innocent and had no involvement in the feud, according to officials. Investigators said it appeared they were randomly targeted.

Anyone with information that could aid detectives in their investigation was urged to call the Prince George’s County’s Homicide Unit at (301) 772-4925.

We previously covered her story here <<<

Read more >>> NBC4,  >>>FOX5DC

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Candidates for Prince George’s county executive attack Baker on schools

State Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George’s) is running for county executive. (Doug Kapustin/for The Washington Post)

By Rachel Chason

The Democratic candidates vying to replace Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III sharply repudiated a cornerstone of Baker’s education policy at a campaign forum Wednesday night, vowing to roll back his takeover of the county’s public school system.

Baker (D) wrested control of the county’s school system from its elected school board during his first term, putting himself in charge of the schools superintendent and the system’s nearly $2 billion budget. The restructuring was intended to end years of turmoil in the county’s struggling schools.

But those hoping to succeed Baker, who is term-limited and challenging Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in his bid for reelection,say his strategy failed to improve schools and deprived voters of input in choosing educational leaders in Maryland’s second-largest jurisdiction.

Their criticism offered a glimpse of the attacks Baker could face on the campaign trail in the months leading up to the June 26 primary, or in the fall general election campaign if he is the Democratic nominee.

“We need to return to an elected school board,” state Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D) said during the forum hosted by the Prince George’s County Education Association. “It’s called public education for a reason. The public is supposed to be involved.”

Prince George’s County state’s attorney Angela Alsobrooks (D) is running for county executive. (Arelis Hernandez/The Washington Post)

The three candidates he is competing with in the primary — former congresswoman Donna F. Edwards, Prince George’s State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks (D) and former Obama administration official Paul Monteiro — also said the school board, a hybrid of elected and appointed seats, should return to an elected model.

But Alsobrooks, the county’s top prosecutor since 2011, cautioned that it will be futile to change the structure of the school board without addressing “deeper issues” in the county’s public education system.

“What I would love is to depoliticize education in Prince George’s County,” said Alsobrooks, who argued that in the past two decades, the county has switched from an elected board to an appointed board twice without substantially improving the quality of education children receive.

Baker has defended his efforts and the tenure of his handpicked schools chief, Kevin Maxwell, citing increased test scores, graduation rates and accountability.

His critics have questioned the legitimacy of the reforms, citing several incidents of misbehavior by staff and, most recently, findings that large numbers of students had graduated from high school without meeting requirements.

Muse, Edwards and Alsobrooks, longtime public officials with substantial networks in Prince George’s, and Monteiro, a newcomer to local politics, largely agreed during the forum. Answering questions from a full audience that included many teachers, the candidates pledged to increase teacher pay, examine the physical condition of aging county schools and focus on creating programs to keep youth out of prison.

Former congresswoman Donna Edwards (D) is running for Prince George’s county executive. (Astrid Riecken/for The Washington Post)

Lewis S. Johnson, a political neophyte who has also filed paperwork to compete in the June 26 primary, was invited to Wednesday’s forum but did not attend the event. Another candidate, Jonathan C. White, withdrew from the race Wednesday.

In Prince George’s, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 10 to 1, winning the primary is tantamount to victory in the general election. Alsobrooks had a large fundraising lead among Democrats in January, with almost $1 million in the bank — nearly seven times as much as her nearest competitor — according to campaign finance reports.

A rare point of contention during the forum came when Alsobrooks and Muse butted heads over bail-reform changes adopted in Annapolis last year. Alsobrooks supported abolishing Maryland’s money-based system, which she said favored the rich over the poor. She suggested Muse, who unsuccessfully introduced legislation to roll back the changes, was “[selling] out the young people.”

Muse fired back that taking away a judge’s ability to set bail removed one problem but created a slew of new ones, including forcing more poor defendants to wear ankle bracelets.

“We need to go back to the drawing board,” he said.

Muse, who has built a career as a contrarian voice to the Democratic establishment in Annapolis even though he is in the party, says Alsobrooks is beholden to party leaders — a characterization she strongly rejects.

Chrystie Lynch, who teaches math and special education at Oxon Hill Middle School, said she was excited to hear the candidates focus on improving education in the county, which was roiled last year when a state audit revealed widespread grade-inflation was used to boost graduation rates.

In addition to worrying about insufficient pay, Lynch, a teacher for 17 years, said she and her colleagues are concerned about overcrowding in classrooms and aging school buildings.

“We have teachers and support staff who are struggling every day to pay their rent, and who are getting evicted,” said Lynch, who chairs the government relations committee of the Prince George’s County Education Association and has not yet settled on a candidate. “We shouldn’t have to fight as hard as we fight for an increase in salary.”

Edwards suggested that funds should be redistributed so teachers, rather than top school administrators, secure raises they say are much-needed.

“We have to move money around so it goes to people who are really doing the work,” Edwards said, drawing loud applause from the crowd.

Via Washington Post

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