FCPS creates sustainability leadership team, wins Chesapeake Bay Trust grant and expands green‑school efforts

The Curriculum & Instruction Committee heard a multi‑department update on environmental literacy and sustainability in Frederick County Public Schools, led by curriculum staff and the district’s sustainability and facilities representatives. Colleen Beal announced, “We were awarded a $40,000 Chesapeake Bay Trust environmental education grant,” which the district said will fund curriculum planning, teacher capacity building and partnership coordination.

District presenters described the effort as a coordinated response to community requests and to a Mobilize Frederick presentation to the Board of Education. Staff said the work touches multiple functional areas — facilities and operations (custodial, food service and grounds), curriculum and instruction, and external community partners — and requires coordinated procedures so schools can implement gardens, composting, food recovery and recycling without creating unsustainable maintenance burdens.

The presentation listed existing programs and partnerships: the county’s Outdoor School for fifth and sixth graders; Envirothon, with Catoctin High School winning the county competition; several Climate Youth Institute chapters at Urbana, Catoctin, Oakdale and Frederick high schools; expanding green teams and green schools (six new green schools added on Earth Day and two renewals), and central‑office recycling signage and reinvigoration.

Facilities staff emphasized practical requirements for school projects: custodial and maintenance workloads, mower access, utility‑line clearances and food‑safety rules for cafeteria composting. Dawn Ashbecker, sustainability specialist, said recycling must be coordinated with custodial and teachers and described recycling “as a team sport.” The district and Frederick County Solid Waste & Recycling also noted that county audits at the transfer station monitor contamination levels; presenters said the county’s contamination rate had recently been about 10 percent, and that recyclables are screened and processed at the transfer station before shipment to processors.

Committee members discussed operational constraints (who will maintain gardens long term, volunteer reliance, and how to align nutrition/food services with composting and food recovery). Staff said they are drafting standard procedures to help schools understand requirements and expectations up front and that the Chesapeake Bay Trust grant will support a systemwide sustainability plan, teacher professional learning and strengthened community partnerships.

Presenters described next steps as: continuing to grow the number of green schools, integrating environmental literacy into K–12 curriculum (COMAR requires environmental literacy standards), expanding CTE agribusiness pathways and coordinating with Frederick County government on recycling and solid‑waste programs. No formal motions or votes on program adoption were taken during the meeting; staff asked schools and community partners to use the established partnership processes while procedures are finalized.

Speakers noted existing community partners (Mobilize Frederick, Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, local farms and university liaisons) and requested that schools consult facilities and nutrition staff early in project planning to avoid later maintenance or health‑safety problems. The district said staff will finalize standard procedures and continue to support schools as implementation proceeds.