PGCPS disability advisory board forms subcommittees, asks legal office to advise on bylaws

The Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) Disability Issues Advisory Board on Jan. 9 voted to create subcommittees to develop recommendations for the board of education, and requested legal guidance on whether the advisory board must adopt formal bylaws.

The board approved a motion to form a subcommittee charged with drafting written recommendations on potential improvements to Board Policy 1700; those recommendations must be distributed to all DIAB members in advance of the next meeting for review and discussion, the motion said. "I'd like to establish an advisory subcommittee of advisory board members who will provide written recommendations to the committee as a whole on potential improvements to board policy 1700," said Britney Patrick, a DIAB member, who moved the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote after amendment and discussion.

Why it matters: Policy 1700 is the document that defines the purpose and duties of this advisory board. Members said they need legal clarity about whether the policy requires bylaws, and whether subcommittees must meet in public under the Maryland Open Meetings Act before they begin working.

During discussion, members proposed subcommittees aligned to the three topic areas listed in Policy 1700. The advisory board established three working groups by member sign-up: (1) Policy 1700 review; (2)…