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Student member urges board to study later school start times and improve mental‑health access
Summary
The student member reported work with the Maryland General Assembly and a local student work group, urging the board to examine school start times and student access to counseling and special‑education supports.
Lisonbee (Grace) Minkowski, the student member of the Calvert County Board of Education, told the board March 13 that she participated as one of the county’s student pages at the Maryland General Assembly and provided testimony on legislation related to later school start times and student mental health.
Minkowski said she testified before the Senate Education, Energy and Environment Committee on Senate Bill 468, which examines the effects of later school start times on student mental health and well‑being, and urged the local board to open a district‑level discussion weighing impacts on transportation and budget. She also said she supported House Bill 56, which her summary described as reducing procurement barriers that can limit local “farm to cafeteria” programs.
Minkowski, who co‑chairs the Student Rights and Responsibilities Code of Conduct Work Group, summarized the work group’s priority areas — student mental health, school safety, discrimination and productive technology use — and said members plan student roundtable discussions at each high school to gather student input for the code-of-conduct review. She said students at her advisory meeting reported difficulty accessing school counselors and psychologists and that some students believed their 504 accommodations were not being taken seriously.
Why it matters: changes to start times, student‑support staffing and the code of conduct could affect curriculum delivery, transportation schedules and supports for students with disabilities.
Minkowski asked the board to consider transportation and fiscal impacts if it were to study later start times for Calvert County Public Schools. She said she will share notes from her student advisory council meeting with board colleagues and the administration.
No formal board action was recorded on the items Minkowski raised; she requested further discussion and the administration noted logistical and fiscal factors would be part of any study.
