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District outlines K–12 civics plan, digital citizenship lessons and new local-history elective pilot
Summary
Staff described the district’s K–12 civics progression, a stronger emphasis on digital citizenship, counselor-delivered lessons, and a proposed county-history elective pilot at Clear Spring High.
Washington County Public Schools staff presented the district’s approach to civics instruction from pre-K through high school, new emphases on digital citizenship and workforce ‘‘soft skills,’’ and a proposed pilot course on county history.
"State provides standards, but it's our role as a local school system that then develop the curriculum and the materials that we're using around the standard," a presenter said, describing how state civics standards guide the district curriculum that staff develop locally.
The presentation outlined grade-band goals: in pre-K–2, citizenship begins in family and home; grades 3–5 introduce community roles; middle school expands global and civic awareness and high school culminates with U.S. government study and preparation for adult civic engagement. Counselors provide supplemental lessons (social–emotional and career lessons) in elementary and middle school once per month in classrooms and quarterly at high school, the district said. "We provide counseling lessons to all students in elementary and middle school one time per month per class," Adam Perry, supervisor of counseling, said.
Staff said they will expand digital citizenship instruction beyond library media specialists to social studies and possibly ELA at middle and high school. District presenters listed five digital citizenship focus areas: managing screen time; evaluating digital content; building diverse perspectives; promoting kindness and civil discourse; using technology to collaborate and solve problems; and understanding digital risks.
Supplemental civic engagement opportunities described included the American Legion’s Americanism essay, the ‘‘If I Were Mayor for a Day’’ contest (with more than 1,400 entries noted), student government associations, We the People programs, and an annual student page program at the Maryland General Assembly. The district also highlighted student-service-learning graduation requirements (75 hours total; 60 hours embedded in four courses and 15 independent hours).
Staff proposed a pilot elective, a 90‑day ‘‘county history and civic problem‑solving’’ course at Clear Spring High for 2026–27; the course would examine local history, current community challenges and student‑developed solutions, and be reviewed by the district’s Curriculum & Instruction committee if the pilot is successful.
Board members asked clarifying questions about counselor‑lesson frequency, how digital citizenship will be embedded across grade levels and how the pilot site was chosen. Staff said the pilot was selected partly because Clear Spring had capacity for an additional elective. No formal action was taken; staff will proceed with curriculum development and return to curriculum and instruction for review.
