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Public commenters urge equity, protections for immigrant families and stronger supports for students with disabilities
Summary
During public comment at the Calvert County Board of Education meeting, speakers urged the board to use an equity lens in budget and policy decisions, requested explicit attention to students with disabilities in the superintendent's materials and asked the board to publicly reaffirm schools as safe places for immigrant families.
Public commenters at the Calvert County Board of Education meeting raised several policy and budget concerns, urging the board to prioritize equity and protections for immigrant families while ensuring that students with disabilities are not sidelined as the district prepares its FY26 budget.
Tracy Maguire asked the board to apply an equity lens to budget and superintendent-evaluation decisions and referenced a district policy number as a prompt to ensure compliance. "I encourage you to apply the equity lens to ensure your decisions do not contravene state law," Maguire said, and she specifically asked the board to consider the fiscal impact of district language asking Calvert County Public Schools to "make every effort possible" to meet the CDC-recommended 60 minutes per day of physical activity for students.
Shelly Baden, who identified herself as the new chair of the Calvert Special Education Citizen Advisory Committee (CCAC), urged the district to highlight services and outcomes for students with disabilities in public materials and budget documents. Baden said that recent presentations on district successes had not included explicit mention of graduation rates, postsecondary outcomes, unified sports expansion or increased work-based learning opportunities for students with disabilities, and she asked the board to prioritize visibility and resources for that group.
"Advancements in academics, athletics, and arts is not true advancements without the inclusion of these children and young adults and making them and their families feel seen, valued, and respected," Baden told the board.
Joseph (Joe) Cormier, speaking for himself, urged the board to publicly reaffirm that schools are places of safety and inclusion in light of federal policy changes that allow immigration enforcement at locations such as schools and churches. "No child should be, worried that their parents are gonna get picked up on the school bus line," Cormier said. He asked the board to consider public statements and policies that support immigrant neighbors and to push for protections that help families feel safe using school services.
Student perspective: student board member report and survey work
The student member of the board described outreach to students about the budget and shared survey results indicating teachers and student programs were top priorities. The student speaker said the predominant student concern was that teachers lack adequate support and fair compensation and reported requests to protect funds for arts, STEM and athletics. The student member also asked the board to consider directing more funds to school activity funds (SAF) so principals can help students who cannot afford extracurricular participation.
Why it matters: public comment gave the board direct input on equity and inclusion priorities ahead of final budget decisions. Speakers asked the board to make explicit commitments and to ensure that the district's materials and spending plans reflect the needs of students with disabilities and immigrant families.
What board members said: the board thanked the commenters and acknowledged CCAC's work; district staff and leaders said they would receive the comments and, where appropriate, respond to individuals through the administrative assistant to the board.
(Reporting note: quotes and references are taken directly from the meeting record.)
