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Parents and former students urge board to retain anti‑racism protections
Summary
Several residents and former students used the public‑comment portion of the meeting to criticize recent board actions they said removed anti‑racism language and protections from district policy and to ask the board to maintain inclusive language in codes of conduct.
Multiple public commenters at the Calvert County Board of Education meeting accused recent board actions of removing inclusive language and protections for students and urged reinstatement of anti‑racism and supportive language.
"We were promised a board that would clean house, protect children, and provide complete budget transparency. Instead, the last 12 months have revealed a pattern of disdain for our staff, our students, and our community," said Joe Cormier, who listed a series of policy and rhetorical changes he criticized, including removal of an anti‑racism statement.
Sherry Tardio said the removal of protective language from the code of conduct and mission statement represents "a paradigm shift that is harmful to students," and accused the board of prioritizing political statements over student well‑being. Several other speakers, including a former student and veterans who read a letter, urged the board to preserve protections in policy language that, they said, supported student inclusion and opportunity.
Why it matters: speakers argued that policy language shapes school climate, student safety and access to opportunities. They urged transparency and public input when changes are proposed.
The board did not take formal action to change code language at this meeting; the staff presentation on Policy 81‑23 later in the agenda concerned parent, caregiver and community involvement and will be posted for public comment and review for up to 30 days.
Public commenters cited prior board votes, the removal of specific terms from mission statements, and events such as removal of classroom stickers. Board members acknowledged receiving concerns; no formal motion to reinstate language was introduced at this meeting.
The meeting record shows multiple residents asked the board to reconsider or clarify planned revisions to codes of conduct and mission statements. The board's stated next step on policy items is to post revised language for public review and comment.
