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Students tell council free meals, mental health supports and repairs are central to learning
Summary
Three student speakers told Montgomery County Council’s Education & Culture Committee that free meals, restorative justice coaches, more mental‑health resources and upgraded HVAC and facilities are essential for learning and equity.
Three students opened the Education and Culture Committee’s Oct. 31 hearing with appeals that framed the rest of the meeting.
Nathan Amelfoil, a fifth‑grader at Florida Hill Elementary, said free school lunch “helps us also focus in class” and urged expansion of universal free meals and restorative justice staff at more schools. “When our stomachs are full, we can learn better,” he said.
Ella Juan, an eighth‑grader and president of the Montgomery County Junior Council, praised MCPS’s diversity and extracurricular offerings but warned that aging school buildings and failing HVAC systems make classrooms uncomfortable and undermine learning. She urged targeted investments to bring older schools up to par.
Madison Watts, a Rockville High School senior and Maryland Association of Student Councils vice president, echoed concerns about school safety and mental health. She cited a bomb threat at her school last year and criticized inconsistent communication and incident response, saying delayed or unclear messages cost instructional time.
The students’ remarks prompted committee members to ask for concrete suggestions. Council members and community advocates emphasized that the school system’s core academic mission (math and reading) must be paired with reliable communication, clearer early‑warning interventions and scalable mental‑health supports so that academic plans translate into measurable gains.
The committee said it will continue oversight of budget and staffing decisions tied to these issues in the run‑up to the FY‑2026 budget process.
The committee adjourned without a vote on these items; the students’ testimony was entered into the record for future oversight and budget deliberations.
