Student discipline and the alternative education programs available in Anne Arundel County schools will be the focus of the annual fall Parents and Community Forum, scheduled for Thursday, November 17, 2011, in Annapolis.
The forum is sponsored by the Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) Office of Equity Assurance and Human Relations. It is one of the stipulations set forth in the 2005 Office for Civil Rights (OCR) mediated agreement between the school system, the county NAACP, parents, and other community groups. The forum will include a panel of school system officials, community members, and members of the OCR Advisory Committee who will discuss the issues as they relate to specific student groups.
While AACPS has seen double-digit reductions in the number of referrals and suspensions among county secondary school students since 2006-2007, the overall county data has remained relatively constant over the last seven years. At the direction of Superintendent Kevin Maxwell, the school system is looking closely at student discipline at all levels to reduce disparities. Parental input is critical to this mission.
The forum is free and open to the public. It will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the Board Room of the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis.
