MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — It's back to class for Montgomery County Public School's 160,000 students, the largest school district in the state of Maryland.
Students were greeted with a lot of excitement as the poms team, dance team , and band all performed a show for students as they walked into Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland. This year MCPS is launching a transportation hotline for parents to call if they have any issues with their kid's bus. We spoke with new superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor about it and why the District is adding it.
"We’re conscious of some of the construction from the purple line that’s also going to interrupt some flow of transportation so we’ve established a transportation hotline to answer parent questions," said Dr. Taylor.
Dr. Taylor also said there’s a renewed focus on safety.
"We’re going to be focusing on our systems our structures our processes how we build that culture of safety in our school system this year," said Dr. Taylor.
We also spoke with Board of Education President Karla Silvestre about the board’s decision to cut the virtual academy to save money. Parents are still fighting for the BOE to add the virtual school back to the curriculum. Silvestre said it was a hard decision to make but there will be options for students who need to remain virtual for medical reasons.
"Our new superintendent has put in place some options for medically fragile students who really cannot go back to school in person," said Silvestre.
MCPS celebrates the completion of major construction projects. These investments create modern learning environments that will benefit students for years to come.
The projects include:
- "A brand-new building for Neelsville Middle School providing 131,432 square feet of new space with a capacity for 956 students.
- Completion of Phase I of the new Poolesville High School building providing 165,056 square feet of new space with a capacity for 1508 students. Phase II is scheduled for completion in late summer 2025.
- Major addition to Woodlin Elementary School was completed in Jan. 2024 providing 98,961 square feet of new space with a capacity for 640 students.
- Construction on a new Northwood High School building began earlier this year and is expected to be completed in Aug. 2027. Until then, Northwood High School students will attend Charles W. Woodward High School, a new school building that will become a new MCPS high school in 2027."
We also spoke with Albert Einstein High School principal Mark Brown, Jr. about the District's cell phone policy as districts across the state grapple with how to keep kids focused inside the classrooms and limit electronic distractions. Principal Brown says they have an away all day policy.
"Students are able to use it in the morning between classes during lunch and after school but during instructional time 100% the cell phones need to be away," said Brown.
MCPS is also launching two new varsity sports, pickleball and girls flag football, at all high schools.
Watch MCPS' welcome back video below: