The Black and White

County Council hosts Youth Virtual Town Hall, discusses school reopenings

Panelists for the Youth Town Hall discussed MCPS measures for reopening.

By Zoe Cantor

October 29, 2020

Montgomery County councilmembers hosted a Youth Virtual Town Hall meeting on October 28. Councilmembers confirmed that MCPS plans to reopen next semester and give families the option of sending their children to school. “We will give families an option,” said Board of Education President She...

MCPS modifies transfer policy, allows students to relocate for mental health

MCPS' new policy allows students struggling with mental health to transfer schools.

By Lily Freeman

October 28, 2020

The MCPS Board of Education modified the student transfer policy on October 6, clarifying that students may relocate to other schools for mental health related reasons. The previous policy required students to demonstrate a “unique hardship” to transfer schools, but it wasn’t clear whether or not ...

Minority Scholars Program honors Hispanic Heritage Month with virtual panel

On the final day of Hispanic Heritage Month, the MSP hosted a virtual panel to honor the Hispanic community.

By Grace Corbett

October 17, 2020

Minority Scholars Program members hosted a virtual panel in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month during OneWhitman on October 15. During the panel, MSP students described the impact of both COVID-19 and the current presidential administration on Hispanic people. The MSP also presented a slideshow discussing pane...

Town hall brings to light MCPS’ sexual misconduct allegations

Student leaders and panelists take viewers' questions about best practices in dealing with sexual misconduct.

By Lily Freeman

October 14, 2020

MCPS hosted a virtual student town hall addressing its sexual misconduct prevention methods on October 13. The county held the event in response to several social media posts over the summer in which students described instances of sexual misconduct. The forum, Let’s Talk Respect: Preventing Sexual Harassment an...

Four Bradley Hills Elementary School staff members contract COVID-19; building temporarily closes

Bradley Hills Elementary School, where four staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

By Lily Freeman

October 8, 2020

The Bradley Hills Elementary School building will close for two weeks after four staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to an email MCPS sent out to Bradley Hills families this afternoon. The infected employees were last at the building on October 6, MCPS wrote in the email. MCPS reach...

Picnic in the Park program opens in Montgomery County, provides outdoor meal delivery service

A sign for the new program, which encourages outdoor dining and socialization.

By Grace Corbett

October 7, 2020

Montgomery County Parks has partnered with Visit Montgomery’s MoCo Eats to provide the new Picnic in the Park Program to the public. The program delivers meals from local restaurants at drop-off locations in nine Montgomery County parks. Individuals place their orders by scanning a QR code, and a thi...

River Road construction underway to ensure pedestrian safety

A view of construction on River Road, where the MDOT SHA will be spending $1.9 million on improvements.

By Claire Lane

October 4, 2020

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration began a roadway safety improvement project on River Road (MD 190) between Braeburn Parkway and Pyle Road on August 7. The MDOT SHA intends to finish the $1.9 million project by the Spring of 2021. To complete all phases of work, crews will...

MCPS approves increased sports budget to fight countywide access disparities

The $1.55 million budget will be used to combat sports access inequities.

By Claire Lane

October 3, 2020

The Montgomery County Council unanimously approved $1.55 million in spending to increase youth sports accessibility on September 15. The budgetary decision comes after the Montgomery County Office of Legislative Oversight published a report revealing higher income areas have easier access to sports le...

MCPS enrollment down thousands from last year

MCPS enrollment declined by over 2000 students this year following a period of sustained growth.

By Lily Freeman

September 29, 2020

Enrollment in MCPS is down for the first time in over a decade, school district officials said during a Board of Education meeting on September 10. The decline comes after years of positive growth: over 11,000 students enrolled in the school district in the last decade, including 2,700 during the ...

Nonprofit sues MCPS over changes to middle school magnet program admissions

The AEF sued MCPS on September 1, citing discriminatory admissions practices of middle school magnet programs.

By Lily Freeman

September 25, 2020

The Association for Education Fairness, a Montgomery County parent coalition, filed a lawsuit against MCPS on September 1, claiming that recent changes to the admissions process for the county’s middle school magnet programs discriminate against Asian students. The AEF alleges in its complaint that the co...

“Phenomenal” educator Joseph Msefya joins staff as new assistant principal

Assistant Principal Joseph Msefya joined Whitman's staff this year. Msefya formerly served as a staff development teacher at Newport Mill Middle School.

By Lily Freeman

September 23, 2020

Whitman welcomed former Newport Mill Middle School staff development teacher Joseph Msefya as the new 11th grade administrator this past July. Msefya, who replaced Rebecca Zatz, is serving as Clubs Faculty Advisor, overseeing the science department, administering standardized testing and managing th...

“My heart sunk”: Whitman community mourns the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an inspiration to many Whitman students, passed away September 18.

By Aleydis Barnes

September 21, 2020

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at her home in Washington D.C. Friday night due to complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to a Supreme Court press release. While technical director of the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU from 1972 to 1980), Ginsburg advocated for w...