The Montgomery County Board of Education is seeking comments on proposed amendments to Board Policy ABA, Community Involvement, to update guidelines and practices for engagement related to Board decisions. The policy has been available for comment since March 30. The public comment period will extend through the summer until the first Board Policy Management Committee this fall. This meeting has not yet been scheduled.
The draft amendments propose—
- implementation strategies to support staff in conducting inclusive, culturally responsive and antiracist community engagement, including
- research-based models of public participation with clearly stated objectives for the public’s role,
- best practices for planning and implementing community engagement so that traditionally marginalized stakeholders may contribute their skills, knowledge, ideas, experiences and analyses regarding issues facing the Board, and
- a variety of participation techniques, including suggestions for community-initiated engagement with the Board.
The draft policy, a video presentation and the opportunity to provide public comments are available here. Note: Translations are forthcoming and will be posted as soon as they are available.
