An adjunct professor at McDaniel and Carroll Community colleges, Hugendubler, 33, flew to Culver City, California on May 8 to film the last episode of this season at Sony Pictures Studio. The episode is scheduled to air at 7 p.m., Friday on FOX45 WBFF.
In addition to his day jobs, Hugendubler said he’s been a trivia enthusiast for about 10 years, and became a trivia host and writer for Charm City Trivia during the pandemic.
Being on the show was an “out-of-body experience” for Hugendubler, who lives in Charles Village said he’s proud to represent Baltimore on the show. He can’t disclose the results of his show until it airs, he added.
“If you asked me under oath to recall the experience, I probably still wouldn’t remember about 80% of it just because of how intense it was,” he said. “It’s been a really interesting experience.”
Applying contestants for Jeopardy! must first take and pass its ‘anytime test,’ which gives contestants fifteen seconds to answer each of 50 questions, according to its website.
Hugendubler said it’s not disclosed to the public how well applicants must perform on this initial test to move forward with the application, but said test-takers must do “pretty well” with such a high number of applicants nationwide. If the test is passed and an applicant moves forward, Hugendubler said they must then complete another test via Zoom and participate in an interview to be considered for the show.
Hugendubler was notified March 20, about six weeks before filming, that he would be participating in an episode of “Jeopardy!” this season, he said. He had to take a week off from teaching to participate on the show, which was filmed on the same day as four other episodes in the season.
“It was fun,” he said. “It’s a very intense experience, because they do five episodes in one day. I was the last episode of the season, so it was like a lot of sitting and waiting.”
Trivia has been one of Hugendubler’s interests since high school, he said, where he was “volunteered into a trivia competition” in his sophomore year and won. His love for trivia took flight when he was getting his master’s degree in music at Johns Hopkins University.
Hugendubler had a library job during which he would often play the trivia game Sporcle, and that’s how he found his love for trivia. He used games as well as flashcards he made to study in the weeks leading up to his “Jeopardy!” debut. Hosting weekly trivia at Johns Hopkins’ HomeSlyce, Mt. Vernon’s HomeSlyce and The Brass Tap through Charm City Trivia also helped him prepare, he said.
“I’m honestly surprised that people like were so excited when they found out I was going to be on the show, or that they cared at all,” he said. “It’s been cool to try to represent Baltimore.”
Have a news tip? Contact K. Mauser at kmauser@baltsun.com.
]]>Board members approved an application from nonprofit Carroll Learning Alliance to open a public charter school with a focus on a classical education for students, emphasizing a “deep understanding” of liberal arts and sciences through pairing core subjects with art, music, and Latin.
Superintendent Cynthia McCabe said it’s important to note that approval of the application does not mean the school has final approval to open. Formal charter documents must still be created before the school’s projected opening in fall 2026.
“A tremendous amount of time and effort goes into opening a brand-new school, even for us in the school system and the board,” McCabe said. “I commend the CLA Board for their hard work and ongoing collaboration with our team. I applaud their receptiveness to our feedback and their willingness to work with us every step of the way.”
The nonprofit submitted its charter school application March 31, and has made modifications since then based on feedback from the superintendent and a review team. The final revised application was submitted on July 1 for discussion at Wednesday’s board meeting.
The impact Carroll Classical Charter School will have on the school system’s fiscal 2027 operating budget was not considered in the application approval, McCabe said, as “the law does not allow any concern with budget being part of the decision.” However, she said the budget will be a primary focus moving forward.
“I appreciate the board members for working so hard to try and see if we can put a charter school in our county,” the Board’s Vice President Stephen Whisler said. “I really appreciate the staff doing everything they can to outline the parameters — to make sure that we’re following the law to protect the interests of our school system and citizens.”
Have a news tip? Contact Kat Mauser at kmauser@baltsun.com.
]]>The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program, founded in Carroll County over a decade ago and operated by Carroll County Public Schools, offers free meals in various locations to those 2-18 years old who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals during the school year, CCPS Food Services Supervisor Karen Sarno said.
Most children served by the program live in Carroll County, she said, but children from other jurisdictions won’t be turned away. In Carroll County schools, 28% of students are eligible for meal benefits, on average.
The program was originally designed to provide meals through congregate dining, which means children would come to a public area such as a school, recreation center or park to sit down and eat their meals. But this poses a substantial challenge to many places like Carroll County, Sarno said, a rural jurisdiction with many areas that don’t have dining areas within a walkable distance for children.
In the summer of 2024, the USDA redefined how rural areas are designated. Before this, the entire county was defined as urban, Sarno said, and was only able to give out a few thousand meals a year because of strict regulations mandating that urban areas must only hold congregate dining meals.
But with the new definition of rural areas — which allows children to take home a week’s worth of free meals — the county was able to serve about 75,000 meals to eligible children last summer.
“It’s just helped us so much to meet those families that really can use this program,” Sarno said. “Here in Carroll County, a lot of our federal tax dollars are going to these programs, so it’s really nice to see that we can utilize them in a way to help our community.”
Sarno said the program receives federal reimbursement for each meal it gives out, as well as funding for transportation, supplies, materials and labor. Lunch options include grilled cheese, taco sticks and deep dish pizza, and children are given preparation instructions for each of the meals they receive.
Take-home meals are distributed for children in rural areas of Carroll County on Wednesdays at Elmer Wolfe Elementary School and North Carroll Middle School and Thursdays at Century High School and Runnymede Elementary School. Congregate meals are offered in urban areas of the county on weekdays at Bishop’s Garth Park, Dutterer Park and Taneytown Public Library, and do not require preregistration or income eligibility, allowing any child to arrive during meal service and eat lunch.
This summer marks the first year the program extended its take-home meal sites to four locations, Sarno said, and the program as a whole increased from seven to nine weeks during the summer. Sarno said she hopes this will continue the massive growth of meal distribution the county has seen during the past three years.
“I’m really looking forward to the numbers and hoping to see the growth, and know that we’re providing that food to the kids,” Sarno said. “The response that we get from people picking up is so wonderful.”
Have a news tip? Contact Kat Mauser at kmauser@baltsun.com.
]]>Dorsey, 74, a current Carroll County Board of Education member, was given the Joseph R. Bailer Award from McDaniel College last month. The annual award recognizes a McDaniel master’s degree recipient for contributions to the field of education. Dorsey graduated from McDaniel with a master’s in education in 1983 and earned a doctorate in education from University of Maryland, College Park in 1999.
“It was very touching,” said Dorsey, who lives in Westminster. “I was very honored, and it was reaffirming of some of the things that I’ve certainly tried to accomplish throughout my career. It was good to know that someone was watching or someone was acknowledging some of my past efforts.”
Before being elected to the school board in 2018, Dorsey worked for Carroll County Public Schools from 1972 to 2011, as third grade teacher, Title I resource teacher, assistant principal, and principal, at William Winchester, Westminster, Eldersburg and Taneytown elementary schools.
After retiring from the public school system, Dorsey became a field assessment coordinator and field assessment administrator for National Assessment of Educational Progress, providing data collection and assessment services to aid in tracking student achievement.
Dorsey said receiving the award from McDaniel was bittersweet, in light of the loss of her husband.
“It meant a lot to me to receive it,” Dorsey said. “The first thing that came through my head was, I wish my husband were here to enjoy this honor with me, and that created a whole flood of emotions.”
The Carroll County Times asked Dorsey about the impact she has made on education in Carroll County. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
You made the decision twice to continue your education to attain higher degrees. How has that decision impacted your career?
It helped to open doors for me. It allowed me to apply for administrative jobs when I was working in the school system. Once I had made the decision that I was going to make a run for the Board of Education, it certainly opened up some doors for me there. I am quite active with our Maryland Association of Boards of Education, and that’s an opportunity that you can only have if you’re a board member. My mother used to tell us to go forward. She would say, “forward ever, and backward never,” so I keep striving to go forward. I loved learning, I loved everything that schools were providing. It was a fulfillment, something that I felt like I wanted to do personally for myself, whether anybody would have acknowledged it or not. It was something that I wanted for myself, to not just get the master’s, but then to also pursue receiving the doctor of education degree that I received as well. It’s one of those things where, when you work for things like that, those are things that no one can take away from you. It’s yours. I sort of went from taking my mother’s advice to continuing to try to move forward and I knew it was something that I wanted to certainly achieve for myself.
What roles have you had with the Maryland Association of Board of Education and what impact have you made in those roles?
I did serve for three years as a member of the board of directors. On the main board of directors, we would set the goals for the association, and we would come up with the strategies that we were going to use to pursue those goals. … Each each job that I’ve had, or each committee that I’ve worked on, all really connects. We’re trying to make sure that our organization, that our strong collective voice, continues. Our main focus is on our governance role. One of our biggies is that we always support local control. That, at times, can be difficult, because sometimes we feel like the local control is [being] taken away from us. [There] are bills that we will not support unless there’s changes made, because, we want to have local board authority.
What initially drew you to beginning your career in education, as a teacher?
I’m one of those people who can say that I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. It was just in me, so to speak. As kids, my sister and I would would play… back in our day, we created things to do. One of the things we created was, “let’s play school.” Whenever we would play school, I would be the teacher, and I would give her spelling words and math problems, and, I took on the teacher role. She was my little student. I’d even go around the house and question my mom, dad, uncle, and other relatives about how to spell certain words, or how to solve little problems or whatever. It’s almost like it’s been in me, I’ll put it that way… I’ve always enjoyed teaching, and I’ve always enjoyed learning. As a kid, you watch your teachers, and you see the things that they’re doing, you hear them, and they’re sort of your models. Already knowing I wanted to be a teacher, I was picking up from different [teachers] things that I liked, and maybe things that didn’t like. It’s something I’ve always had a desire to become.
I taught for for 10 years, before becoming a resource teacher, then moving into administration. Even once I moved into administration, I was still working with teachers. [I was] working at a different level, but still working collaboratively with them, as they were working to teach the kids. It’s been something that I’ve always enjoyed. We’re certainly not in it, as educators, for the money. It’s something more than that, we get out of teaching kids and being a part of education. Sometimes you don’t even realize the impact that you have on kids, but years later, they’ll certainly come back and share some things with you, and you begin to realize that.
Why did you decide to become a principal, and what was it like working for Carroll County Public Schools as a principal?
As a resource teacher… I went to Title I schools, giving professional development and trying to help the teachers incorporate different strategies or techniques to help the kids become more successful. In Title I schools, we really had to look at the data on how kids were performing, so my job was to try to help the teachers help the kids become more successful. I enjoyed that, because even though I wasn’t directly teaching the kids, unless I was giving a demonstration or a model lesson, I still had my foot in the door as far as educating the kids is concerned, by working through the teacher. … Once I became the assistant principal, then the principal, I had access to all grade levels, from K through five. I could really see the strands of the curriculum in each subject area, how they connect, and how we built upon prior years learning to set the stage for the next year’s learning. It’s good to see the whole continuum…
What made you want to run for Carroll County Board of Education?
[It goes] back to enjoying education, teaching and learning. In addition to enjoying learning, and having been retired for a while, I got to the point where I was sensing that it would be good to give back to the community. I’d already given, with my years of employment through the school system, but I still felt like I had something to contribute, to give back so to the community. When I saw that there was an opening on the board, I jumped in and ran in 2018.
You have been a popular candidate, winning the 2018 election in a landslide and narrowly defeating candidate James Miller for reelection in 2022, despite the other two members of his three-person slate winning seats. What about you and your message do you think resonated with voters?
I’m appreciative of the connections that not only I have made in the county, but also my family. I think when it came time to cast votes, some of those connections paid off. I had some parents who who said to me, they were parents that I had years and years ago… when they saw I was running, the parents said, “well, you better vote for Dr. Dorsey.” It’s that kind of thing, the connections I’ve had with the students, their parents, and staff members. My husband worked with the U.S. Post Office, so he certainly had a lot of positive connections in the community. I think the connections that helped to seal my victory.
What have you accomplished since joining the school board?
People have to understand, you can’t go in with individual goals and thoughts, “this is what I’m going to do, and this is what I’ll make sure happens,” because that’s not it. You’re with four other people; you’re a board of five. I have shown that I can certainly work collaboratively with other board members, from the first board to this current board. We don’t all think the same, we don’t always come up with the same kind of solutions to situations, but we’ve worked together, and I’ve shown that I could certainly work with folks. At times, I’ve been the lone person out there in some of the votes, and other times I’ve joined with others.
I’ve not been able to accomplish any one thing on my own, I’ve had to really work with the group. For me, what I’m most proud of, is that no matter what the vote, no matter what the situation, I’ve always remained true to myself. I went in with the ideal of trying to do what’s best for the students, for the staff members, the teachers, for the schools. … and that’s what I remain true to. … That’s the thing that I am most proud of, and it’s one of the things that you can’t lose sight of… You’ve got to be true to what you’ve committed to.
Why were you the only board member to abstain from approving the school calendar for the past several years?
That’s a perfect example of, even though I feel one way and I see the others are feeling another way, you just voice your opinion and move on. With the calendar issue, when I was still in the system, we had gotten to the point where schools opened that last week in August, and to me, it was great because college kids, for the most part, had already returned, and schools were active with their sports practices at that time. It seemed like everybody else was going back to school. … It made the day after Labor Day more efficient for us, because folks already had a week under their belts. I lived through it… and I certainly had teachers who were supporting that …
Is there an added significance to your accomplishments because you are a Black woman? Do you have a sense that it is a benefit to others to see someone so accomplished who also looks like them?
I think so. Years ago, when I first became a teacher, there were a number of African American kids in the school, and I thought, “this is good for them to to see,” that they had someone looks like them here, serving as a teacher. Then the thought came to me, “well, what about the other kids? Do you think it’s important to them as well?” I got to the point where I said, “yes, it’s important for them as well, to see me just as I’m presenting myself.” I don’t go around touting who I am or what I have, I’m just present. It was important; it was important for all the kids … A teacher is very important role and has a big influence on those kids’ lives.
What are your plans after your second term on the school board expires in 2026?
I guess I’ll be back to true retirement at that point. I’m active in my church, so I’ll continue to be active there. I serve as treasurer for my church, and I’m also a part of our music and drama ministry teams, so I’ll be continuing in those things as well. It’ll be church and family, as far as I can see at this point.
]]>“[Policy] JLCE, first aid and healthcare, is being brought to you this evening to also make sure that it aligns with recent legislation,” Superintendent Cynthia McCabe told the school board, “and to make sure that we add in the verbiage in there about bronchodilators, which we have not had in the past.”
A bronchodilator is more commonly called an “inhaler,” Director of Student Services Karl Streaker said, and the updated policy reflects that it can be used to treat “respiratory distress.”
The inhaler update is part of a law that changed during Maryland’s most recent legislative session. Streaker said state lawmakers also voted to allow emergency-use epinephrine in addition to epinephrine auto-injectors, commonly called an “EpiPen,” due to a pandemic-related shortage of auto-injectors. Single-use epinephrine must be administered by a qualified medical professional, such as a school nurse.
Epinephrine is used to treat anaphylaxis, which is a severe potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, according to the policy. The school system intends to continue buying EpiPens, Streaker said.
“We’re glad we have it,” Streaker said. “We hope we don’t need it.”
School board member Greg Malveaux said it is important to offer naloxone in schools because the substance can be used to treat an overdose caused by opioids interacting with other substances.
Common opioid medications that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration include oxycodone, oxycontin, hydrocodone, morphine, codeine, methadone, buprenorphine, suboxone, and (pharmaceutical) fentanyl, according to the policy. The portion of the policy that establishes in-school use of naloxone remains unchanged.
“It is important for the public to understand that those things are available in our schools if need be,” Board of Education President Tara Battaglia said.
Changes to Board Policy JLI, governing student seclusion and physical restraint, include removal of the phrase “corporal punishment,” and replacing it with, “principals, teachers, and school security guards intervening in fights,” according to the policy.
“[We] made a correction that this has nothing to do with corporal punishment,” Streaker said. “Rather, it has to do with teachers and school security guards intervening in fights, which is already referenced within the definition of restraint and it remains unchanged, the definitions are unchanged.”
The update would also add that staff may only use seclusion of physical restraint that is, “consistent with an evidence-based trauma informed crisis prevention intervention program,” according to the policy.
Verbiage that only allows physical restraint in a safe and effective manner, without intent to cause harm or undue discomfort, only after alternatives have been considered or attempted, and in a manner that is consistent with the student’s behavioral plan or known medical limitations, would remain in the policy.
“We did a deep dive to make sure we’re in alignment with [Code of Maryland Regulations],” Streaker said.
The board is responsible for reviewing each school system policy every three years, and proposed revisions will will be considered by the school board at its July 16 meeting. Anyone interested in providing feedback on either or both policies may use this link, or mail comments to 125 N. Court St., Westminster, MD 21157. Citizens also may speak during public participation at the July 16 school board meeting.
Anyone who wishes to participate must fill out an online sign-up form at carrollk12.org/board-of-education/meeting-information or call the communications office at 410-751-3020 by 9 p.m., on the Tuesday before a meeting.
School board meetings are open to the public and live streamed on the Carroll County Public Schools YouTube channel and viewable on the right side of the Board of Education’s website at carrollk12.org/board-of-education/meeting-information, under CETV Livestream. Meetings are also broadcast throughout the month on Carroll Educational Television, Channel 21.
Have a news tip? Contact Thomas Goodwin Smith at thsmith@baltsun.com.
]]>Taneytown Elementary became eligible to become a community school last year.
The schools are now eligible to provide additional services to students thanks to grants provided via the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future program.
State grants can be used to provide medical, dental, mental health, or behavioral support services, Assistant Superintendent of Operations Jon O’Neal told the Carroll County Board of Education Wednesday evening.
O’Neal said the district could also provide support to residents who live near the schools, depending on the needs identified in a Blueprint-funded evaluation.
Board of Education President Tara Battaglia said providing these services could improve student achievement.
“More than likely these are students who it’s very difficult for them to get to the dentist. It’s difficult for them to have access to medical care,” Battaglia said.
Taneytown Elementary’s needs assessment, which was announced in February 2024, will be concluded soon, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Nick Shockney told the school board on Wednesday. Officials do not yet know which services will be prioritized and how much money the school is eligible to receive.
The first year a school is designated as a community school it gets a state grant to fund the hiring of a community school coordinator. The coordinator conducts a needs assessment to determine what services would benefit the community. During a school’s second year of eligibility, additional services are funded by a state per-pupil grant.
“To give some credit where credit’s due to the state, this is a program that is state-funded,” O’Neal said. “There is not a local share here, it is a grant from the state.”
Eligibility is based on a school’s three-year concentration-of-poverty average, beginning the year a school is deemed eligible. A school that becomes ineligible can receive the personnel grant for two school years after the school loses eligibility, but may not receive the per-pupil grant, according to Maryland law.
The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price meals determines a school’s concentration of poverty status.
The threshold for community school eligibility has decreased by five percentage points for each school year since it began in 2020, when a school with a concentration of poverty of at least 80% was eligible for the grant. That percentage was lowered to 55% this year, where it will remain. O’Neal said Carroll benefits from seeing how other districts have operated community schools.
“We certainly are able to look at the experience of other systems by the time even we got to Taneytown,” O’Neal said. “There’s some continuum across the state of what that would look like, but there’s no prescribed, ‘it needs to be this.’ It needs to be a needs assessment for the students and the families in that community. The personnel grant in the early years pays for the person to do that assessment.”
Baltimore County Public Schools operated 91 community schools last school year.
“I’ve heard some feedback from colleagues from other systems,” Board member Patricia Dorsey said, “and they’ve had all positive things to say about their community schools and the amount of services that can be provided to families, even linking it with student achievement rising.”
Crossroads Middle School, an alternative school designed to serve students temporarily, has exited eligibility. Gateway School, the county’s alternative high school, is eligible to become a community school this year, O’Neal said. Alternative schools are designed to monitor and improve student behavior to promote success.
“The population is designed to come and go, and as they need services,” O’Neal said. “They go back to their home school perhaps, so the student population that’s in place when the school is identified as eligible may well not be the same population in place when the needs assessment’s completed, so that’s a complexity we’ve been seeing.”
Gov. Wes Moore’s administration proposed the Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act this legislative session, which would have paused funding increases to community schools for the next two years. Maryland’s legislature voted against reducing funding for community schools.
Have a news tip? Contact Thomas Goodwin Smith at thsmith@baltsun.com.
]]>CCEA is a union that represents more than 2,000 teachers, school counselors, registered nurses, and other staff employed by Carroll County Public Schools.
Superintendent Cynthia McCabe called it a “good achievement” during Wednesday’s school board meeting, adding that “we’re very happy to be at this place with CCEA.” However, the union’s president, Celeste Jordan, said in a news release that “educators are not getting what they fully deserve for next school year.”
According to the agreement, salary increases will be delayed until March 15, 2026, though a $10,000 salary increase for teachers with National Board certification will still happen, Assistant Superintendent Jon O’Neal said in an email.
School system staff has said the delays are due to state funding challenges.
The school board also unanimously ratified a contract with the Association of Public School Administrators and Supervisors of Carroll County on Wednesday, which also delays salary increases for those employees for a year.
The agreement will CCEA schedules eight additional early dismissal days, half of which will provide teachers with planning time, while the other half will be used for “professional activities,” according to O’Neal.
Jordan said the early dismissal days, which she called a two-year pilot program, was “a positive step toward supporting teacher autonomy and addressing the growing demands on educators’ time.”
Early dismissal days will help support state-mandated Blueprint for Maryland’s Future initiatives, according to O’Neal, which intends for teachers to spend no more than 60% of their time on in-classroom education, with the remaining 40% to be dedicated to things such as planning and professional learning.
The agreement will also provide a $2,500 lump sum payment for teachers with more than 20 years of experience who announce their retirement by Feb. 15.
Last year, the school board unanimously ratified a three-year agreement with CCEA, which set a $60,000 minimum salary for teachers, at a cost of $19.2 million, and established a career ladder that incentivizes earning a content-relevant master’s degree or National Board certification. The increase to teacher salaries has helped the district reduce teacher vacancies, Director of Human Resources Ernesto Diaz told the school board in August, and aims to attract the best-qualified teachers.
The minimum teacher salary in Maryland must be $60,000 by July 2026, according to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
Have a news tip? Contact Thomas Goodwin Smith at thsmith@baltsun.com.
]]>The upgrade is expected to be done by mid-August, Eichelberger said. McDaniel announced the $1.7 million renovation in November; construction began May 19.
“Our goal is to start hosting track meets again for McDaniel,” Eichelberger said, “and also, possibly, some Carroll County events, some high school events, and maybe even some other outside events — bring that to the college — which would be good for the college and the Westminster surrounding area.”
The track is likely to be a boon to Westminster hotels and restaurants, Eichelberger said, as hosting more large events in the city will draw crowds, and opposing teams will need accommodations.
The condition of McDaniel’s track has rendered the school unable to host a meet since 2018. The new track surface will have more cushioning, which will improve safety and performance for athletes, Eichelberger said. Workers have removed the old surface, down to the underlying gravel layer, and are installing a new drainage system on the edge of the quarter-mile track.
New fencing will make the track feel more private, Eichelberger added, and the college will likely impose new rules on community members using it to prevent deterioration.
“We’re going to have to be more careful of who gets on it,” Eichelberger said, “and do a better job with policing that, just because we don’t want people with improper shoes on the surface, for example. I know a lot of people bring their dogs and different animals when they would walk around the track and on the turf, and for obvious reasons, that opens it up to concerns with dogs going to the bathroom and relieving themselves on the track.”
It is uncertain what the new rules will be, Eichelberger said, but community members should still be able to use the track.
“It’s a lot more surface,” Eichelberger said, “and we’ll need to take better care of it, but all of that is on the table, at least for discussion. What that will look like, I think time will tell, but for now, just having a better facility will certainly open up more opportunities that we didn’t have before.”
The project will include a new jumping area, and the college installed a new cage for shot put and related athletics. Eichelberger said community members will likely be able to use these facilities, provided they have some experience in the sport and bring their own equipment.
“We consider ourselves part of the Westminster community,” Eichelberger said, “so whenever possible, we’re going to work with them and allow the community to use our facilities and our campus.”
Kenneth R. Gill Stadium began as a turf field inside the eight-lane track in 2004, with lights added in 2010. The 1,434-seat grandstand and stadium were erected in 2012 and were dedicated at the college’s Homecoming game on Nov. 3 of that year, according to McDaniel’s website.
Have a news tip? Contact Thomas Goodwin Smith at thsmith@baltsun.com.
]]>The school board followed recommendations from its Curriculum Council in rejecting the four books, and including 47 others slated for a variety of grade levels and topic areas.
Books and other materials for classroom lessons are chosen by instructional supervisors and are then vetted by the Curriculum Council to ensure they meet community standards for language and appropriateness, among other standards.
The vote to exclude the four books and include the 47 others was approved 4-0-1. Board member Greg Malveaux abstained, saying he did not have sufficient time to review the materials, which were presented to the school board in March.
A book which did get approved for use in 10th grade English classrooms, “Bloodchild,” a collection of science fiction short stories by celebrated author Octavia Butler, caught the attention of one board member, who called its literary merits into question.
“I appreciate the committee’s recommendation to pull some of these books,” Board of Education Vice President Steve Whisler said, “and I endorse that. made the list, but they did.”]”
Whisler said he found descriptions of a birthing process, physical sexual assault, and psychological sexual assault in “Bloodchild” to be troubling, though not in violation of the board’s policy banning graphic and explicit content. The book’s publisher recommends children receive parental permission before reading the book, he added.
“I was little troubled with… ‘Blood Child,'” Whisler said. “I actually read it, and [it’s] a real weird book: alien domination, surrogacy, and impregnating humans. It’s just really strange. … I struggled on whether or not we should remove that one.”
In January 2024, Whisler introduced a motion to ban all books deemed “sexually explicit” from the school system, which the school board unanimously passed.
Two members of the Curriculum Council voted against including “Bloodchild,” in lessons, while 25 members voted in favor of the book.
“I completely understand why Mr. Whisler brought up the appropriateness of the book ‘Blood Child’ by Octavia Butler,” school board member Kristen Zihmer said. “I understand why it’s a question whether it’s appropriate for high schoolers. It’s a science fiction collection, complete with aliens, bugs, and unsettling scenarios that explore mature themes with depth and nuance. Like Mr. Whisler said, there are those very mature themes in the book. After reading the book cover-to-cover, I found that once the initial shock of the sci-fi elements settle, each story reveals thoughtful, ethical dilemmas and philosophical questions presented in a way that I felt were both age-appropriate and intellectually engaging.”
Board member Patricia Dorsey said she read parts of the Butler book, and found notes from the author to contain useful information that helped her to understand the text.
“The book offers a rich literary value,” Zihmer said, “enhanced by the author’s note at the end of each of the stories, which provide meaningful insight into the author’s motives and creative process. Like Dr. Dorsey said, I thought that brought huge value to the table.”
Whisler did not ultimately move to reject “Blood Child.”
Now that the book is an approved curricular material, teachers may chose to use any or all of the short stories, Director of Curriculum Steve Wernick said. The book may also be available for projects that allow students to select what they read. Teachers may also decide to not use the book.
“Teachers may choose to use any of them,” Wernick said. “They wouldn’t read the entire book. They would use selected stories based on the literature and the skills that the author possesses or uses within each story that they choose. What was really liked about the book was the author’s notes, behind each story, of why it was written, and the components of it that help the literary understanding of it.”
“Bloodchild,” the short story that lends its name to the collection, won the Nebula award for best novelette in 1984 and the Hugo award for best novelette in 1985. Hugo and Nebula awards are considered to be among the most prestigious awards for works of science fiction.
Parents receive syllabi informing them of what students will be reading, which gives them an opportunity to object to their child being exposed to a text, Board of Education President Tara Battaglia said.
“This isn’t any banning or approving or denying of materials,” Battaglia said. “This is curriculum that is used in our classrooms. I hope the community understands that, so that there’s not misinformation out there.”
The Curriculum Council is composed of parents of students who attend each school, high school students, a representative of the Carroll County Education Association, school principals or assistant principals, interested citizens, and school board member Dorsey. Zihmer serves as the alternate board member on the council.
The approval process for curricular and instructional materials is separate from the approval and reconsideration processes used for school library books — 61 books were reconsidered and 26 were removed from school library shelves, mostly during the 2023-2024 school year.
Century High School performed the play, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” in November 2022. The council voted 11-14 against approving the novel for classroom use.
Have a news tip? Contact Thomas Goodwin Smith at thsmith@baltsun.com.
]]>The 31-member, board-appointed committee approved both measures in November. It is tasked with discussing family life instruction in public schools, reviewing all health curricula, and providing recommendations to the school board.
The committee was directed by the school board to review three topics during the past year, including current and proposed instructional materials used in health lessons for all school levels and the school system’s permission process for health education.
A report will also be given on updates related to implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The Blueprint is a multibillion-dollar education reform law enacted in 2020 and designed to reform Maryland public schools so that every student will be ready to enter the workforce or higher education after graduating.
Robert Moton Elementary School is now eligible to receive additional resources under Blueprint, as a designated “community school,” based on the school’s concentration of poverty, which is determined by the number of students at the school who receive free or reduced-priced meals.
Taneytown Elementary became eligible to become a community school last year, and is now eligible for per-pupil grant funding, according to the agenda.
Crossroads Middle School, an alternative school designed to serve students temporarily, has exited eligibility. Gateway School, the county’s alternative high school, is eligible to become a community school this year, according to the agenda. Alternative schools are designed to monitor and improve student behavior to promote success.
The school board will also review its policy on student exclusion and physical restraint, and its policy governing first aid and health care. Staff have proposed minor updates to each policy. The board is responsible for reviewing each school system policy every three years.
Wednesday’s meeting begins at 4 p.m., at 125 N. Court St., Westminster.
School board meetings are open to the public and live streamed on the Carroll County Public Schools YouTube channel and viewable on the right side of the Board of Education’s website at carrollk12.org/board-of-education/meeting-information, under CETV Livestream. Meetings are also broadcast throughout the month on Carroll Educational Television, Channel 21. Anyone who wishes to participate must fill out an online sign-up form at carrollk12.org/board-of-education/meeting-information or call the communications office at 410-751-3020 by 9 p.m., on the Tuesday before a meeting.
Have a news tip? Contact Thomas Goodwin Smith at thsmith@baltsun.com.
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