Public School Board To Vote On Eliminating Class Rank

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD -- The board of education of Anne Arundel County Public Schools will be voting on a change in policy that would eliminate class rank and change the criteria for selecting school valedictorians and salutatorians at its next meeting on June 5. If approved, the changes would take effect for students entering the ninth grade in the 2021-2022 school year.

An amendment adopted by the board at its May 15 meeting stipulated that students who earn summa cum laude honors (weighted grade-point average of 4.3 or higher) after seven high school semesters would be eligible to apply to be class valedictorian or salutatorian. The honors would be based on a student’s character, leadership, scholarship and service. Winners would be selected through a school-based process to be determined by the superintendent of schools.

Valedictorian and salutatorian honors are currently based solely on a student’s grade-point average. The board will meet in a public session at 8:30 a.m. for the sole purpose of voting to immediately go into closed session, during which time it will discuss confidential matters as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act including, but not limited to, legal advice, personnel, and negotiations. Closed session is not open to the public. The public session of the meeting will resume at 10 a.m.

Individuals unable to attend the general session of the meeting in person can watch it broadcast live on AACPS-TV, which can be found on Channel 96 on Comcast and Broadstripe, and Channel 36 on Verizon. High definition broadcasts can be seen on Channel 996 on Comcast, Channel 496 on Broadstripe, and Channel 1961 on Verizon. Rebroadcasts are scheduled for 7 p.m. the day after the meeting and 2 p.m. on subsequent Sundays.