New Strategies To Combat Hate And Bias Unveiled In MCPS

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Public Schools leaders laid out new protocols Thursday on how to better address hate and bias incidents in the classroom.

These new measures come as Maryland's most populous school district tackles incidents involving swastika graffiti, racial slurs, blackface and other acts of hate and discrimination.

"In light of recent troubling events of hate and bias in our schools and within our community within MCPS, we've taken various steps to ensure that all schools and offices have a clear approach to responding, restoring and preventing these incidents at a school district level," Monifa McKnight, the school system's deputy superintendent, said at Thursday's media briefing in Rockville.

The latest systemwide effort is built on three main areas of focus: responsive actions; restorative actions; and preventative actions. McKnight said the school district has partnered with a number of community groups — including the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and the Black and Brown Coalition — to help create and implement these initiatives.

"MCPS recognizes that we cannot allow swastikas, harassment and bullying of Jewish students, or any kind of hatred to be normalized in our schools," said Guila Franklin Siegel, associate director of the JCRC. "Hate doesn't disappear overnight — it takes hard work to build a culture of mutual respect."

Responsive Actions

In order to tackle hate and bias incidents in classrooms head-on, McKnight said clearer, more-responsive procedures need to be in place.

"This includes … enhancing the quick reference guide on hate and bias incidents for principals that more clearly outlines the steps schools must take in collaboration with Central Office," McKnight said. "Some of these new steps for principals includes outreach to special-interest groups and PTA leadership to determine next steps that may involve community engagement."

In addition to tweaking these guides and engaging with community members, MCPS says it is pushing to make its Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Form more accessible to the community.

"Students, parents, and staff will be able to complete and submit the form online within the next couple of months," McKnight said. "We don't want there to be anything that impedes students, parents, and community members to be able to report. So having this process online as a reporting system will allow us to create the opportunity of access."

Third, MCPS will activate a behavioral threat assessment team if an incident has been reported to the Montgomery County Police Department. Partnering with law enforcement officials will help schools make more-informed decisions, McKnight said.

Restorative Actions

The second component to the plan centers on restorative actions. That involves engaging with the community, providing students and staff with educational and mental health resources, and launching a new initiative called "Project Interrupt."

"Project Interrupt is a new initiative that will provide innovative tools and strategies to maximize participants' ability to impact their school environment on hate and bias and crime prevention," McKnight said. "Project Interrupt will do the following: We're going to train students, administrators, staff, counselors and community members to identify, prevent and respond and recenter re-engagement so that learning can continue."

"Project Interrupt" will first target school clusters that experience more bias incidents, officials said.

In addition to implementing Project Interrupt, MCPS is partnering with JCRC, the NAACP Parents' Council in Montgomery County, and other community groups to offer more community town halls, "reflection days" and parent information nights.

Preventive Actions

The third facet of the plan is about taking the initiative to prevent hate and bias incidents.

"In being preventative, we actually can be proactive in starting these conversations at the very beginning of the year when students arrive," McKnight said.

MCPS hopes that by engaging staff and students in conversation, officials can get a better sense of a school's culture and environment.

"Staff from several units including the equity unit, school support and improvement office, and the compliance unit will huddle frequently to review the database of incidents to determine where there are clusters of schools that are experience a high number or a sudden surge in hate and bias incidents," McKnight said. "This team, working with the school, will map out clear action steps for the school community. They will also be developing instructional materials and resources … through staff development, training modules … curriculum opportunities — all of these avenues in which we're going to be able to engage students in the learning."

Click here to watch the media briefing in its entirety.