HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Washington County Board of Education has advanced new policies concerning artificial intelligence and school attendance, and also talked about employee salaries, the rules regarding students’ cellphones, and the plans for the 2026-27 school year.
At the meeting held on Aug. 18, the board also considered the 2028 budget calendar and personnel matters and decided to postpone the decision regarding the name of the new elementary school on Downsville Pike in order to enable further discussion.
Downsville Pike school naming postponed
To begin the meeting, the board removed the suggested name for the new Downsville Pike elementary school from the agenda.
The board voted 4 to 2 to put off the decision and would like to discuss the suggested name in a work session before carrying out the public vote.
The board will discuss the name of the school at its meeting in September and make a decision at a later meeting.
Board advances AI policy
The board approved the first reading of Policy ACB, entitled “Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Teaching, Learning and School Operations.”
This policy comes in the wake of the Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools Act being passed by Maryland’s legislature in 2026. The law mandates that local education boards draw up policies concerning the use of artificial intelligence in schools.
District staff members said the proposal is based on a model policy issued by the Maryland State Department of Education and draws on AI guidance developed with input from teachers, students, administrators and library media specialists.
The student board member raised concerns concerning the environmental impact of artificial intelligence, including the problems associated with data centers and the frequent use of AI.
The administrators said they will probably handle the more detailed requirements through new regulations once the policy is approved.
The board unanimously approved the first reading, and the student member also agreed.
Attendance-area policy changes advance
The board also unanimously approved the first reading of amendments to Policy JCA, which deals with establishing school attendance areas.
When setting or altering school boundaries, the changes would abandon locally rated capacity and instead adopt state-rated capacity.
Staff said this amendment would bring the school’s policy in line with recent changes the county government made to its Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.
The new policy would also allow developers to submit written requests to the Board of Education for changes to the school attendance zones.
The county government could provide input on these requests before the board decides. School officials also said attendance capacity issues can affect developer payments, which help fund the construction of new schools.
Employee pay concerns
Another major topic at the meeting was pay for staff who provide educational support.
Kathy O’Reilly, the person in charge of the Washington County Educational Support Personnel group, told the board that some support staff are experiencing financial difficulties even though they put in a lot of effort for the school system.
She said some employees are forced to take on more than one job, use food banks or SNAP benefits, and struggle to afford health insurance, prescriptions and household bills.
O’Reilly pointed out the various roles support staff have, such as transporting and feeding students, assisting in classrooms, looking after the schools and helping out with families.
As a result, a board member proposed that the district consider setting the initial wage for support staff at $20 per hour, roughly $3 higher than the starting wage previously discussed at the meeting.
Teachers seek more voice in decisions
Carol Mow, president of the Washington County Teachers Association, said teachers must take part in school decisions.
Mow referred to the recent collaboration between teachers and district leaders in establishing Maryland’s phone-free school rules.
She said that while teachers support reducing classroom distractions, they worry about how the rules will be carried out, communicated and enforced.
She also cited teacher apprenticeships and early college programs as examples of teachers working with administrators and community partners.
Bus stop safety concern raised
Tom Woodward, who lives in Spring Valley and previously worked as a Maryland state trooper, asked the school system to examine the locations of several bus stops near a recovery home in his area.
Woodward told the board that children walk by the recovery home to get to their bus stops and asked the transportation department to consider moving them.
The school authorities asked Woodward to speak to a member of the transportation staff who was present at the meeting.
New school year preparations highlighted
As students prepare to return to school, the superintendent outlined the work staff members carried out during the summer.
They prepared about 3.66 million square feet of school buildings and looked after 1,200 acres of school land. They also arranged approximately 22,000 student schedules and checked, repaired or maintained 184 school buses.
The superintendent also mentioned rules concerning electronic devices.
Students are required to keep their cell phones, smart watches, tablets, earbuds and handheld gaming devices in their lockers while they are at school. The district hopes that this will reduce distractions and enable students to concentrate.
The dress code will remain unchanged, but the administrators stated that they will apply the rules more consistently this year.
ParentVUE app updated
People were informed of the updates to the ParentVUE and StudentVUE mobile apps.
The superintendent advised that users should delete the old app and then download the new version rather than attempting to update it.
Middle and high school students can use the app to access their class schedules, transcripts, GPAs, course histories and test scores, and families can update their emergency contact details through the app.
A board member requested that the administrators investigate the concern that some foster parents may not have access to ParentVUE for the children they look after.
Fiscal 2028 budget process takes shape
The board also advanced its 2028 budget calendar.
The intended schedule calls for the superintendent to present a draft budget at a work session on Jan. 26, 2027, and officials said this later date allows more time for the state budget and school funding details to arrive.
The board intends to postpone approval of the final budget until May to receive more definite figures from the state and county and avoid needing more approvals.
The board members also approved the procurement consent agenda, approved the appointments of advisory committee members and accepted the personnel actions discussed earlier in a closed session.
The district has scheduled its next Community Matters meeting for Sept. 8 at the Center for Education Services, focusing on the school budget and allowing community members to learn about the process and share their views.
