Baltimore and Maryland education news- The Baltimore Banner
Baltimore County school district explains why some students aren’t getting laptops
Saving money, damages to devices and concerns from the community were reasons why some Baltimore County Public Schools students won't get laptops next year.
Baltimore County Public Schools announced last week on social media, without explanation, that it is changing the way devices will be given to students.
Baltimore County won’t give some students laptops anymore, and won’t say why
The policy marks a significant shift from the school system’s approach to technology being widely available and equitable, even at home.
A child uses a laptop.
Maryland law schools double down on efforts to exonerate the innocent
The Maryland Office of the Public Defender, in partnership with the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, has launched a second Innocence Project Clinic.
From left, Maryland Assistant Public Defender Erica Suter, Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue, and Rachel Bennett, who most recently worked as a senior attorney at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, who is taking over for Suter as director of the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Commentary: Supreme Court’s ruling on LGBTQIA+ books is a slippery, hateful slope
The Supreme Court’s decision to let Montgomery County parents exempt their children from public school lessons using LGBTQIA+ books is a subtle tool of hate.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 22: Protesters in support of LGBTQ+ rights and against book bans demonstrate outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on April 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. Supreme Court Justices heard arguments for the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor where a coalition of parents from Montgomery County, Maryland, say that a school requiring their children to participate in classes that include LGBTQ themes violates their religious beliefs and thus their First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion.
The Supreme Court sided with a Montgomery County parents’ group on LGBTQIA+ books. Now what?
A parent, an attorney and an educator weigh the court’s ruling and what it could mean for the rest of the nation.
A selection of books featuring LGBTQ characters that are part of a Supreme Court case are pictured, Tuesday, April, 15, 2025, in Washington.
University of Maryland presidents push collaboration to restore federal research funding
University leaders at Maryland believe there could be a way to compromise with the Trump administration over research funding.
University of Maryland president Darryll J. Pines, from left, University of Maryland Baltimore president Dr. Bruce E. Jarrell share a laugh before the announcement of the Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine in the new 4MLK building located in the University of Maryland BioPark.
Century-old University of Baltimore faces new cuts amid declining enrollment
Over the last 10 years, the University of Baltimore’s enrollment has dropped, its faculty has halved, leaving its deficit swollen amid state cuts.
University of Baltimore president Kurt Schmoke sent a campuswide email last week, announcing unspecified reductions coming for the school.
Only half of kids under 5 in Baltimore can access early education, report says
Researchers say a child's zip code or their parents' income shouldn't determine their access to early childhood education. But in Baltimore, it often does.
A lack of affordable child care in Baltimore means parents can't get to work and kids may not be ready for kindergarten, according to a report released Wednesday.
Maryland social studies curriculum update reflects concerns about antisemitism
Maryland's rewrite was criticized at points for some of the initial changes and for leaving social studies teachers out of the process.
Maryland’s state board of education approved updates to social studies standards over concerns about growing antisemitism.
It just got tougher to ban books in Maryland school libraries
Maryland’s school board changed state regulations to align with a law that prevents removing books from school libraries without due process.
The library and media center inside Oakland Mills High School in Columbia.
For a teacher accused of abusing students, ‘not guilty’ doesn’t equal public exoneration
When a teacher accused of sexually abusing students is found not guilty, the pain won’t go away easily. Not for the teacher, the student, their families or the community.
From left, Matthew Schlegel’s attorneys Andrew Harvey, Peter O’Neill, and Patrick Seidel speak to reporters outside the Annapolis courthouse last week.
It’s not just late buses: Baltimore kids face serious safety risks
Baltimore students have been followed, harassed, assaulted and held up at gunpoint while crisscrossing the city on public transit to get to and from school.
Baltimore city bus #54, the brown route, does a loop from downtown up to Hillendale and back again on June 4, 2025.
Protesters rally after Severna Park Elementary teacher found not guilty of most charges at sex abuse trial
Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Pamela K. Alban ordered that Matthew Schlegel, 45, of Severna Park, be released from the Jennifer Road Detention Center on his own recognizance.
Protesters stand holding signs outside of the Anne Arundel County Courthouse on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, ahead of the bail hearing for Matthew Schlegel.
Baltimore County gym teacher indicted on 22 counts related to sexual abuse
A grand jury this week indicted Roger Myers, a longtime gym teacher in Baltimore County Public Schools, on 22 counts related to interactions with two students this past school year.
The Baltimore County Public School Board logo as seen during a board meeting on 12/6/22.
Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland sue U.S. Department of Defense over research funding
Two Maryland universities are joining a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense, arguing they could lose tens of millions of dollars if the department caps its indirect cost rates.
A student passes in front of the Johns Hopkins University sign welcoming people to the Homewood Campus from Charles Street in Baltimore on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.
Have an artsy kid? Baltimore approved a charter school just for them
Ten years ago, an arts nonprofit launched a popular summer program at Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School. In 2026, that vision will come to life full-time.
The nonprofit Arts for Learning Maryland is planning to convert Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School in West Baltimore into Dream Academy Charter School for the 2026 school year.
Special education is her top priority. She tries to make it Baltimore County’s, too.
Sharon Saroff advocates for special education students in Baltimore County — sometimes with attitude.
Sharon Saroff, who has about 50 clients, helps families navigate special needs issues at Baltimore County Public Schools and in other Maryland schools.
Howard County school board eliminates third grade orchestra, makes other cuts despite public pleas
Cuts to the orchestra program were among the difficult choices that the Howard County school board made to close a budget gap.
Howard County students, parents and community members packed the Board of Education Thursday afternoon looking to save funding for several district programs and positions.
These cute dogs have a serious mission: Help kids testifying in court
Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Pamela K. Alban, over objections from Matthew Schlegel’s attorneys, has allowed dogs to sit in the witness stand with children who are testifying in the case.
Ziggy, a therapy dog with Caring Canines Pet Therapy Program, is pictured on Friday outside the Anne Arundel County Courthouse in Annapolis.
Hopkins’ dimming DEI efforts worry students who feel left behind
Johns Hopkins University is at a complicated crossroads as President Donald Trump’s administration threatens to pull federal funding from institutions with programs that support marginalized groups.
Johns Hopkins University graduating senior Akosa Obianwu says the university’s priorities don’t include DEI.
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