Around Maryland

Several Anne Arundel County parents and students used the Board of Education meeting Wednesday evening to voice concerns and offer solutions to specific school issues. Usually the public comment portion of Board of Education meetings are not followed by responses from the board or administrators, but Superintendent Mark Bedell and others were noticeably impressed with Wednesday’s student speakers.

Maryland Child Protective Services evaluates thousands of potential cases of child neglect, abuse and mistreatment each year to determine what actions are needed to protect some of the state’s most vulnerable population: its youth. But according to a Wednesday discussion during a Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families meeting, there are holes in the state data reporting and it’s currently unclear how many families and children receive services to protect kids from mistreatment.

In the wake of law enforcement concerns related to school safety, education officials this week released a statement citing a breakdown in communication between the parties involved. In a statement released Tuesday evening, the Worcester County Board of Education stressed that schools were not unsafe and reiterated the school system’s commitment to providing a safe learning environment for students. Nevertheless, the board said a school safety task force was being created.

Even on a day with no rain, water can be heard flowing underneath Remington at the intersection of West 27th and Fox streets. About 30 to 40 feet below a maintenance hole cover, Sumwalt Run — a creek that once flowed above ground — continues to move through the city’s stormwater sewer system, Baltimore artist Bruce Willen said.

Two affordable housing complexes in Glen Burnie and Odenton for older adults and those with disabilities will soon be getting face-lifts. Stoney Hill, a 55-unit apartment complex in Odenton, and Glen Square, a 127-unit building in Glen Burnie, both managed by the Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County, will undergo a combined $60 million in renovations starting at the end of this year, with completion expected around January 2026, said Clifton Martin, CEO of the Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County.

Motivated by soaring rental and home prices in the region, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball unveiled Wednesday a collection of housing proposals designed to ease the cost burden on county residents. Nicknamed the HOME Package, the policy bundle includes local legislation designed to curb Howard County rent prices; a bill that would help grow the area’s stock of moderately priced housing units by allowing the Howard County Housing Commission to partner with organizations to convert existing rental units to affordable units; and a state-level proposal that would enable the county to offer tax credits to property owners to incentivize new affordable units.

With the Anne Arundel County Board of Education nearing its vote Nov. 15 on a final redistricting plan, parents and students shared their concerns at a hearing Monday evening at the Parham Building in Annapolis. The board is reviewing two redistricting plans that would both redraw boundaries at 48 of the 58 schools in the northern part of the county.

It’s something that Dr. Laura Malone has heard many times from parents who come to her clinic at the Kennedy Krieger Institute: Their child’s fever may have broken and they may no longer have the sniffles, but they aren’t the person they were before catching COVID-19. Once active, social athletes now get out of breath walking their dog around the block and don’t have the energy to hang out with friends.