Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell is inviting residents across Anne Arundel County – whether they have students in Anne Arundel County Public Schools or not – to provide feedback on two key issues facing the school district at a series of Community Connections sessions beginning later this month.
Similar to sessions held in previous years, Dr. Bedell will begin each session with an overview of the school system’s successes and the challenges it faces moving forward. Following Dr. Bedell’s remarks, attendees – unlike in a town-hall style forum – will break into small groups for facilitated small-group sessions which will allow for conversation and feedback on suggested school system approaches to two topics:
the state ban on student use of electronic communications devices (cell phones, watches, etc.) during the school day set to go into effect at the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
the responsible use of artificial intelligence by students.
“These sessions have proven to be very valuable to me and to our team in prior years because they allow us to hear directly from members of our community,” Dr. Bedell said. “The two issues we will get feedback on this year are critical for us to address and I am very much looking forward to hearing ideas from our families, community members, students, and staff.”
In addition to feedback gathered at the sessions, the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback through an online tool.
The sessions will run from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be held in high schools around the county to make them more accessible to all populations. Interpreters will be available at all sessions.
Sessions will be held on the following dates:
Tuesday, October 27: North County High School
Monday, November 2: Glen Burnie High School
Thursday, November 5: Northeast High School
Tuesday, November 10: Arundel High School
Thursday, November 12: Southern High School
Tuesday, November 17, Annapolis High School
Thursday, November 19: Meade High School
A video of Dr. Bedell’s opening remarks and information from the facilitated discussions will be posted online following the sessions.