Pictured above: my daughter, Kennedy, 6 years old sitting at her virtual desk in front of the blank screen of a faulty MCPS Chromebook.

MCPS has added yet another barrier to Black and Brown students, furthering economic and racial inequity across Montgomery County during a global health pandemic and economic crisis.

Parents are now being told that our children, as young as 5 and 6 years old, don't have the right to a public education if we don't have the financial means to replace faulty technology provided by the school system in the richest county in Maryland.

According to MCPS, Students and their families are now financially responsible for any intentional or accidental damage of any Chromebook loaned out to our children:

MCPS Chromebook Obligations: bit.ly/mcpschromebkobligations 
MCPS Chromebook "Acceptable Use" Policy: bit.ly/mcpsacceptableuse
MCPS Chromebook Repair Costs: bit.ly/mcpschromebkrepaircosts 

Early this morning, my 6-year old daughter's MCPS Chromebook - the "new" touch screen Chromebook - stopped working in the middle of her class. When I brought this to her school's attention, I received an email asking what we did to damage MCPS's device, and I was sent the MCPS policy written earlier this month in September 2020 (see attachments above).

This is an outrageous attack on our children's fundamental right to access a public education. The MCPS Board of Education should be ashamed, especially when they are willing to pay out untold amounts of money from the public school budget to stop educators from gaining a fair union contract. I am appalled!

With policies like this, the MCPS Board of Education is moving us further and further away from racial equity in this county!

Please sign on to this petition to stand up for the public education rights of our children, who cannot defend themselves against these racist and harmful policies! Tell the MCPS Board of Education to end their inequitable Chromebook policy now!