The mission of Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is to provide an opportunity for all school-aged children to receive an academically challenging, quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares for life, in an environment that is safe and conducive to learning.
CCPS promotes equity among all students, staff, teachers and community members. Board of Education equity policy, core values and CCPS system goals focus on teaching students the value of diversity and mutual respect. As a school system that values equity and diversity, our teachers, staff and administrators must model these values for children and the community.
Part of providing all children with an education that prepares them for life includes teaching children about their rights and the rights of others. Modeling the value of diversity and treating all members of society as equals reinforces our focus on mutual respect. Children learn not to judge others based on their identity, ability or disability, culture, background or skin color, but to support one another and know there is strength in diversity.
Board values, coupled with operational goals, drive the work of CCPS and address equity for all. CCPS is committed to working with the community to ensure our schools are safe places where all students are welcomed, valued and respected. We are here to support students, staff and families and aid in discussions about social actions that diminish the values of others. Our staff, administrators, school counselors, teachers, and school psychologists are resources of support.
This website is a community resource for all CCPS stakeholder groups. Click on any of the menus below to learn about different committees and programs in place to support CCPS and its mission to promote OneCCPS: Diverse. Inclusive. United.
The Board of Education functions off seven core values, four of which directly address equity and equality in education. All seven values are posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/beliefs-mission.
Below are the four that address equality.
- The Board believes in equity for all students, understanding that some students require additional resources to receive a quality education.
- The Board values equity as a personal and professional responsibility and will strive to create inclusive learning environments in which every child is able to achieve her/his highest potential.
- The Board believes there is value in diversity and all students and staff members are endowed with unique talents and entitled to mutual respect.
- The Board values and promotes practices that ensure a safe and orderly learning and work environment.
The Board of Education of Charles County adopted Policy 1820: Educational Equity in October. The policy focuses on the principles of inclusion and fairness for student access to essential academic, social, emotional and economic resources and supports. The policy includes three priority focal areas for educational equity:
- Recognizing and removing institutional barriers;
- Ensuring social identifiers are not obstacles for students, such as age, ethnicity, family structure, race, religion, etc.
- Guaranteeing that bias and students’ identities will not predict or predetermine a child’s success in school.
The policy highlights the Board’s commitment to cultural responsiveness, which values racial/ethnic cultures, views and experiences, and incorporates them into teaching and learning. Additionally, Policy 1820 charges the Equity Task Force to advise the Superintendent on education equity issues within the school system. The Board’s equity policy is posted online here.
CCPS has operational goals used to annually evaluate the school system. Goal 2 directly addresses a safe, orderly and caring environment for students and staff. CCPS ensures that schools are educational environments unhindered by bias or discrimination, where individuals of all backgrounds and experiences are welcomed, included and encouraged to succeed. Additional school system goals are posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/beliefs-mission.
In March 2019, Dr. Hill and the Board launched the Equity Task Force. A priority for the Equity Task Force was to create an equity policy. Kimberly Hairston, CCPS director of equity and diversity, leads the task force of 35 members that includes CCPS staff, Board members, educators and parents. The Task Force meets monthly and created the equity policy presented to the Board in 2020.
The Equity Task Force is also responsible for developing training specifically to address educational equity. Earlier this school year, Board members, the Superintendent’s executive and operations staff, and principals completed a 16-hour, 8-week training on implicit bias. The task force plans to implement the training systemwide to all CCPS teachers next school year.
Members of the Equity Task Force include:
- Kimberly Hairston, CCPS director of equity and diversity.
- Tajala Battle-Lockhart, Board of Education Member.
- Lora Bennett, CCPS executive director of IT strategy.
- Chrystal Benson, CCPS student conduct/engagement officer.
- Robert Johnson, CCPS parent and Charles County community member.
- Zohra Cherif, vice principal at Maurice J. McDonough High School.
- Autem Clay, administrative intern at Thomas Stone High School.
- Bethany Goodwin, CCPS youth-in-transition/foster coordinator.
- Julia Hardeman-Tsadick, school psychologist at Maurice J. McDonough High School.
- Ethel Hosendorf, vice principal at John Hanson Middle School.
- Lewan Jones, CCPS director for compliance.
- Philip Jones, vice principal at John Hanson Middle School.
- Kathy-Lynn Kiessling, CCPS director of student services.
- Beila Lugo, CCPS mental health coordinator.
- Michael Lukas, Board member
- Amanda Mastran, special education coordinator;
- Sonia Matthew, administrative assistant at Milton M. Somers Middle School;
- Christina Miller, CCPS coordinator of formative assessment.
- Tavon Myers, resource teacher at Westlake High School.
- Christine Paul, vice principal at Thomas Stone High School.
- Keyona Proctor, secretary in the CCPS Office of Accountability.
- Diane Roberts, principal of Westlake High Schools.
- Sylvia Royster, vice principal at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School.
- Rachel Ruiz, secretary in the CCPS Career and Technical Education department.
- Alysha Russell, administrative intern at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School.
- Tangela Scales, principal of Gale-Bailey Elementary School.
- Eric Schwartz, CCPS staff attorney.
- Sameemah Shareef, school counselor at Westlake High School.
- David Shimizu, CCPS manager of HRIS and compensation.
- Gwendolyn Todd, resource teacher at Maurice J. McDonough High School.
- Simone Young, CCPS coordinator of STEM education.
- Vera Young, CCPS content specialist for English/language arts.
CCPS provides all employees an overview of equity and cultural awareness. This is done through engaging and reflective conversations around cultural competency, equity, bias and an array of other topics. This interactive training allows for participants to reflect on classroom practices, peer-to-peer interactions and how this impacts our students, staff, and community with a goal of becoming a more equitable and inclusive school system.
Implicit Bias training
The CCPS Equity Task Force develops training specifically to address educational equity. Earlier this school year, Board members, the Superintendent’s executive and operations staff, and principals completed a 16-hour, 8-week training on implicit bias. All CCPS staff will be trained on implicit bias by the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
The goal of implicit bias training is to provide all CCPS employees with the tools to move toward cultural proficiency and equity in all areas of the school community. The training will provide staff with the understanding that differences, both among students and staff, are an asset to the learning community.
A proposed outcome of the training is a decrease in discipline referrals due to staff members having a better understanding of implicit bias and the effects on student behavior and performance. Instructional staff will also reference implicit bias and equity during professional development and how they both affect instruction.
In March 2021, CCPS launched a National Response Committee. The committee includes a group of diverse staff charged with developing solutions on how to help CCPS teachers, staff, students and parents handle sensitive matters such as racial and social injustices. The committee is actively working on a process for CCPS to address local, state and national events that affect the Charles County community. A goal of the committee is to ensure that all CCPS stakeholder groups – staff, teachers, administrators, students, parents and community partners – feel supported by the school system.
Members of the committee include:
- Nina Dee, school counselor at Mary H. Matula Elementary School.
- Kimberly Hairston, CCPS director of equity and diversity.
- Kevin Howard, CCPS human resources specialist.
- Kimberly Hill, CCPS superintendent of schools.
- Melinda Johnson, principal at J.P. Ryon Elementary School.
- Marvin Jones, executive director of schools.
- Kathy-Lynn Kiessling, CCPS director of student services.
- Shelley Mackey, CCPS communications specialist.
- Dionndra Prescott, executive assistant to the superintendent of schools.
- Jack Tuttle, CCPS content specialist for social studies.
A main function of the CCPS Office of Equity and Diversity is to provide diverse instructional content to schools to create culturally affirming environments where openness, inclusiveness, respect, and appreciation for diversity of thought, values, cultures, learning styles and actions flourish. The Office of Equity and Diversity oversees equity training, the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, and other CCPS programs offered to all students. More information about the Office of Equity and Diversity is posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/minority-achievement.
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) offers ongoing training of Restorative Practices using the International Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP) curriculum. A full continuum of interventions are available through two, 16-hour courses.
RP 1 & 2: Restorative Practices Basics teaches how to use circles effectively and addresses the resolution of the most common classroom conflicts. This model offers ways to prevent conflict, build relationships, and repair harm by enabling people to communicate effectively and positively. It involves both a proactive approach to preventing conflict, as well as activities that repair harm where conflicts have already arisen. This course is open to all certificated staff and instructional assistants.
RP 3 & 4: Facilitating Restorative Conferences teaches how to use a formal conference circle to address more severe issues and incidents of harm. Effective responses to incidents of conflict, wrongdoing, and harm are the hallmark of restorative practices. We dedicate two full days to teaching you how to facilitate a formal, scripted circle process to address racial incidents, bullying, vandalism and other serious infractions. Learn the steps for conducting a restorative justice conference, from determining the readiness of the victims, offenders, and others to running the formal meeting itself. Skills taught include monitoring your own reactions in stressful situations, listening with empathy, and creating shared understanding among conflicting parties. Recommended for administrators, counselors, psychologists and pupil personnel workers.
Each school has staff trained in both courses and offer a continuum of interventions including:
Expanding the Community & Building Relationships
- Affective Statements & Questions
- Social Discipline Window
- Restorative Practices Continuum
- Fair Process
Repairing Relationships
- Restorative Conferences
- Family Group Decision Making
Proactive Circles / Connection Circles
- Get to Know You (share AND learn)
- Classroom Behavior Expectations
- Check-In or Check-Out
- Curriculum (Academic) Preview/Review
Responsive Circles
- Peace Building
- Repair Building
Dr. Hill created a task force for CCPS leaders to learn about the experiences of school system employees, specifically African American staff. The task force meets regularly and discusses topics such as employee morale, equity and support in the workplace, and focal areas where CCPS as an employer can improve when it comes to equity.
The task force also develops strategies for the recruitment and retention of diverse employees. The task force plans to partner with community groups to share information about the value of a career with CCPS.
CCPS has created a position within its human resources department to target diversity and inclusion, and minority recruitment and retention. The position was created at the recommendation of the Task Force on African American Employee Experiences. The Diversity and Inclusion Specialist position is currently open for applications on the careers page on the CCPS website.
Members of the committee include:
- Tajala Battle-Lockhart, Board of Education member.
- Chrystal Benson, CCPS student conduct/engagement officer.
- Elizabeth Brown, Board of Education member.
- Yolanda Christian, secretary to the principal at Eva Turner Elementary School.
- Autem Clay, administrative intern at Thomas Stone High School.
- Kimberly Hairston, CCPS director of equity and diversity.
- Kimberly Hill, CCPS superintendent of schools.
- Ethel Hosendorf, vice principal at John Hanson Middle School.
- Kevin Howard, CCPS human resources generalist.
- Kevin Jackson, principal at Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School.
- Darnell Lewis-Russell, vice principal at Henry E. Lackey High School.
- Nikial Majors, CCPS assistant superintendent of human resources.
- Karl Meyer, building service manager at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School.
- Shirlene Ogburn, CCPS supervisor of employee services.
- Dionndra Prescott, executive assistant to the superintendent of schools.
- Diane Roberts, principal at Westlake High School.
- Pride Sanders, mathematics teacher at Mattawoman Middle School.
- Tangela Scales, principal at Gale-Bailey Elementary School.
- Julian Scrivens, English teacher at North Point High School.
- Kessandra Stubblefield, executive assistant to the Board of Education.
- Charmaine Thompson, CCPS chief of instructional technology.
- Keyanna Williams, first-grade teacher at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School.
- Victor Woodland, building service manager at North Point High School.
- Wilbert “Ken" Young, computer teacher at Theodore G. Davis Middle School.
