In the midst of the rise of hateful incidents targeting Jewish community members, we would like to share a united front against antisemitism. Montgomery Blair High School is committed to a safe, diverse, and equitable school environment. Antisemitism inside and out of school will not be tolerated at Montgomery Blair High School. As always students should see their counselor or school staff to report any discriminatory incidents.

We, as a school, have taken measures to educate the Blair community about the ill effects of antisemitism:

• Silver Chips (print) coverage of Union Station defacement and Staff Editorial, February 2022

https://issuu.com/silverchipsonline/docs/feb_2022_pdf

• MBHS Culture of Respect Module Presentation/SAT Day, March 2022

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NdX3wHHB83yVeoAAI532Xw-Zo3epxNsHv7DPVs1b2Vs/edit?usp=sharing

• Holocaust Remembrance Week, April 2022

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1r8Q4H1iBJ0qS1ycmTthuYp64QznZAW08KWu8qeuW7s8/edit?usp=sharing;

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_wq5YvMWb3Xqri0fyHglcyyFfpHNU6YedCbseF-4zNM/edit?usp=sharing

• Student Government Association (SGA)-sponsored speaker event featuring Richard Weiner on effectively addressing antisemitism, on January 9, 2023

• Blair’s Jewish Club will continue to discuss and share the many facets of the Jewish community.

In addition, we will continue to follow the antiracist guidelines and suggestions, as outlined by Montgomery County Public Schools, in order to promote an equitable and safe learning environment for our students.

Anti Racist Audit

What is the anti racist audit?

• Conducted by MAEC (Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium)

• A review of our district policies and practices to understand the impact of race and racism.

• This review looked at six areas of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS): Workforce Diversity, Working Conditions, Pre-K-12 Curriculum, School Culture, Community Engagement and Relations, and Equity of Access.

Anti Racist Audit

Where is the data for Blair?

Increasing access to honors-level curricula is one of Blair's ongoing equity-driven, anti-racist interventions. The SGA's All-In Honors Committee has created surveys to help us to understand how the implementation of the courses is going at Blair.

Here is the link for TEACHERS: (click here)

Here is the link for STUDENTS: (click here)

Here is the link for PARENTS: (click here)

Teachers will have mid-quarterly and quarterly sessions in order to share best practices and learn a new teaching idea! Blair will continue to use student and teacher voice to help drive professional learning and differentiation in the classroom.

The first All-In Honors check-in was on October 7, 2022 at lunch in room 233.

The next All-In Honors check-in was on December 9, 2022, at lunch in room 227.

The UPCOMING All-In Honors check-in will be on March 3, 2023, at lunch in room 227.

• English 10
• NSL Government
• Chemistry
• Algebra II (1 year only)

We will also continue to support the following All-In Honors courses:

• English 9
• US History/Modern World
• Biology
• Geometry

MCPS defines restorative justice as an approach to building community, self-care, and conflict resolution.

At Montgomery Blair, we are committed to the principles and ideals of finding alternatives to corrective action, specifically, for students of color.

Our staff was trained in facilitating community circles on October 24th, and students experienced community circles schoolwide on October 26th. There will be more training in the Spring.

Our Blair SGA is working along with the Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator to make materials and create surveys that allow students to experience restorative activities and practices.

The above Blair Student video about Restorative Justice was shared schoolwide in the Fall!

The Black Student Union meets every Tuesday, after school in Room 148.