On December 13, 2022, a presentation was made at a Wicomico County Board of Education meeting by Dr. Rick Briggs, Chief Academic Officer of Wicomico County Public Schools in relation to prekindergarten. Briggs is tasked with the implementation of Maryland’s Blueprint for Wicomico County Public Schools. During the presentation, a major issue was discovered that clearly demonstrates unequal and inequitable access to education as a result of socioeconomic discrimination. This applies to every county throughout Maryland.
“The Blueprint establishes a significant expansion of free full-day prekindergarten to low-income families so that all children can begin kindergarten ready to learn.“
“Prekindergarten will be free to all 3 and 4-year-olds whose parents meet income eligibility requirements and will be offered on a sliding scale to all other 4-year-olds.”
How can all children be kindergarten ready, if access to prekindergarten is conditional? This is unequal access that discriminates and prioritizes enrollment based on socioeconomic status.
Just 4 days before the presentation, Briggs stated in this news report that “We do not have the capacity to serve all 3 and 4-year-old students in the county we just don’t have the space to do it.” Therefore, preference is given to low-income students.
Most schools and government funded programs have Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination statements. The Wicomico County Board of Education’s Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Policy BOE-GEN-PL-001 states the following:
Upon investigation, Maryland’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future has a Prekindergarten Implementation Plan that clearly discriminates against students and their families, creating partiality in its enrollment criteria of public prekindergarten in the state:
It’s also the socioeconomic slice that has the bottom score for parent-school positive interaction and the top scores for student academic and social failure, and negative parent-school interaction. Gosh, I hope the money makes a difference!
This isn’t new news. They admit kids starting with income levels, then if there’s room they move on to others who applied. This isn’t pre-K…it’s daycare. Most of the kids in there aren’t potty trained, so the teachers and their aides are essentially changing diapers all day.
Furtherance of systemic racism!
Making taxpayers pay for non-producers!
Gov employees (fed state and local) have specialize training in their careers, followed by yearly required sexual harassment, violence in the workplace AND some form of ETHICS.
Every time…..EVERY SINGLE TIME a subsection of the population is granted special privileges it is discrimination. How these workers continue to cross the line and in most cases pass rules that invoke discrimination – is beyond comprehension.
Dont only blame them, blame the selecting officials or nominating officials and voters.
There needs tonbe accountability or the lawsuits and taxpayers money used for settlements.
It will never end and the price will never go down.
briggs is just another government tit sucking pos! He is just bidding his time to get his million $ pension! dont rock the boat!