Jay K. Mason, President
Telephone: 301-696-6850
Fax: 301-696-6950
The Board of Education of Frederick County (Board) wishes to express our sadness and dismay at the growing trend of discrimination and violence against Asian Americans. In the last year, anti-Asian hate crimes have more than doubled. On Tuesday, March 16, eight people died, six of them women of Asian descent. We value our Asian American students, families, community members, and staff. We stand with you. These awful crimes punctuate a year in which our communities have been torn by racism, xenophobia, and violence.
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is a community that values inclusion. For our Board, that means we speak out and act -- by developing and enacting policy and by fostering a systemic culture that values every experience and perspective. We will not always get it right, but we will always work to learn and improve. Our FCPS community is better for its diversity, and we will continue to model inclusion.
Students who have questions or fears about violence, racism, xenophobia and hate crimes should always feel comfortable speaking to their school counselor. Parents, guardians and caregivers can also reach out to school counselors for support in ways to discuss hate-based violence with their children. Our school teams are always striving—even in hybrid and virtual settings—to foster spaces where students feel comfortable and supported in discussing difficult or scary issues.
This has been such an incredibly difficult year for so many. Our students need us all to move forward recognizing we are stronger and better together.
Sincerely,
Jay Mason
President
Karen Yoho
Vice-President
Elizabeth Barrett
Board Member
David Bass
Board Member
Jason “Mr. J.” Johnson
Board Member
Sue Johnson
Board Member
Brad W. Young
Board Member
Mia Martinez
Student Board Member