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There are concerns in Montgomery County about the school system's . Several community groups want to ensure Montgomery County Public Schools' (MCPS) discipline policies don't negatively impact Black and Latino students. More than twelve different community groups sent an email to MCPS requesting that the school system prioritize using alternatives to traditional punishments. The groups urged MCPS to "fully integrate restorative approaches" and create a clear plan to ensure that students who are suspended can make up missed instruction and avoid falling behind. 7News asked Dorien Rogers of Young People for Progress to explain how the code of conduct could potentially harm Black and Latino students as well as those with disabilities. "When we talk about intersecting into experiences of these Black and brown students, they intersect to then lead them to be out of the classrooms, which means less time with academic study," Rogers said. MCPS explained that the goal in updating the student code of conduct is to re-establish higher expectations for student behavior. SEE ALSO | School system leaders recently gathered before the Montgomery County Council's Education and Culture Committee to review the changes. Priorities include clearly communicating expectations, increasing student accountability, and elevating restorative justice, an alternative to traditional punishments that involves rebuilding relationships. One of the policy changes imposes harsher penalties, like suspension and expulsion, for infractions like drug possession. Rogers is disappointed that the student code of conduct was originally only offered in English. "What if English is not your first language and you're breaking this down for your parents, so that way, as a student, you're holding yourself accountable? That's the contradiction students are calling out for MCPS," he said. At the council work session, Dr. Norman Coleman, Director of the Department of Student Conduct and Appeals, explained the delay and promised the document would be made available in six languages. "It's actually going through translation. So, those copies should be released soon," he said. 7News checked and found that the Code of Conduct for the 2025-26 school year is now accessible in seven languages. You can read it .
