Advocacy Network Encourages Parents to Join Committees

The Parents Advocacy Network (PAN) of Anne Arundel County held its third-ever meeting Tuesday night at the and discussed grading curriculum, high school start times and class sizes.

Chairwoman Joanna Conti and vice chairman Brad Myers lead the discussion with nearly a dozen local parents, many from the Severna Park area. Earlier this year, Conti and others created the PAN, an independent group comprised of local parents working to improve Anne Arundel County public schools.

“The bulk of the work we do will be done through the committees we form. If we’re really going to be effective, we need to form groups of people that are really devoted to meet outside these once-a-week meetings,” Conti said.

While the crowd was small in size, those in attendance weren’t shy about expressing their concerns for the school system and some of its policies.

Still in the early stages of its development, the PAN hope to use grassroots organizing and “public pressure” to get their message across to public officials, Conti said.

The group felt there’s not a lot to be done now that schools are ending soon, but they expressed excitement for what the group can accomplish in the future.

Want to get involved with the PAN? Check out their website. 

Tell us in the comments what issues with the school system you think should be addressed.