The Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association, MCR SGA, is a countywide SGA that represents all 26 of Montgomery County’s public high schools. MCR is comprised of multiple departments that advocate for policies on behalf of Montgomery County Public Schools, MCPS, students to the Board of Education, County Council, and the Maryland Legislature. Additionally, one of these departments is EDPOL.
MCR SGA is committed to student advocacy on municipal, county-wide, state, and national issues affecting all MCPS students. In an interview with one of EDPOL’s leaders, George Obongo explained the priority issues EDPOL aims to handle range from “the implementation of community engagement officers to the revision of the current infrastructure of schools within MCPS. EdPol aims to address any and all issues that affect the 160,000+ students of MCPS. We don’t view any issue as more important than another, but rather [we] view each issue equally and strive to amend the current problems by offering effective solutions and resources.”
Compared to other departments of MCR, EDPOL is a newer department; MCR created the EDPOL department in August 2020. Pratiksha Das, MCR’s secretary officer for the 2022-2023 school year, commented on the creation of EDPOL saying, “MCR created the Educational Policy Department after realizing that there were students that wanted to work ‘behind-the-scenes’ on more policy-oriented goals rather than directly networking/outreaching to other students in Montgomery County. Creating the EdPol department allowed our other policy-oriented department, Legislative Affairs, to focus on lobbying directly and building more interpersonal relationships with legislators. In contrast, EdPol focused on the research and writing aspect of policy.”
EDPOL’s focus on equity inspired many EDPOL leaders in MCPS. When asked, Obongo explained he wanted to join EDPOL because of his experiences. Obongo stated, “I have witnessed the changes the county has gone through and the changes that still need to be made. Specifically, the topic of mental health caught my attention the most. Seeing how students were forced to go back to in-person learning after spending a year adapting to virtual learning—with little to no mental health support–saddened me but also motivated me to augment the situation.” George also explained how he got into EDPOL. “Through MCR’s advocacy day, I was able to lobby legislators for the passing of HB 0118, a bill that would allow students excused absences for mental health purposes. From that point onwards, I saw a future for myself, advocating on behalf of my peers for the betterment of society.”
In the short time frame, they have been a running department. EDPOL has made some major achievements. Obongo mentioned that since its starting, EDPOL has revised the student rights and responsibilities handbook, members of EDPOL have testified to the Board of Education to allocate funds within the County’s 2.9 billion dollar budget, EDPOL has expanded the current ESOL Program, and EDPOL has advocated for more mental health resources. EDPOL has accomplished most of these achievements during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning leaders were productive during virtual learning.
EDPOL has done more with the help of the MCR board. In their interview, Das mentioned, they created an “SRO forum to educate students about policing in schools,” wrote multiple policies to engage MCR’s platform, and provided updates on policies they are working on to MCR’s social media.
EDPOL has made numerous effective achievements in the realm of student advocacy in the past, and this further inspires them to continue their streak. When asked “what are the goals EDPOL has on completing this school year?” Obongo said, “Although we have many projects in store this year, our biggest one is the mental health forum we are planning for next month. Alongside our current issue of the month project, our deputies are working diligently to help put together this year’s mental health forum. The forum will include panelists from many diverse backgrounds, who will answer any mental health-related questions and share their insights on the topic of mental health.” This current project is one EDPOL is doing with the corroboration of the MCR officers Das mentioned in their interview. The expected date of this forum is Feb, 7th, 2023.
EDPOL has shown itself as a necessary department in MCR and MCPS. Overall, their achievements and current works speak volumes to the dire need of MCPS students who sought out a leadership group to advocate for issues regarding their education. Obongo agreed with this. Obongo stated, “I feel that EDPOL adds both value and perspective to MCR as a whole. MCR seeks to represent the viewpoints and ideas of MCPS students – a quality that EDPOL fully encompasses. Through our issue of the month plan, students in the county can read about the current problems we are solving written by their peers.” Communication is a quintessential value of EDPOL, as in any advocacy group. Obongo commented about the lack of communication between students and resources that will make improving conditions accessible. Obongo also states that “I feel that there are still many students in the county who are eager about advocacy and change but may not know of MCR. By writing these issue[s]” on “the month[ly] papers and sharing them on social media, EDPOL hopes to engage with more and more students of the county every month, as an attempt to both attract and engage more Montgomery County students to speak up on any injustices or wrongdoings.”
To learn more information about EDPOL visit their Instagram or MCR’s Instagram.
Written by Maru Amtataw of John F Kennedy High School