Blazer Press
Friday, October 30, 2026
Dear Blazer Community,
Welcome to the 5th edition of the Blazer Press for the 2026–2027 school year! This biweekly publication provides key news, updates, and information for our school community.
Today marks the end of the first marking period! I cannot believe we are already a quarter of the way through the year. As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
As we prepare for the upcoming marking period, I would like to provide key updates regarding the new state law on cell phones and the MCPS off-campus policy. Thanks to our security and administrative teams' active, mobile coverage strategies, unauthorized departures from campus have dropped significantly. Although hall roaming and cell phone use have decreased, further progress is necessary, and maintaining these standards remains a shared obligation for staff and students alike.
We got off to a strong start with everyone doing their part to support the new cell phone policy. For the most part, students were not on their phones or roaming during class. Teachers were consistently greeting students at the door and enforcing the classroom cell phone ban, while administration and security were firm in hallway enforcement and phone confiscation. Unfortunately, we have grown inconsistent with implementation, and our momentum is breaking down. As a parent of two former teenage boys, I know teenagers will always find the cracks. I get it, believe me. For staff, it takes immense energy to constantly enforce a cell phone ban, and it is not why any of us entered education. We are literally being asked to shift the culture and habits of an entire generation—and we need your help. The research is clear on the negative impact cell phones have on student attention and learning. We all want students in class, focused on instruction. Please reinforce this policy with your students at home.
Phone Lockers
Starting next school year, Maryland state law and MCPS policy will mandate strict, period-by-period enforcement of the phone ban across all classrooms. In preparation, MCPS has supplied Blair with classroom phone lockers (pictured below). During a recent meeting, our instructional leadership team unanimously decided to distribute these lockers to classrooms for the start of the second marking period and require students to store their phones in them upon arrival each period. Implementing this transition effectively requires establishing clear classroom routines and communicating expectations clearly.
We will introduce a soft launch next week, from November 5 to November 7, so that teachers have time to work with students on routines and we can identify where additional storage is needed. Best practices and expectations include:
Phone lockers should be placed in a visible location toward the front of the classroom.
Students should enter the classroom and place their phone in the phone locker.
Staff will lock the phone locker
Prior to the end of the period, the phone locker will be unlocked for retrieval.
Students are not permitted to take their phones when using the restroom during class.
Students found hallwalking during class with their phone will have it confiscated by administration or security - this is a non-negotiable.
We understand there will be challenges with this next phase and various details to address (such as substitutes and emergency evacuations), which is why we are conducting a soft launch. We are working with staff to compile and share current teacher best practices. Several Blair teachers implemented phone lockers or wall pouches on the first day of school with great success.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact my office.
Thank you,
Damon
Changes to Dual Enrollment Funding & Registration
If your student plans to take college classes through JumpStart to College (MCPS) at Montgomery College (MC) for dual credit, please review these important policies and funding changes taking effect for the Spring 2027 semester:
Due to fiscal constraints, the Board of Education’s approved FY27 Operating Budget included a reduction to funds for dual enrollment. The reductions include limitations on what dual enrollment opportunities are eligible for MCPS funding compared to prior years, specifically as it relates to student eligibility and course selection. Please note: Eligibility for dual enrollment participation and eligibility for MCPS funding are now two separate determinations.
Funding is Limited to 17 Curated Courses: MCPS will now only cover tuition, fees, and textbook costs for a specific list of 17 approved general education courses (such as ENGL101, MATH117, BIOL105, and HIST117) for students with CCR endorsement. Courses outside this list will not be funded by MCPS, regardless of a student's CCR standing (see list of approved classes below).
CCR Endorsement: To receive MCPS funding for these 17 courses, students must be officially designated as College & Career Ready (CCR) by Maryland State Standards (effective July 1, 2026). Most students will not meet these standards until the end of their 10th grade year.
Self-Payment Option: Non-CCR students or students taking courses outside the 17-course list may still enroll in classes for dual credit, but families will be responsible for all tuition, fees, textbooks and other related costs.
Funding Limits & Exclusions: MCPS covers up to two (2) approved courses per semester (Fall/Spring only) for students with CCR endorsement only. MCPS does not cover developmental courses, repeat attempts, or courses in summer/winter terms. (Note: Principals may request funding exceptions for non-listed courses strictly required for high school graduation or specific Career and Technology Education (CTE) pathway).
MC DE Grant is available for students whose household income is less than $100,000 for classes above MCPS coverage; students must follow through on all steps of the grant application. (Note: Applying for this grant does not guarantee receiving any funds)
Key Spring 2027 Dates:
Nov 2, 2026: MC Spring Registration Opens
Dec 18, 2026: Deadline to complete JumpStart registration and parent permission forms for winter and spring classes
Jan 25, 2027: Spring semester classes begin
Next Steps:
Review the list of the 17 funded courses below and reach out to your student’s high school counselor or Blair’s Dual Enrollment Program Assistant (DEPA), Mr. Randall Adams, to confirm CCR status and/or register for select courses before the December 18th deadline.
Helpful Links
NASA Headquarters Visit
Academies Update
We were proud to host three breakout sessions with visiting 8th graders and their families on Monday, Oct. 26 during Blair’s Showcase. We made a point of stressing that we exist to offer the best of Blair to students who aren’t in an application-only program. Students don’t have to be in the STEM Magnet (which will soon be known by the acronym SMCS) or any other application-only program to benefit from the same higher level electives or opportunities available to students in that program. We are open to all 10th-12 graders who wish to get the most out of their high school experience. In just a short while (Nov. 18), students will have the opportunity to select an Academy to join. We’ll be sending information out in advance of that date to encourage them to think about how the selection of an Academy and the participation in its programming can enrich their high school experience in a meaningful way.
The African American Studies Academy (Michelle Elie, Lead) continues its activities with a book club slated to begin on Nov. 5 during lunch. On Oct. 27, The Academy hosted a lunch celebration to honor its latest inductees into the W.E.B. DuBois Honor Society. Congratulations to these fine students!
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