The boy actually had dangerously low blood sugar, she said, something that could have turned into a medical emergency. She got an alert on her phone about the boy’s low glucose levels, which allowed her to notify the Baltimore County school he attends. But Boninu said the school’s nurse should have been monitoring it instead and is urging the school district to do more for children like him.

“My son was scared to death,” Boninu said. “He didn’t know what to do.”

Her son has Type 1 diabetes, a condition that affects about 304,000 U.S. children and adolescents. Low blood sugar in individuals with diabetes can cause convulsions, seizures, loss of consciousness, coma, and rarely death, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Earlier this month, she requested that the school board require school nurses to use remote monitoring apps to reduceschools’ reliance on parents and teachers.

The school district, Boninu said, has denied her requests to get remote monitoring for her son since his diagnosis three years ago because they say it’s the teachers’ responsibility to listen for alarms from the continuous glucose monitor worn on her son’s arm. Boninu argues that’s not sufficient, as there are loud portions of a school day, and her son can’t always stand within earshot of a teacher.

“My son has had serious low blood sugar emergencies during fire drills, recess, lunch, orchestra, music class, on the bus, outside in the hallway during dismissal because no one could hear his alarms,” Boninu said, adding separately: “What if I had been working and unable to call the school?”

Continuous glucose monitors can be used by people with either type one or type two diabetes, said University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Paula Newton, instead of using a lancet to draw blood for blood sugar monitoring.

“The person with diabetes can wear this little device that is attached to them that can give a blood sugar reading every five minutes,” she said. The CGMs can also indicate trends in a patient’s blood sugar.

When a patient’s blood sugar level reaches a high or low level, the device raises an alarm. School nurses or other trained staff members could view a student’s blood sugar levels and determine whether intervention is required.

Some Baltimore County students, such as those with autism or those who are very young, have been granted remote monitoring by school nurses, Boninu said.

Baltimore County Public Schools’ nurses “are permitted to and do remotely monitor CGMs,” Gboyinde Onijala, executive director of communications and community outreach for the district, said via email Tuesday. Onijala did not answer other questions related to this issue.

Advocacy group FollowT1Ds says remote monitoring of continuous glucose monitors by schools can minimize potential medical complications, decrease classroom disruption by keeping kids out of nurses’ offices and help students focus.

Kerry Murphy, executive director of the group, said there have been multiple letters from the federal Department of Justice to school districts across the country saying families asking for this accommodation from schools need to receive it under the Americans With Disabilities Act. She estimated that, based on survey data that hasn’t been published yet, about half of school districts nationwide allow remote monitoring.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General did not respond to questions by deadline Monday.

Remote monitoring would involve scheduled checks and responding to audible alarms for students with type one diabetes, Murphy said.

Going to school without the additional safety net, Boninu’s son feel anxious and unsafe at school, she said.

“He just wants to be a kid. He wants to fit in. He wants to feel safe and accepted at school. He doesn’t want to feel singled out due to his disability when the school is trying to have his teachers manage his medical care for him in class.”

Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.

The bears were last seen walking in the woods toward Antrim Boulevard, the department wrote. Anyone who encounters the bears is advised not to approach or engage with them.

“For your safety and theirs, please keep a safe distance, bring pets indoors, and secure trash or food sources out of an abundance of caution,” police said. The department asks anyone who sees the bear and cubs to call 410-751-1150 or 911 immediately.

Though sightings in other areas of the state aren’t uncommon, Maryland’s four westernmost counties, Garrett, Allegany, Washington, and Frederick, are home to the state’s breeding population of more than 2,000 black bears, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Bear sightings can become more frequent in October and November as the animals bulk up for hibernation, the department says.

Residents in Baltimore and Howard counties reported sightings of a young black bear earlier this year as the Department of Natural Resources believed it was likely leaving the area it was born and looking for where to spend the rest of its life.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources advises remaining calm and making your presence known when encountering a bear. The department says not to run or approach the bear, and speak in a firm voice while backing away slowly. Also, make sure the bear has an escape route and avoid direct eye contact. If the bear becomes a nuisance, the DNR recommends making noise and using bear spray if needed.

Todd Karpovich contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.

Baltimore City’s Department of Transportation announced Saturday that downtown closures will last from Monday, Nov. 10, through Friday, Nov. 14, with some anticipated to continue even longer.

Here is a breakdown of the closures:

• A full-time lane closure on Guilford Avenue between Preston and Biddle Streets due to a BGE pipeline project.
• Guilford Avenue will be reduced full-time to one travel lane between E. Lexington and E. Fayette streets.
• A full-time lane closure on Monument Street between Guilford Avenue and North Calvert Street through Fall 2025 due to a BGE pipeline project.
• Maryland Avenue will be reduced to one travel lane full-time between I-83 and Oliver Street due to a BGE pipeline project.
• A full-time right lane closure on N. Charles Street between Saratoga and Pleasant streets through December 2025.
• Nightly lane closures on Pratt Street between Light and President streets are in effect Sunday evening, Nov. 9, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning through Thursday evening, Nov. 13, the following morning due to the Inner Harbor Intersection Improvement Project.
• Nightly lane closures on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard at the intersections of Pratt Street and Washington Boulevard are in effect on Sunday evening, Nov. 9, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning, through Thursday evening, Nov. 13, for milling and paving work.

The city’s transportation department recommended drivers use Waze to navigate the detours.

Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.

Police arrived at the school at about 5 p.m. Friday and searched it after receiving the flag from Omnilert, a weapons detection system used by Baltimore County Public Schools.

“Out of an abundance of caution, a Baltimore County police supervisor requested a police search of the property. Students were immediately relocated to a safe area where they were supervised,” wrote Parkville Principal Maureen Astarita in a message to families Friday night.

After the search, “[a]ll students, staff and visitors were allowed back into the building and evening extracurricular activities resumed,” she wrote.

In October, a Kenwood High School football player eating chips after practice triggered the Omnilert system at that school, eventually leading to a police response. Police surrounded Taki Allen with their weapons drawn. The incident led some local politicians to call for more oversight on the technology.

Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.

In an email sent out just before 5 p.m., Perry Hall Principal Justin Benjamin wrote that the school had been evacuated and that the fire department investigated the odor and “cleared the building of any imminent threat or hazard.”

He also said that the school will be open on Saturday morning, between 9 and 11 a.m., for students and their parents to gather any belongings they may have left behind during the evacuation.

No immediate danger

An earlier message from Benjamin, also sent to the school community, stated that administrators were notified of an “unusual odor” in the building at 1:30 p.m. The school, located in the 4300 block of Ebenezer Road, implemented its evacuation procedures as a precaution and called the Baltimore County Fire Department to investigate.

“All students and staff are safe and continuing to follow proper evacuation protocol. However, because BCFD investigators have yet to allow re-entry into the building, students are currently still being held at a safe distance,” Benjamin said. “At this time, we are asking families NOT to come to the school to pick up their child.”

Fire department officials echoed that in their own message, later posting on X shortly before 2:30 p.m. Friday that children were not in “immediate danger” and continuing to follow evacuation protocol. Although fire officials were still investigating as of 3:25 p.m., the department said in a subsequent update that dismissal had started and was in progress.

No injuries were reported. Children who reported symptoms were evaluated and cleared by medics, the department wrote.

#Baltcofire. 4300 BLK Ebenezer Rd. Units on scene investigating an odor in the school. No immediate danger to the children. Parents are ask not to come to school at this time. Working with school admin. LJS 1424 pic.twitter.com/0epMiBcmgf

— Baltimore County Fire Department (@BaltCoFire) November 7, 2025

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The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Thursday that it is temporarily reducing flights by 10% at 40 airports nationwide, as the longest government shutdown in history continued.

A 4% reduction in flight operations began Friday and will slowly ramp up to 10% by Nov. 14, the Trump administration said in a statement. All three major Baltimore-Washington regional airports, BWI Marshall, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport, are on the list to see reduced air traffic.

“My department has many responsibilities, but our No. 1 job is safety,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a statement Thursday. “This isn’t about politics — it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay.”

Early Friday evening, there had been 91 delays at BWI and 22 cancellations, according to flight tracking and aviation data company FlightAware. Dulles had 76 delays and 22 cancellations. Ronald Reagan had 323 delays and 138 cancellations.

Southwest, BWI’s largest airline, announced Thursday night that it had “proactively canceled about 120 flights for [Friday], representing a small portion of our daily schedule,” across 34 of its airports. The airline expects to have fewer than 100 cancellations on Saturday.

All Southwest passengers who have travel plans through Wednesday, Nov. 12, can adjust their flights for free or receive a refund, whether or not their specific flight is affected by the traffic reduction, according to the airline’s statement.

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees. We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity,” the statement read.

The country’s air traffic controllers have been working without pay since Oct. 3, the FAA’s emergency order says.

Last year, BWI had almost 2.1 million passengers in November. The airport averages 274 domestic departures, 11 international departures and transports 1.4 million pounds of cargo a day, its website says. The airport and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association did not immediately respond to questions on Friday.

Understaffed air traffic control towers are not a new issue created by the government shutdown. In May, the Associated Press reported a shortage of about 3,000, with the air traffic controllers’ union saying there were 10% fewer controllers last spring than there were 10 years ago.

“It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking,” Duffy said Thursday.

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The Maryland Report Card grades schools using Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) scores, graduation rates where applicable, survey results and other measures. A five-star school scores at least 75% of the possible points. The district’s 23 five-star schools is an increase from the 20 last year, when the school district again had the highest number of five-star schools.

Though the majority of schools statewide retained their star rating from last year, 26 Baltimore County schools improved their ratings. The majority of the district’s 161 schools earned at least three stars, with 27 earning two stars or less, according to a news release from the district.

The district reduced the number of one- and two-star schools by six and outpaced the state’s average star rating of 3.35, with an average of 3.42, according to the release.

Although members of district leadership said they are pleased to see another year of modest progress on the Report Card and MCAP scores, they acknowledged that there is still more progress to be made. Baltimore County students scored 45% proficient in reading and 20.7% proficient in math on the 2025 MCAPs.

“I am so proud and pleased with the data that MSDE shared today,” Baltimore County school board Chair Jane Lichter said. “I know we have a lot more that needs to be done to make sure that all of our students achieve at high levels, but we are moving forward.”

“Progress may be gradual, but consistent improvement across metrics … shows that BCPS, led by Dr. Rogers, is advancing, and staff efforts are making a real impact,” Lichter said.

Reversing over a decade of academic decline requires a district to create sustainable conditions for success, Superintendent Myriam Rogers told reporters on Wednesday.

“You have to take care of the foundation before you can start to actualize significant growth,” she said. Although it typically takes three years of change before metrics move, she said the district was encouraged by progress that began sooner than expected.

And not everything is incremental. Rogers pointed out that economically disadvantaged students made significant progress on their MCAP scores. Across all 2025 English tests, those students increased their scores 33% year over year, or 8.1 percentage points, shrinking the achievement gap between them and the district at large, MSDE data shows.

“Not where we need to be, but definitely progress,” Rogers said. “We’re just going to continue to do that work in the right way, so that all students can benefit from it.”

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Students’ next school year will start on Aug. 31, 2026.

The committee charged with creating the calendar proposals voted to recommend a pre-Labor Day start, said Joelle Bielski, director of the district’s department of staff relations and employee performance management, during a presentation to the board in September.

The final calendar passed also keeps the Feb. 10, 2027, half-day for professional development, but makes Dec. 9, 2026, and April 21, 2027, full days.

Maryland students are required to complete a minimum of 180 days of school each year. Both proposed calendars had three built-in emergency closure make-up days. The calendar committee will continue to produce pre- and post-Labor Day options, with the fewest half-days possible, to present to the board.

Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.

Board members voted 6-5 on Tuesday against a resolution that would support legislation putting the school system under the inspector general’s jurisdiction. A day later, Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan expressed doubts that her office could handle such an expanded caseload without more funding or manpower.

Madigan noted that her six full-time employees and her office’s budget are “much, much lower” than those of comparable jurisdictions’ inspector general’s offices. Madigan was responding to the County Council’s call to expand her mandate, which would require approval from state lawmakers. Lawmakers from both major parties have said they will introduce such a bill next year.

“If this bill was to pass, the office would need additional resources to be able to meet the demand of adding this massive amount of jurisdiction within our purview,” Madigan said.

Baltimore County’s school board voted down a resolution supporting such an effort. Opponents said expanding the inspector general’s office is unnecessary and noted that board members have no specific legislation to consider.

“Why are we acting prematurely before we even have a document that we can reasonably assess, as is our responsibility as board members?” asked board vice-chair Robin Harvey, who voted against the resolution.

Baltimore County schools account for approximately half of the county’s annual spending. And that county money accounts for roughly half of the school district’s budget. The rest comes from a mixture of federal, state and other dollars. While all districts are subject to the Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education, Montgomery County has the only county inspector general in Maryland with authority over the local school system.

Board member Julie Henn, who represents District 5, introduced the proposed resolution.

“Every dollar matters,” Henn told the board. “We must embrace the best available tools for oversight.”

The district’s internal auditors are limited to internal reporting and review, she said, while the Inspector General would be independent, publicly report findings and would have subpoena power.

Responding to members of the public who sent in comments about the resolution, board chair Lichter said, “Over 25 independent audits of our finances have been done over the past five years,” excluding internal audits.

“The idea that there’s no independent oversight is not accurate,” Lichter said. Those wanting more insight into where school funding can learn more on the district’s Budget 101 website, which includes the district’s budget book, she added.

Stolusky countered that the public was almost “begging” for greater transparency into the system.

“And if this is what the public wants, and all it is is an additional layer of protection and insurance, it is such a powerful, powerful thing to support to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to maintain and restore trust,” Stolusky said. She also cited support for the resolution from the public, the district’s teachers’ union and the Baltimore County League of Women Voters.

Democratic state Sen. Carl Jackson, of District 8, posted on social media last week that he and Republican state Del. Ryan Nawrocki intend to introduce legislation in the upcoming session to give the inspector general power over the school system. The legislative session begins in January.

Neither Jackson’s nor Nawrocki’s office immediately responded to questions about the legislation on Wednesday.

Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.

The Maryland School Report Card grades schools on a scale of 0 to 100 points, based on a variety of factors that vary by level. For example, all schools are graded on school quality and student success measures, while only high schools are graded on readiness for postsecondary success and graduation rates.

To earn five stars, a school must score 75% or more of the possible points. Below that, schools reaching 60% receive four stars, 45% three stars and 30% two stars. Schools scoring below 30% receive one star.

Each school’s results was published Tuesday on the Maryland Report Card website.

Year-over-year changes in star ratings were driven primarily by a reduction in two-star schools and an increase in four-star schools, said Geoff Sanderson, chief of accountability at the Maryland State Department of Education, during a presentation to reporters last week.

More than four-fifths of Maryland schools had a star rating of three or higher, with 43% earning four or five stars, according to a Tuesday news release from the department. Both figures represent slight increases from 2023-24, when 41% of schools earned four or five stars and 83% earned three or more.

No school increased by two stars, but 193 schools gained one star, Sanderson said. That includes 26 in Baltimore County, 25 in Baltimore City, 18 in Anne Arundel County, 10 in Howard County, seven in Carroll County and five in Harford County. Prince George’s County Public Schools had the most one-star gains with 34 schools.

Worcester County had the highest percentage of five-star schools at 18.2%, or two of the district’s 11 schools, according to a Sun data analysis. Baltimore County Public Schools had the greatest number of five-star schools at 23.

A total of 123 schools dropped by one star, including 17 in Baltimore City, 12 in Anne Arundel County, nine in Baltimore County, nine in Howard County, five in Harford County and one in Carroll County. Only one school statewide — in Baltimore City — fell by two stars. The most downgraded schools were in Prince George’s County, where 20 dropped by one star, according to the data.

Three-quarters of Maryland schools had no change in rating from the previous year.

Baltimore City schools experienced the three largest gains and the three largest losses in points. Creative City Public Charter School gained 15 points and George Washington Elementary gained 13 points, taking both schools from two to three stars. The Mount Washington School gained 14 points, raising it from three to four stars.

Meanwhile, Charles Carroll Barrister Elementary lost 25 points, dropping from three stars to one, while Edgewood Elementary lost 20 points and Moravia Park Elementary lost 17, with both dropping from three to two stars.

Chronic absenteeism

Following data from the 2022-2023 school year, which showed that 30% of Maryland students were chronically absent, the state education department set a goal to reduce that number by half over a three-year period. Data from 2024-2025 show statewide absenteeism was 25%, continuing a trend of incremental decreases.

The department measures chronic absenteeism as the percentage of students at each school who are absent for at least 10% of the school days and are enrolled in that school for at least 10 days.

When considering all schools in a district and treating distinct grade spans within the same building as separate schools, Worcester County had the lowest median percentage of chronically absent students, at 15.1%. In contrast, Baltimore City had the highest, at 44.2%.

Future accountability

State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright launched an accountability task force in 2024 to reexamine the Report Card. At the time, The Baltimore Sun reported that she was skeptical of the Report Card system, as it graded many schools as excellent while statewide student proficiency in reading and math were relatively low.

Joshua Michael, president of the Maryland State Board of Education, noted during Tuesday’s board meeting that some schools have increased their rating by seven to 10 points without changing their star category.

“The biggest problem right now is … schools are not being rewarded for growth enough in our report cards,” Michael said, speaking later to reporters. “Quite frankly, our report card right now is too much a proximity of poverty in our schools.”

Building on the task force’s recommendations presented to the state board in December 2024, the Maryland Accountability Advisory Committee will propose next steps for the board to consider by the end of the year, according to the MSDE news release.

Wright highlighted during Tuesday’s board meeting that three-fourths of schools saw no change in their star ratings this year.

“What we’re hearing from schools is that some of them are just feeling stuck,” she said. “So that’s really what the Maryland Accountability Advisory Committee is looking at, is … what do we need to be changing in order so the schools don’t just get stuck, if there’s a better way to differentiate as the law requires.”

Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks. Contact Brooke Conrad at bconrad@baltsun.com or 443-682-2356.