ADVOCACY
January 2019 – FY2020 Operating Budget
CAPA President Jean Xu testified in front of the HCPSS Board of Education on behalf of CAPA to support an operating budget that reflects diversity, equity and inclusion, and to request equitable services for the Asian and immigrant community.
May 2018 – Petition: Ask Secretary Ross for Department of Commerce to Reinstate Sherry Chen’s Employment
CAPA co-signed a petition to urge the Department of Commerce to reinstate Sherry Chen’s employment. Mrs. Chen was wrongly accused of spying and had been the victim of a gross injustice.
February 2018 – Petition: Inappropriate Comments of FBI Director Christopher Wray
CAPA co-signed a letter to US Senators and Representatives from Maryland to express our concerns regarding Director Wray’s comments that fanned the hatred and distrust felt towards Chinese Americans.
January 2018 – Assist HCPSS to Identify Significant Asian Holidays
HCPSS invited CAPA to help identify significant holidays observed by the Asian community. CAPA members reached general consensus on the following holidays: Chun Jie (Lunar New Year), Zhong Qiu Jie (Mid-Autumn Day), and Duan Wu Jie (Dragon Boat Festival). We reached out to the Korean community and asked them to incorporate Korean holidays in the list. After we consulted the Korean community, a complied list was submitted to the school system.
December 2017 – Superintendent Search Testimony
CAPA members discussed the traits that we hope BOE to consider when conduct search for the HCPSS Superintendent. Based on the discussion, CAPA submitted an official written testimony to BOE.
October 2017 – School Redistricting Committee
CAPA-HC formed a committee to collect information, inform parents on the important events associated with school redistricting and encourage participation.
Co-chairs：Hongling Zhou, Chao Wu
Committee Members: Xinning Yang, Bing Zhou, Lingyu Cheng
September 2017 – APFO (Adequate Public Facility Ordinance) Testimony
CAPA representative testified in front of the County Council and advocated for a tighter APFO legislation in order to resolve the root cause of school overcrowding.
June 2017 – Parent Survey of Acts of Intolerance in HCPSS
Invited by the Howard County Education Association (HCEA) leadership, Asian, Muslim, African American, Jewish communities, along with other religious and ethnic groups, provided documentation identifying the acts of intolerance experienced and/or witnessed by our children, and how teachers and administrators responded to the incidents. CAPA-HC collaborated with multiple local community organizations to facilitate this survey.
March 2017 – Signed Joint Statement to Support South Asian Americans’ Call for Full Investigation on Possible Hate Crimes Committed in Olathe, KS and Kent, WA.
You can view the joint statement here.
February 2017 – School Start Time
CAPA Vice President Dr. Chao Wu testified in front of the HCPSS Board of Education on behalf of CAPA to urge a school start time no early than 8am for all schools.
February 2016 – Jointed HoCo Coalition for Inclusion to Condemn Racial Hatred Speech Spread on Social Media
A coalition of community leaders from Howard County, coming from all walks of life and diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds, came together with one voice to condemn the latest display of hatred on social media. This community coalition will also work with community partners to facilitate a wider community based forum designed to build mutual respect, understanding and cooperation across the breath of diversity in our community.
HoCo Coalition for Inclusion includes African American Community Roundtable of Howard County, Beth Shalom Congregation, Chinese American Parent Association of Howard County, Foreign born information and referral network (FIRN), Howard County Education Association, Howard County Muslim Council, United Maryland Muslim Council.
January 2016 – Howard County School System Keeps Jewish Holidays, Adds Days Off for Diwali, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Adha
CAPA, in partnership with Korean, Indian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations, has successfully initiated school off days in observance for cultural or religious holidays in the Howard County Public School System.