Public Response to AACPS Letter on Redistricting Aftermath

Dr. Bedell and President Silkworth,

Your recent letter to Anne Arundel County families has left many of us stunned—not because we disagree with the challenges you outlined, but because of the characterization of the very people you are charged to represent.

For nearly a year, our communities have done exactly what engaged citizens in a healthy democracy should do: we asked questions, we examined the data presented, and we raised concerns when that data proved to be inconsistent, incomplete, or incorrect. We attended meetings, submitted testimony, organized information sessions, and engaged respectfully with Board members. We brought forward new information—much of it sourced from AACPS itself—that revealed errors, contradictions, and omissions in the redistricting process.

In a county as large, as well-resourced, and as deeply educated as Anne Arundel, community scrutiny is not an inconvenience—it is an inevitability. It is also a strength. And when scrutiny is met with dismissal, apathy, or inaccurate information, frustration grows. That frustration is not an indictment of the public, but a signal that something has gone fundamentally wrong in how this process was led and how concerns were handled.

To suggest that communities speaking up are the problem is itself the problem.

We have consistently recognized the Board members who did listen—and more importantly, who understood. Listening is an action; understanding is a choice. That distinction is a lesson we teach our children, and it is one we expect from the leaders entrusted with their futures.

What has been truly unacceptable is not the advocacy of families, but the refusal to acknowledge legitimate questions, the repeated dissemination of incorrect information, and the pattern of minimizing the lived experience of the very people who power this school system—parents, students, teachers, and taxpayers.

Constituents feeling unheard or misrepresented is not dysfunction. It is democracy. It is what happens when people care deeply about their schools, their children, and their neighborhoods. It is what happens when the public expects better.

And perhaps the most important lesson for our children is this:
 Data matters. Transparency matters. Questioning authority is not disrespect—it is responsibility. Democracy requires informed, engaged citizens who use the skills they have honed their entire lives to do what is right for their community.

We remain committed to that work.

We will continue advocating, appealing, organizing, and showing up. Not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. Because our children deserve a process grounded in truth, transparency, and respect—not admonishment.

Yours in Community,