OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
MARCH 4, 2022
MOVIE BUFFS
OCEAN CITY FILM FESTIVAL Annual event to draw 1,000 motion picture fans, directors, cast and more to resort – Page 33
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Schools adjust as mask rule goes optional
Resort council OKs gun show, police events
Some Pre-K kids finally see their classmates’ smiles
Multiple activities planned for week-long Sept. festival
By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (March 4, 2022) For the first time ever, Buckingham pre-kindergartner Sebastien Bishop was able to attend school without a mask this week. And with a smile on his face Wednesday morning, he said the ability to be in his classroom without a face covering made him feel “warm and fuzzy.” At just five years old, Sebastien barely knows life without covid restrictions. And until Feb. 28, he did not know what it was like to see the faces of his teachers and fellow students in his classroom as he learned throughout the day. He could not see his them smile, and he could not see their lips move as they were talking to help him understand as he learned. Sebastien’s situation is common among most county students who started school after March 2020. And for them, and dozens of other stu-
By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (March 4, 2022) Police, K9s, music and guns are officially coming to the Ocean City convention center the third weekend in September to help deter the disruptive modified car pop-up car rally that typically wreaks havoc across the resort. Known as Adventure Fest, the weeklong event set for Sept. 19 through 25 got the official greenlight from City Council members Tuesday. They voted five to one — with Councilman Peter Buas opposed — to approve the event after ironing out some last-minute details. Heather Stansbury, the city’s legal counsel, said the main sticking point was the inclusion of the sale, transfer and trade of cased firearms, including long guns, which is not permitted within existing town ordinances. But after getting assurance that See MULTI-EVENT Page 6
MALLORY PANUSKA/OCEAN CITY TODAY
Buckingham Elementary School pre-kindergarten students, clockwise, from left, Makenna Robertson, Kennedy Grim, Miles Vocke and Logan Sexauer, work on assignments in their classroom Wednesday. All students and staff at Worcester Public Schools had the option to go to school unmasked this week after officials lifted a countywide mandate on Feb. 28.
dents and teachers who have experienced the various challenges of wearing masks in school during the course of the pandemic, the recent decision
to allow Worcester County Public School to be mask optional was a big one. See KIDS Page 4
Bill wants all lesson plans posted online Superintendent Taylor says legislation driven by push against critical race theory By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (March 4, 2022) State legislators are expected to vote on a bill requiring public schools to post the curriculum for each course online after its approval, raising concerns by local school officials that it will require additional resources, time and money to fulfill.
On top of the resources, officials like Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Louis Taylor, who has 38 years of experience as an educator, are Louis Taylor concerned that the push is coming from the National Republican Party to allow parents to filter and object to topics that don’t coincide with their own beliefs. “We don’t do anything in our public school system that we don’t
want parents, or anyone involved, not knowing. We want to be in full transparency of everything we do,” Taylor said Tuesday. “The issue, to be quite honest … is people are very concerned that school systems across the country are teaching Critical Race Theory. That’s the driver behind this.” Critical race theory, briefly, is not a class or a curriculum but is more of a perspective based on the argument that the advancement of people of color in this country has been obstructed by the ripple effects of
things such as slavery, segregation, and countless measures before the Civil Rights Movement. Worcester County Schools, as Taylor explained, is not a “one-sizeshoe fits all” district and instructs kids of all shapes, sizes, races, and genders. State Senate Bill 786, if approved, would require public schools to post the curriculum used for each course taught in the school on the school’s website. Curriculum, according to the bill, See FOR Page 8
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Ocean City hosts HMRA Spring Trade Expo By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (March 4, 2022) The Roland E. Powell Convention Center on 40th Street will offer “everything to make a hospitality business run more efficiently” when it hosts the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association’s 48th annual Ocean City Spring Trade Expo on Sunday and Monday. The private event is open to anyone in the hospitality industry, whether through hotels, restaurants, bars, liquor suppliers and stores, hospitals, and even schools. Its chief attraction will be exhibits from people who sell to — or hope to sell to — those industries, including companies such as Sysco. Susan Jones, the executive director of the HMRA, said Wednesday that the trade show will occupy all three of the main halls at the convention center, and she expects 5,000 people to attend. “It’s great to be back,” she said. We are coming back as an in-person trade show.” The last time the show was held in person was in 2020, and according to Jones, it was the last event held at the convention center before Gov. Larry Hogan shut everything down because of the covid-19 pandemic. With the pandemic still in play last year, the HMRA hosted the trade show virtually, offering power panels of experts through Facebook Live. Now that the event is back, the panels take place in person with a live audience. One session, “Hospitality Power Panel,” will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday in room 210 of the convention center and feature leaders from the Maryland and Delaware HMRAs.
Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association Executive Director Susan Jones said she expects over 5,000 people to attend the 48th annual Ocean City Spring Trade Expo, taking place this Sunday and Monday at the convention center on 40th Street.
Another panel taking place at 1 p.m. on Sunday will include beverage industry experts who explore the latest trends and techniques. The panel will be moderated by the Maryland Breweries Association leader and Founder of Grow and Fortify, Kevin Atticks, and include craft beer pioneer Hugh Sisson, and Danny Robinson of Hoop Tea. The Restaurant Association of Maryland and Maryland Seafood will also host the seafood qualifier for the World Food Championships on Sunday on the Showcase Stage. The competition includes two rounds of three chefs who will try to impress judges with their best seafood dish. The winner of each round will then go head-to-head in a final, with the winner receiving $500 and a golden
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ticket to the World Food Championship competition in Dallas, Texas in November. The winner of the Dallas competition, according to organizers, will receive $100,000. Jones said in previous years, all the breweries were in one location. This year, with the wide-open space, they will be spread throughout the expo. All tradeshow attendees must be at
least 21 years old and part of the industry. Management reserves the right to determine whether registrants fit the parameters or not. Tickets to the event are $25 and proof of working in the industry must be provided when registering. For more information about the expo, visit www.oceancitytradeexpo.com or call the OC Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association at 410-289-6733.
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MARCH 4, 2022
Ocean City Today
Kids can go maskless, put faces with names Continued from Page 1 “It’s a breath of fresh air, it really is,” Buckingham Elementary Principal Christine Welch said Wednesday while standing with Sebastian and his smiling classmates in teacher Michaela Hatlee’s Pre-K classroom. “Everybody seems a little more relaxed,” Welch continued. “I think we were ready for it. We were ready for the transition.” Welch pointed out that the students, teachers and staff are still practicing social distancing and safe and healthy practices, which Sebastian was quick to point out includes washing your hands, and staying at home when you feel sick to “take sleep to get better.” Masks have been required for everyone inside county public schools except during meals and designated breaks since they reopened after covid. Members of the state board of education ensured all schools required masks just before the start of the 202122 school year, citing concerns about high virus transmission rates, potential variant spikes and a need to keep school open for in-person learning. But with case and hospitalization rates dropping across the country, and new Centers for Disease Control & Prevention guidelines that ease masking restrictions in counties with low- and mid-level transmission rates, many
school districts across the country have ditched the mandates. In Worcester County, the decision came last Friday after members of the state’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive & Legislative Review, or AELR, voted 17 to one to uphold a recommendation from the state board of ed to allow individual district officials to make their own decisions on masking. Worcester County Superintendent Lou Taylor announced that as of Feb. 28, the district would no longer require face covering in school facilities, but that officials still “strongly recommend” the wearing of masks for students and staff members. At Buckingham Elementary, Welch said that the ultimate masking decision is left up to the parents, and that some have opted to continue having their kids wear masks. She said she is glad that the option exists. “We feel like it’s a family choice,” Welch said. For Terrence Bratten, a fourth grader at Buckingham, the option to not wear a mask has made learning easier. He said Wednesday that he likes that he can see the smiles of his teachers and classmates, and that they can see his, and he likes that he can learn without the obstruction of something on his face.
“It’s great because I can breathe,” Terrence said. The AELR approval was the last one needed for county school officials to make their own decisions on masking, outside of meeting one of several offramps that would have unilaterally allowed them to lift the mandate if they met certain metrics regarding vaccination and transmission rates. While some counties met one or more off ramps, most did not. During last Friday’s virtual AELR meeting, several people spoke, most of whom were parents who favored removing the mandate. They cited evidence showing that masks did more harm than good because of the mental and behavioral issues that wearing them caused, particularly among young children. They likened the forced wearing of masks to child abuse, and accused members of the state board of abusing their powers to issue the mandate in the first place, among other grievances. Statements from two people who spoke against removing the mandate included claims that masks create a level of protection against covid that is needed, especially for disabled students and children who are not old enough for vaccinations. Local district officials were first stripped of unmasking powers just be-
LO OTS
fore the start of the school year when state board members voted in August to pass the original emergency regulation requiring everyone to wear masks inside school buildings. Members cited a distrust in local leaders to make what they deemed the right decision when it came to public health. The board’s vote did not technically become a law until members of the AELR voted for it after a hearing weeks later. State board members did not clearly state that AELR approval was needed at the time of the vote. They also did not make clear that AELR approval was needed to pass a second order in December that tacked the off ramps onto the original order. During a state board meeting on Feb. 22, members gave more attention to the legislative process, making it clear that the vote to rescind the emergency order required AELR approval, before voting. State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury said at the time that he does not regret recommending the original mandate and would do it again, given the metrics and the information health officials had about the virus at the time. However, he said that the latest metrics and information made him confident that recommending the lifting of the mandate was the right move.
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Ocean City Today
Bodycams present big challenges By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (March 4, 2022) An ambitious plan to outfit every Ocean City Police Department officer and public safety aide with body cameras is under way, after City Council members agreed last week to enter a contract with camera provider Axon Enterprises. The deal, worth $2.5 million, includes everything from body cameras to video storage, training and support. The State of Maryland will require all law enforcement agencies to have body cameras on officers by 2025.
What the General Assembly did not do when it passed the legislation in 2019 was provide a way for local jurisdictions to pay for at least some of the expense the new program would generate. After a string of police-related incidents in Ocean City that were captured by cellphones of passersby, Mayor Rick Meehan made it clear he wanted to get body cameras in place by this summer. The reasoning, he said during a City Council Meeting on Feb. 22, was to protect the officers in the field and to show the full picture of what
happened. When the council approved the contract with Axon, Councilman John Gehrig cautioned against acting too quickly because of the effect the program’s complicated logistics could have on State’s Attorney Kris Heiser’s ability to use bodycam videos to prosecute successfully. “My office really has the bulk of the work to do because that video is evidence that didn’t exist previously,” Heiser said Tuesday. “We have to process all that on our end to be able See HEISER Page 10
PHOTO COURTESY AXON ENTERPRISES
Outfitting all OCPD full- and part-time officers with body cameras by this summer may be the goal of the Ocean City Council, but getting enough staffing to process the hours upon hours of video recorded by the devices as evidence in court is proving to be a challenge for Worcester County officials.
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Ocean City Today
MARCH 4, 2022
Commissioners OK RCA land reclassification Decision will now be taken up by state Critical Areas Commission for finalizing By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (March 4, 2022) Options are dwindling for the South Point residents who are attempting to block the reclassification of a parcel of land off Route 611 from resource conservation area (RCA) to limited development area (LDA). The Worcester County Commissioners voted 7-0 on Tuesday with no discussion to approve the reclassification of the 8.43 acres — owned by local developer Todd Burbage — on which the Maryland Coastal Bays Office sits. The state Critical Area Commission will now give the final decision. In a memo to the commissioners from January, county Director of Environmental Programs Bob Mitchell downplayed the effects of the reclassification in the immediate future. According to Mitchell, any use other than for a non-profit office would be dependent on the actions of other divisions and departments on the existing zoning code and new critical area designations. No new uses are permitted and the
land can’t be tied into the Mystic Harbor sanitary area, according to the memo. Lot coverage limits — 15 percent of the property — remain the same, and the property has already used up all of that allowance, meaning no new buildings can be placed on the property. However, South Point couple Diane Stelzner and Stephen Katsanos are skeptical that truly nothing will change. “I guess it’s unfortunate that the commissioners chose to ignore their own regulations simply to enhance the value of a developer’s property,” said Stelzner, who in January spoke out against the reclassification during a public hearing. Stelzner said the South Point residents opposed to the reclassification will petition the state commission in a last-ditch effort to stop the reclassification. In explaining his skepticism, Katsanos said that representatives of Burbage indicated that they could be back before the commissioners to discuss removing the regulation that prohibits more building on the property. He also said he found it highly unusual that Burbage has not explained why he sought the reclassification aside from the fact that it corrects an
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error in the zoning code. “I looked through every decision on the Critical Area Commission’s website to see where in the past they approved a change (of this nature) and in every case, the applicant explained what they intended to do once the change was made,” Katsanos said. “This is a precedent, as far as I’m concerned. (And so far) there’s been no explanation. It’s just based on, ‘What if the environmental group leaves and I can’t lease my property
to someone else?’” “That’s the tough love that goes with protecting environmental resources. The law says if the property went dormant, which this one did, (it should be) ceded back to nature for resource conservation. (Am I skeptical?) Absolutely. I think there was no effort by the county to do any independent analysis. I think they’re simply trying to accommodate a very powerful developer in this county.”
Multi-event Adventure Fest would draw different crowds Continued from Page 1 any gun transactions would follow all state and federal laws, the council majority agreed to include the provision and approve the event. “I’m flexible if we need to amend some situations and we have parameters in place for safety in order to help solve one of our most problematic issues in town,” Councilman John Gehrig said during the discussion in reference to the car rally that the event is slated to offset. Councilman Mark Paddack also fought hard to allow for firearm transactions to occur as part of the event. “It is an American right enumerated in the Bill of Rights in the Second Amendment,” he said of the right to own and carry firearms. He added that he has been to “dozens” of guns shows in his life and no incidents have occurred because law-abiding gun owners generally are not the ones at the center of illegal gun violence. Police Chief Ross Buzzuro told the council he and others in the department opposed the gun transaction element of the show, but that they would work with event organizers to ensure no issues occur. “From a law enforcement perspective, we have concerns,” he said. Buas said Wednesday that he also has concerns about the event, but would not elaborate on why he chose to vote against its approval. Event organizer Cliff Sutherland pointed out that the gun show element of Adventure Fest is the cash cow and necessary to make the rest of it happen, although it is still only one aspect. Scheduled shows, competitions and training are set to occupy all three halls of the convention center and a portion of the parking lot throughout the week. The agenda includes a police and Secret Service K9 competition and gun show inside the main halls, as well as a dog show and two musical entertainers in the performing arts
center. Outside, a police motorcycle training and a rodeo featuring cops competing in races to test their skills will take place in a roped-off section of the parking lot. The use of the parking lot has been part of the event discussions as well, as the lot is typically used to set up tow trucks and other vehicles and services to curtail the tuner car racers during the weekend. Tom Perlozzo, the city’s director of tourism and business development, said the owners of Jolly Roger Amusement Park have offered space in their 30th street lot to help if the convention center lot is occupied. However, Perlozzo said he did not know if that is a feasible option. City staff members have also been combing through four separate convention center contracts for the event, and Sutherland has been working with local law enforcement officers on other details, including food and beverage service for allied agencies within the convention center. City tourism and convention center staff members will also approve all entertainment acts. The event was initially set to run parallel on Sept. 23 through 25 to a Lollapalooza-style concert, called Oceans Calling, that C3 Presents was planning downtown. But after shifting around schedules to accomodate Oceans Calling— which most notably included moving Sunfest to late October — council members approved a request last week to move the concert to the last weekend in September. City staff members said the change came at the request of the promoter and leaves only Adventure Fest to deter the car crowd. Tuesday’s vote allows Stansbury to draw up a contract agreement for the event that will include things such as insurance requirements and vendor details. “The core of this event is to bring up to 1,000 police officers in town,” Perlozzo said. “To have a presence in town, to saturate the city with a presence.”
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Ocean City Today
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