PW Perspective

We invite the community to honor Candis King's 15-year legacy this September during SCD Awareness Month and Candis' birth month. Join us on September 26, 2026 from 9am-1pm at Colgan High School to learn about SCD, get screened for the SCD trait, and help save lives by donating blood from a diversified population.

We look forward to seeing you and your families there as we walk 1.5-Miles for Candis!

Please see registration links in the comments (or in bio).

The PWCAC Delta GEMS thank our community partners:
American Red Cross
GENETIX Biotherapeutics
George Mason Center for Community Mental Health
Girl Scouts, Nation's Capital
The Heart of Gold Foundation
Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease
INOVA Adult Sickle Cell Center
Maryland Sickle Cell Disease Association
Sickle Cell Association of the National Capital Area (SCANA)
Sentara
Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Sickle Cell Awareness Program

Dear Manassas,
You have probably seen a headline about what an immigrant from Honduras wants the MCPS School Board to do:

“Buy expensive AI software.”

It’s fascinating that an article about AI and plagiarism managed to reduce an entire School Board discussion to one person and one sensational headline.

It is political season, after all.

For the record, my point was that simply adding a sentence to the Student Code of Conduct declaring AI to be cheating is, by itself, a superficial solution to a much bigger issue. It lacks the policy framework, guidance, and thoughtful implementation needed to address a rapidly evolving technology.

If we’re going to ask teachers to enforce a rule, we have a responsibility to provide clear expectations, consistent processes, professional learning, and the tools to do so fairly. Good policy should protect both educators and students by ensuring expectations are clear and implementation is consistent.

As for the reminder that I’m an immigrant from Honduras and a first-generation college graduate , I’m just not sure what it had to do with a discussion about AI and the Student Code of Conduct.

But this might be relevant- I have spent nearly three decades serving in public education, with advanced credentials in educational leadership, special education, and school administration. The member proposing the change to the Code of Conduct has not.

But I digress.

You have my word, Manassas, I’ll continue advocating for thoughtful governance, meaningful policy, and solutions that support both teachers and students.

Because context matters.
So does journalism.

And as election season continues, I hope our community expects more than headlines. We deserve thoughtful conversations grounded in facts.

Respectfully,
Diana Brown