School board seeks applications for ethics panel

The Charles County Board of Education is looking for applications from county residents interested in ser ving on the the board’s Ethics Panel, according to a news release.

The board will be appointing new members in this month to the all-volunteer, five-member panel, which interprets ethics regulations and provides advisory opinions to board members and employees subject to the regulations. The ethics panel is appointed every four years prior to the election of Board of Education members, according to the release.

The panel reviews complaints concerning any alleged ethics violation and receives and maintains all forms required to be filed under the ethics regulation, according to the release. Ethics panel members meet at least once annually to review disclosure forms and as necessary to respond to inquiries.

Members of the Charles County Board of Education Ethics Panel must be eligible to vote in Charles County; and one member of the panel must be an attorney licensed to practice in the state but who is not considered to be the Ethics Panel’s attorney.

Panel members may not be current members of the Board of Education; candidates for the board; officials, employees, contractors or students of Charles County Public Schools; owners of or persons employed by a business entity doing business with the board; any person registered with the board as a lobbyist; or spouses of such persons.

Panel members ser ve four-year terms and may be reappointed. Anyone interested in serving on the panel should send a letter of interest and resume to Superintendent Kimberly A. Hill, Charles County Public Schools, Ethics Panel, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646, by Oct. 12.

School system hosting college financial aid nights

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is hosting financial aid nights at its seven high schools this month to provide students and parents with strategies and tips on paying for college, according to a news release.

Staff members from the College of Southern Maryland will give a presentation on the college fund search as well as share tips and other helpful resources about scholarships and the college planning process.

All financial aid nights are open to the public. Students are not required to attend the session set for their specific high school. The schedule is as follows (St. Charles and La Plata high schools held their events on Tuesday):

Thursday, Oct. 4, North Point High School, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 4, Maurice J. McDonough High School, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 9, Henry E. Lackey High School, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 11, Thomas Stone High School, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 11, Westlake High School, 6:30 p.m.

At each financial aid session, staff members will be available to help students and parents register for their federal student aid identification number. This number is required for any student to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Specific questions about each school’s financial aid night can be directed to the school’s college and career advisor.

Absentee ballot deadlines are Oct. 30, Nov. 2

The deadline to request a General Election absentee ballot for mail delivery is Tuesday, Oct. 30. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the general election for internet delivery is Friday, Nov. 2. Any registered voter in Mar yland may request and vote by absentee ballot, according to a news release.

A voter who wishes to vote by absentee ballot may request an absentee ballot: online for voters with a Maryland driver’s license or MVA-issued ID card; by submitting a signed application; by telephone; in writing; or in person at the Charles County Board of Elections. To request an absentee ballot application from the Charles County Board of Elections, call 301-934-8972 or go to the office at 201 East Charles Street in La Plata, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Voters may also go to elections.maryland. gov/voting/absentee. html to request an absentee ballot online, to print an application or for more information.

If a voter wishes to receive an absentee ballot by mail, the Charles County Board of Elections must receive a completed absentee ballot application: If the request is mailed, by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, or if the request is submitted online or by email or fax, by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

If a voter wishes to receive an absentee ballot by internet delivery, the Charles County Board of Elections must receive a completed absentee ballot application: If the request is mailed, by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2, or if the request is submitted online or by email or fax, by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2.

If a voter misses the applicable deadline, the absentee ballot request must be made in person at the Charles County Board of Elections at 201 East Charles Street in La Plata.

The 2018 Gubernatorial General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6. From Thursday, Oct. 25, through Thursday, Nov. 1, voters may vote in person between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. at either of the designated early voting centers: La Plata Firehouse, 911 Washington Ave., La Plata, and Gleneagles Neighborhood Center, 4900 Kirkcaldy Court, Waldorf. Early voting hours and additional election-related information and dates are available at elections. maryland.gov/voting/ early_voting.html.

For more information, contact Charles County Board of Elections at 301-934-8972 or the State Board of Elections at 1-800-222-VOTE (8683), or go to elections.maryland.gov.