Montgomery County’s only charter school met a Monday deadline to document students’ special education needs and submit a plan to keep the district from closing it.
A resolution that the county Board of Education passed to begin revoking the Mecca Business Learning Institute’s charter gave administrators until then to present “a reasonably acceptable alternative.”
The board cited concerns that the Germantown middle school failed to give “students access to legally compliant and adequately supported educational programs” after opening in August.
Both sides confirmed in emails this week that Mecca submitted a 16-page plan to the board on March 11.
“The school has remained responsive to all directives and continues to operate in compliance with applicable requirements,” Mecca officials said in an emailed statement.
School officials also reported filing an appeal of the board’s decision with the Maryland State Board of Education.
“We remain committed to keeping the school open and continuing to serve our community,” the statement added.
In a copy of the plan shared with The Washington Times, school officials insisted they acted “within an exceptionally short timeframe” to address violations that Montgomery County Public Schools officials flagged late last year.
The plan calls on the board to withdraw its decision to revoke the charter, confirm that the concerns are resolved and allow the school to continue operating.
“The materials before the Board do not demonstrate persistent, unremedied or ongoing violations that pose a continuing risk to students,” the plan states.
The board voted in February to accept Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s recommendation to start revoking Mecca’s charter.
The resolution also required Mr. Taylor to submit a closure plan to the board by April 30, outlining plans to shutter the campus by June 30.
“At this time, we can confirm that materials have been received from the school,” school board spokeswoman Edith Lozada Salgado said in an emailed statement.
Ms. Salgado said the board would review Mr. Taylor’s dissolution plan and Mecca’s alternative plan on April 16, then decide what to do at an April 30 business meeting.
Charter schools are independently managed public campuses that operate under state laws. Maryland authorized them in 2003.
Serving more than 160,000 students, the Montgomery County Public Schools district is Maryland’s largest. A page on its website describes Mecca as “Maryland’s first business-focused public charter school,” with a focus on teaching job market skills.
Mecca opened at a temporary Bethesda campus in August with 186 students, fewer than the 250 it expected.
The school moved to a permanent Germantown campus in December and ended bus services after enrollment declined during a chaotic start.
According to the plan Mecca submitted, just 70 students remain enrolled, but nearly 200 students had expressed interest in enrolling for the fall.
Another 400 people signed a petition to support keeping the school open, the plan noted.
“Families have maintained this support and interest in enrollment despite inaccurate and incomplete information about the school,” it states.
Previously, the school board voted to deny Mecca’s charter application before a state appeal forced them to grant it in 2023.
McKenzie Allen, executive director of the Maryland Alliance of Public Charter Schools, says the district has penalized and harassed the Black-led school since then.
Campus leaders testified at a Jan. 8 school board meeting that district officials recommended closing their school in December, despite providing no reasonable way to address the concerns.
“It was never given the chance to really flourish,” Ms. Allen said in a January email.
