Open Meetings Act Complaint: What Happened to the MCPS COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team?

To the Maryland Open Meetings Act Compliance Board:

This complaint is filed with regard to the Montgomery County Board of Education's COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team.  

The Montgomery County Board of Education's COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team was formed as part of the Montgomery County Board of Education's Strategic Plan.  Please see Page 13 of the attached document detailing the Montgomery County Board of Education's Strategic Plan.  

The Montgomery County Board of Education's COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team has been meeting without the public's ability to attend, report on, or broadcast meetings.  Agendas, meeting dates, minutes and reports for this committee have not been made public.  

The public has not been able to witness the phases of the deliberation, policy formation, or decision making of the COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team to ensure accountability to parents, guardians, teachers and residents of Montgomery County, Maryland. 

The stated purpose of the COVID-19 Operations Advisory Team is to help guide the district’s work in responding to COVID-19 throughout the year.  Parents, guardians, teachers and the public have a vested interest in the work of this committee, yet to date have been excluded from any information about this committee.

Thank you for reviewing this complaint.   

Janis Zink Sartucci*

Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD

Formed in 2002, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland seeks to achieve the goals of coherent, content-rich curriculum standards; high expectations combined with timely remediation and acceleration; a wider range of educational options for parents and children; greater transparency and accountability; and meaningful community input.

*Signature under separate cover.