Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland: Montgomery County Board of Education Excludes Special Education Parents/Guardians, Says Panel was "broad-based" for superintendent interviews.

MCPS has about 19,000+ students receiving special education services.

The Montgomery County Board of Education allowed a secret group of parents, guardians and other parties to interview candidates for superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.

When the list of the "Community Panel" was released after the interviews had been concluded, the list showed that parents and guardians of children with special education needs were excluded from participation in the interviews of the four finalists.

The Board of Education was unable to find a single special education parent/guardian to participate in interviews for the next superintendent, but somehow was able to include 17 other groups including the Montgomery County Planning Board.

The Board of Education only listed one group on their Community Panel that would have encompassed parents/guardians of students with special education needs and claimed that no one from that group was available for the interviews.

Yet, in just 2 seconds searching on the Internet we can point out another group of MCPS parents/guardians with children with special education needs. MCNeeds has been in existence for decades, but was not even included on the Community Panel.

Below is a list of the "Community Panel" organizations with links to their websites. Two of the "community" groups listed are actually MCPS committees.

1977 II Action Group [No Website]

AASAAG – African American Student Achievement Action Group [This is a MCPS Committee]

APASAAG – Asian Pacific American Student Achievement Action Group

Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence

CAPA-MC Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County

*Department of Health and Human Services

*Identity Inc.

LEAAP-League of Educators for Asian American Progress

LSAAG – Latino Student Achievement Action Group [Another MCPS Committee]

MCAAP/MCBOA-Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals

MCCPTA-Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations

MCEA-Montgomery County Education Association