Exclusive: As @mcps @mocoboe COVID-19 Cases Rise, Meet the Secret MCPS COVID Operations Advisory Team

On September 15, 2021, Superintendent Monifa McKnight formed the MCPS COVID-19 Operations Advisory Committee as part of the Montgomery County Board of Education's Five-Point Plan for Further COVID Safety and Mitigation.

Establish a COVID-19 operations advisory committee

The committee will comprise MCPS staff and students, representatives from the employee associations, MCCPTA and community organizations. We will request a DHHS representative to also serve on the committee. Committee feedback will help guide the district’s work in responding to COVID-19 throughout the year. 

But what happened to the COVID-19 Operations Advisory Committee?  First, they were renamed the Team instead of Committee to allow for the cool acronym of COAT.   

COAT began meeting on Thursdays with the first meeting on October 7, 2021. 

Then what happened?  Nothing.

COAT has never issued any reports, they have never presented to the Board of Education, they have never been heard from ever. Further, Board of Education President Brenda Wolff disavowed interest in COAT.

What we now know is that as soon as COAT began meeting attendees were told that meetings were CONFIDENTIAL.  

Apparently the COVID-19 Pandemic is a secret that MCPS administrators and the Board of Education think can be hidden from teachers, staff, students and parents.  

The Parents' Coalition has obtained the list of COAT members. 50 members are adults and 6 are students.  

27 members of COAT are MCPS employees

10 members are from groups outside MCPS, but with MCPS connections (MCCPTA/PTA etc...)

8 members are from Montgomery County Government

5 members are labeled as medical related

6 members are students - student names are not listed 

Meet the Team that isn't telling you what they are doing or recommending during the COVID-19 Pandemic: 

 Lisa Adkins MCPS

Nicole Allain MCPS

Aggie Alvez MCPS

Kea Anderson

Olivia Bailey MCPS

Gary Bartee MCPS

James Bridgers

Nicole Brown

Anita Chan MCPS

Kate Chance

Wylea Chase

Sonya Chawla Medical - internal medicine

Chris Cram MCPS

Jimmy D'Andrea MCPS

Val DaSilva MCPS

Jeanie Dawson MCPS

Ashwin Dharmadhikari

Robbie Dodd MCPS

Heather Dublinske MCPS

Dana Edwards MCPS

Shawn Ellis

Jane Ennis MCPS

Linda Ferrell MCPS

Joanie Glick

Nina Hagan MCPS

Darlene Harris MCPS

Christi Hay Medical - Pediatrics

Mark Hodge

Stephanie Iszard MCPS

Henrietta Jenkins MCPS

Byron Johns

John Landesman MCPS

Jenny Lazo

Michael Lewis MCPS

Sean O’Donnell

Jackie Quan

Dourakine Rosarion

Claire Rosche Matzzie

Oriole Saah MCPS

Mariana Serrani

Stephanie Sheron MCPS

Cynthia Simonson

Jeff Sullivan MCPS

Crystal Townsend Medical - Healthcare

Melanie Travers MCPS

Prabha Viswanathan Reddy Medical - Pediatrics

Diane Vu

Travis Wiebe MCPS

Kathleen Williams Medical - Healthy Communities

Julie Yang MCPS