"Transparent" MCPS needs more than a month to find and release Jackson Lewis law firm contract

 MCPS is having a very difficult time producing the Jackson Lewis law firm contract.

This is our request for the contract, which we submitted on August 14, 2023:

This is a request under the Maryland Public Information Act.

I am seeking a copy of the recent contract between the Montgomery County Board of Education / MCPS and the Jackson Lewis law firm.  Specifically, I am seeking a copy of the contract that covers the services that have or will be provided to the Board of Education and MCPS that are related to the significant allegations of harassment and bullying involving former BOE/MCPS employee Joel Beidleman.

The document that I am seeking may be sent to me by email or may be mailed to me at:

(address)

As the requested document should be readily available, I ask that it be provided without undue delay.  There should be no need to wait 10 business days or 30 days to fulfill this request.

Please promptly acknowledge receipt of this request.

Thank you for your anticipated fulfillment of this request.

Today, August 24, 2023, we received the letter below from MCPS.

The Parents' Coalition denied the request for an extension beyond 30 days because the documents that we are seeking should be readily available.  It should not take 30 days or even two days to locate and "prepare" the documents for disclosure.  

MCPS responded to our denial with the following email:

Superintendent McKnight has promised transparency during the investigation, but as illustrated by the letter above from MCPS, reality is quite the opposite.  

Here's what the Attorney General's MPIA manual says about response time requirements: