Parents ask PGCPS board to investigate Friendship Aspire STEM Academy over staffing, safety and charter status

A parent of a student at Friendship Aspire STEM Academy told the Prince George's County Board of Education on Sept. 25 that more than 50 families had withdrawn from the charter school and raised operational, safety and oversight concerns.

Shontay Trammell, identifying herself as a parent and an Oxon Hill High School graduate, said smaller class sizes and the school's STEM focus initially drew her family to Friendship but that "weeks into the school year" many families had lost confidence after high turnover and inconsistent procedures. Trammell said curriculum guides arrived two weeks late, some classes lacked teachers on the first day and substitutes or parent volunteers covered classes, and that second graders were rotating among three teachers instead of being in a single self-contained classroom as parents had expected.

Trammell described safety and infrastructure gaps: classrooms without phones, unreliable internet and cell coverage in parts of the building, a public-address system that does not reach all areas, and no cameras in hallways. She also said Friendship Aspire was not listed on the Maryland State Department of Education website, and asked when the district would enforce board policy 3506 governing charter oversight.

Trammell asked the board to investigate instruction, time management, teacher support and safety, and to ensure the school receives necessary resources. She said parents were filling gaps but that the volunteer response was not sustainable.

Board members did not vote on any charter action during the meeting. The speaker asked the board to determine the school's operational status and to apply board oversight policy where appropriate.