Montgomery County Public Schools staff on Thursday recommended that the Board of Education consider revoking the charter for the MECA Business Learning Institute (MBLI), saying repeated special‑education compliance failures and operational problems have jeopardized students’ access to required services.

MCPS legal and special‑education staff told the board that a November 14 notice of noncompliance and a November 21 audit identified widespread procedural and substantive IEP problems — missing or inaccurate delivery methods, frequencies, minutes and group sizes; insufficient progress‑monitoring documentation; outdated present levels of performance; and other procedural safeguards deficiencies. Staff said 29 families received letters in September documenting delays in IEP implementation and that follow‑up monitoring (including a Dec. 5 visit) showed incomplete corrective actions. “The cumulative effect of IEP non‑implementation and delayed service delivery resulted in a denial of FAPE,” MCPS staff said, citing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Maryland regulations.

MCPS also cited operational challenges at MBLI: late hiring that left classrooms staffed by substitutes, collapsed classes after enrollment fell from the charter’s projected numbers, transportation vendor issues and IT and facility readiness delays. MCPS staff said the district had provided repeated technical assistance and opportunities to correct deficiencies and that the superintendent had formally asked the board to add a revocation item to the Jan. 22 business meeting agenda.

MBLI leaders responded at the work session, disputing the characterization of a systemic school‑wide denial of service. Principal Sharee Slade, MBLI’s leadership team and counsel said the school opened with a special‑populations team in place, that instruction and special education services were delivered from day one, that MBLI submitted a corrective action plan on Dec. 12 and that the school had been actively implementing corrections and providing MCPS updates (including an update on Jan. 7). “Our students are making progress and gaining confidence, stability and growth,” Slade said. MBLI asked the board for a clear, documented list of verified findings, a reasonable corrective‑action window with monitoring checkpoints and a single point of coordination so the school can complete corrections while continuing to serve enrolled students.

At the meeting MCPS and MBLI also disputed a one‑time confidentiality breach involving student data that MCPS said had been released to the media and that MBLI acknowledged; MBLI said it took immediate mitigation steps and implemented safeguards.

Numbers and next steps: MCPS said it is funding MBLI based on the official Sept. 30 count of 186 pupils (state disbursement rules). MBLI’s attendance on Thursday and later comments placed current enrollment at about 94–95 students, with 16 students identified with IEPs. The board did not vote Thursday; MCPS staff said the board would consider action on Jan. 22. MBLI requested continued operation while implementing corrections and more explicit guidance and monitoring from the district.

Provenance: MCPS cited federal and state special‑education law (IDEA, 34 C.F.R.), Section 504 and the MCPS charter‑school policy CFB and the MBLI charter agreement as the legal framework for potential revocation.