State Board reverses administrative law judge in teacher termination; affirms Edgewood closure while recognizing staff standing

The Maryland State Board of Education announced at the close of its February 1 meeting that it reversed an administrative law judge’s proposed decision in a tenured teacher discipline case and adopted the local superintendent’s initial penalty.

The teacher‑discipline case involved a physical‑contact incident in a gym class. The ALJ had recommended termination; the board reversed that proposal, finding instead that misconduct occurred but that the superintendent’s recommended penalty (as stated on the record) was appropriate. The board’s public announcement identified the case as Thomas Devlin v. Carroll County Board of Education and said the State Board adopted a final decision that tracks the superintendent’s initial sanction.

In a consolidated appeal over the planned closure of Edgewood Elementary School (Carla Harris et al. v. Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners), the State Board reversed the ALJ’s standing ruling and concluded that current school staff had standing to challenge a school‑closing decision; the board otherwise affirmed the ALJ’s substantive ruling upholding the closure. MSDE counsel and community advocates had argued competing legal views about whether staff members who would be reassigned suffer a cognizable injury; the State Board agreed with the administrative law judge that staff may have distinct, non‑economic interests tied to community relationships that can give them standing in these matters.

The board announced several other dismissals and affirmations of local decisions in its closing roll‑call of memorandum decisions and orders. The two oral appeals heard earlier in the meeting were deliberated in executive session and announced publicly after the board completed its deliberations.