MCPS urges revocation of MBLI charter, citing prolonged special-education noncompliance; charter leaders push back

Montgomery County Public Schools told the Board of Education on April 16 that it recommends revoking the charter of the MECCA/Business Learning Institute (MBLI), citing prolonged special-education noncompliance, staffing shortfalls and questions about the school’s financial viability.

MCPS chief of legal services Robin Seabrook said the superintendent’s March 24 memorandum documents systemic noncompliance from November 2025 through March 2026, including failures to implement corrective-action steps required under IDEA and state law, a March 26 notice that MBLI had not assigned a qualified, licensed school nurse, and an enrollment decline that threatens program sustainability. Seabrook said repeated technical-assistance visits found missing IEP documentation, inconsistent progress monitoring, and instances where staff did not permit reviewers to access classrooms for verification.

The findings, Seabrook said, led the superintendent to conclude MBLI’s alternative proposal — continued operation under structured monitoring — was insufficient. Director of special education Jada Langston told the board MCPS conducted weekly visits and, as of an April 13 unannounced visit, saw early signs of improvement but concluded the school was not yet fully compliant across required areas, including service-delivery verification, IEP revisions, goal reinstatement and data systems.

MBLI founder and CEO Lashandra Graham and Chief Academic Officer Tracy Cooper countered in a presentation that the school has been functioning since opening, serving students and documenting measurable academic growth. MBLI leaders said many documentation shortcomings were inherited in students’ records at transfer, asserted that MCPS altered the authorizer-agreed operating model, and argued public communications from MCPS harmed enrollment and operational stability. “Students are learning, staff are working, and instruction is taking place,” Graham said.

Board members pressed for a concise crosswalk showing what corrective items were due, what MBLI submitted and what remains outstanding. Several trustees asked MCPS to provide site-visit documentation and to identify precisely which categories remained noncompliant as of the April 13 visit. MBLI said it had submitted hundreds of pages of documentation and offered to provide a crosswalk to help the board evaluate the March 30 cure-window items.

The board is scheduled to take action on the superintendent’s recommendation at its April 30 business meeting. Both sides urged the board to review the record thoroughly: MCPS to ensure persistent noncompliance is addressed; MBLI to ensure its corrective work and student-service continuity are fully considered.

Next steps: the board will review additional documentation and may vote on the superintendent’s recommendation at the April 30 meeting.