Battle over MCPS' Crown HS to take over public comments Thursday

GAITHERSBURG, Md. - Montgomery County Public Schools is set to hold a School Board meeting Thursday night. A peak at the public comments submitted shows a majority of testimony is on the future of Crown High School, which has become a point of contention for many parents in the Gaithersburg area. 

What we know:

The MCPS Boundary Study affects every corner of Maryland’s largest school district. Multiple options have been provided to parents for the redrawing of neighborhood attendance zones. The goal is to address overcrowding and other plans for the county that include, expanding Damascus High School, reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School and opening a brand new Crown High School (which is still under construction).

MCPS has been holding engagement sessions for affected community clusters. The school board also continues to hold meetings discussing the study's progress.

READ MORE: Parents push back as MCPS proposes opening new Crown High School as a holding school

Parents and students have packed different meetings, voicing concerns about the proposals. As previously reported, a serious frustration with Crown High School is the more recent proposal to instead use the brand-new high school as a holding school as other high schools in the area undergo much-needed renovations. 

In one public comment testimony submitted  for Thursday night, a Woodfield Elementary student urged the board to use Crown as a temporary home for students emphasizing the importance of student safety as construction is being done. 

Several other testimonies appear to side with Erin Ulloa, PTA vice president at Fields Road Elementary, who is advocating for Fields Road to be added to "Option H" and for Crown to open as its own standalone high school. 

What's next:

On Thursday, public comments begin around 4 p.m. The school board agenda says board members will hold an informational summary on the November facilities and boundaries work session at around 7:35 p.m.

MCPS Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor is expected to release his recommendation for the boundary study in January. The board is expected to vote in March.