Parents file emergency motion to stop Wootton High School closure

Parents file emergency motion to stop Wootton High School closure

New pressure is building as a community continues its fight to try and stop Montgomery County Public Schools’ plan to close Wootton High School.

ROCKVILLE, Md. - New pressure is building as a community continues its fight to try and stop Montgomery County Public Schools’ plan to close Wootton High School.

FOX 5’s Stephanie Ramirez said this is not a lawsuit, at least not yet. 

What we know:

The community group has filed an emergency request with the Maryland State Department of Education. They’re asking for a 60‑day pause to review whether MCPS followed proper procedures before approving the "Option H" boundary plan on March 26, the plan that calls for Wootton to close.

The proposal to close Wootton has drawn significant protest. Under the approved plan, MCPS will close Wootton and relocate students to the new Crown High School in Gaithersburg, which is still being finished. The Wootton building would be repurposed as a holding school for campuses undergoing renovation.

But the Community and Education Policy Alliance argues MCPS didn’t follow state laws in place for closing a school but instead labeled the action a relocation.

The group argues that the community will face irreparable harm if the state does not intervene.

CEPA accuses MCPS of failing to provide a formal analysis of the decision, the required written justification, and proper public notice. 

State guidance online, for example, says school systems must advertise schools under consideration for closing in two newspapers within the area of attendance. 

There appears to be a 30‑day window to appeal a school closure, but the State Board of Education could take months to issue a decision.