Wootton relocation hearing delayed to January over unproduced documents, parent group says

The evidentiary hearing in the legal challenge to Montgomery County Public Schools’ plan to relocate Thomas S. Wootton High School has been pushed from December to Jan. 27-28 and Feb. 1, 2027, according to an update the Community and Education Policy Alliance (CEPA), the parent group that brought the case, sent to supporters. Patch first reported the delay Friday.

The hearing before an administrative law judge had been set for Dec. 8, 9 and 10. CEPA says MCPS and the county Board of Education had agreed to hand over requested documents by Oct. 13 but have not produced all of them. At a prehearing conference Oct. 29, the Board agreed to a new deadline of Nov. 6, according to CEPA.

The new schedule, according to CEPA:

• Nov. 6: outstanding discovery documents due
• Dec. 14: expert reports, witnesses and exhibits due
• Jan. 27-28 and Feb. 1, 2027: evidentiary hearing

“It is deeply frustrating that MCPS’s failure to complete its document production has created yet another obstacle for the very community seeking transparency and accountability,” the group wrote. It added that the extra time lets its attorneys and experts “examine the evidence and prepare our case,” and asked supporters to help cover the added legal costs. Moderately MOCO has not seen a response from MCPS.

How the case got here

The Board of Education voted March 26 to relocate Wootton to the Crown site in Gaithersburg. CEPA argues the move is legally a school closure, not a relocation, and that MCPS skipped the steps state law requires before closing a school. The group filed an emergency request in the spring and then an appeal to the Maryland State Board of Education. In July, the State Board sent the case to the Office of Administrative Hearings instead of granting MCPS’s motion to dismiss. Bethesda Today reported in September that the December hearing dates had been set.

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