Posted on 08/29/23
| News Source: FOX45
For many local public school students, this week marked the return to school. And while students are back in the classroom, problems continue to mount at the Maryland State Department of Education.
Now, some lawmakers are calling for a special hearing in Annapolis to learn more about what Fox45 News has exposed.
“It's potentially a crime that has been committed for willfully deleting public records,” said Ryan Nawrocki, a Republican state delegate representing Baltimore County. “I'm extremely concerned. Some of my other colleagues are also very concerned.”
The Baltimore County representative, over the past few months, has been watching Project Baltimore’s investigation into Maryland State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury. Project Baltimore discovered that text messages on the superintendent’s state-issued cell phone were deleted, even after we filed a public record request to see them, which could be a violation of state law.
Project Baltimore also exposed a secondary email account the superintendent was using to conduct state business.
And now, Nawrocki is calling on Maryland House and Senate leadership to call a special hearing in Annapolis to learn how deep the problems go.
“Is this one individual? Is this the superintendent or is this a pervasive issue inside of the system?” Questioned Nawrocki. “How many others could be potentially operating in ways like this, that aren't as transparent and accountable as they should be to the public, to parents, and others.”
Choudhury’s future as superintendent is uncertain. His contract expires in June 2024. For the past two months, the State Board of Education has delayed voting on whether to offer him a new contract. But time is running out. According to Board Policy, contract negotiations must be complete by the end of September.
“What does it tell you that he hasn't received the contract yet?” Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst asked Nawrocki.
“I think that there's probably some concerns about deleting text messages and, you know, having secret email accounts,” he replied.