Is Blair Ewing closing?

[Anonymous]

Students being moved next year.

[Anonymous]

Please tell me this is not true! We need more alternative schools, not less.

Hopefully you are mistaken as this has not been brought up to this point- or at least I have not heard.

[Anonymous]

It's probably because of this news story which found the Center had mold and asbestos: https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2025/01/its-costing-them-their-success-mcps-alternative-school-staff-raise-safety-health-concerns/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please tell me this is not true! We need more alternative schools, not less.

Hopefully you are mistaken as this has not been brought up to this point- or at least I have not heard.

MCPS is going with less, not more.

[Anonymous]

OP, have you heard where they're moving?

[Anonymous]

So the students are just being moved due to mold and the school is not being closed? Or are the students returning to their home schools? These are very different!

[Anonymous]

There's an article about this in WUSA9: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/education/montgomery-county-residents-concerned-alternative-education-program-location-neighborhood/65-0df11dc4-9ea8-46ad-be19-daeba7d9a8ed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the students are just being moved due to mold and the school is not being closed? Or are the students returning to their home schools? These are very different!

From the article: "In the upcoming school year, Montgomery County's Alternative Education Program, which is for students who need extra support outside of their regular schools, will be run in a holding school that's between two Rockville neighborhoods: Manor Lake and Flower Valley."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the students are just being moved due to mold and the school is not being closed? Or are the students returning to their home schools? These are very different!

From the article: "In the upcoming school year, Montgomery County's Alternative Education Program, which is for students who need extra support outside of their regular schools, will be run in a holding school that's between two Rockville neighborhoods: Manor Lake and Flower Valley."

And? Is this a permanent move of the whole program? Is Blair Ewing being closed?

[Anonymous]

They are just moving the silver spring center to this location. Whether it is a permanent move or not is unclear. MCPS either doesn’t have a plan or they are not sharing it.

[Anonymous]

It seems clear that this is just a holding solution while they remediate the very real mold/asbestos problems at Blair Ewing.

MCPS is using one of its own buildings, which makes perfect sense particularly b/c no elementary schoolers are using it right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems clear that this is just a holding solution while they remediate the very real mold/asbestos problems at Blair Ewing.

MCPS is using one of its own buildings, which makes perfect sense particularly b/c no elementary schoolers are using it right now.

My understanding is that the program will not return to the current location in Silver Spring. It may not stay m the holding school long term but if and when they move, it will be to a different facility. This is what was explained by MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems clear that this is just a holding solution while they remediate the very real mold/asbestos problems at Blair Ewing.

MCPS is using one of its own buildings, which makes perfect sense particularly b/c no elementary schoolers are using it right now.

My understanding is that the program will not return to the current location in Silver Spring. It may not stay m the holding school long term but if and when they move, it will be to a different facility. This is what was explained by MCPS.

BOE wants Avery location for a new bus depot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the students are just being moved due to mold and the school is not being closed? Or are the students returning to their home schools? These are very different!

From the article: "In the upcoming school year, Montgomery County's Alternative Education Program, which is for students who need extra support outside of their regular schools, will be run in a holding school that's between two Rockville neighborhoods: Manor Lake and Flower Valley."

This is mostly accurate but the truth is the holding school is squarely in Manor Lake, surrounded by houses, with an elementary school bus stop directly in front of it. I live in one of these neighborhoods and parents are pretty concerned, particularly given that these students can take public transportation and may walk unsupervised through the neighborhood to a bus stop on Norbeck. The lack of information about this decision has been very frustrating.

[Anonymous]

MCPS was paying to lease the other locations so it makes sense to use their own building moving forward.