Having successfully lodged complaints (well kind of successfully), I can agree with the poster who said you need persistence, and time. It is also helpful to find the right person as their duties are divided up in distinct ways. For school performance, it is often the Performance officer within the Community Superintendent's office, as opposed to the Community Superintendent, though it couldn't hurt to contact both. Don't count on their good intentions, though they may very well be well intentioned just a huge bureaucracy, and try to find some angle that might make them feel pressured, which could involve the media.

Do what the parents at Newport Mill did - find a media outlet and start talking, address your concerns (loudly) at a PTSA meeting, and then hold a separate parent interest meeting with media presence. Don't give up. MCPS likes to push things around until they "disappear" or find scapegoats.

Anonymous wrote:Don't bother. Really. U need to find the specific exact person that deals w ur particular issue, That will be much much more helpful. For instance if it's a sped issue, go to the specific sped person in the central office. Going up but not specifiC dent get decent results

MCPS site is not very clear and doesn't show reporting chains. And anyone I spoke with was very cautious, like anything they'd say would end up on the front page of post and they'd be fired. weird.

OP here. Thanks for the many reviews and inputs.

The problems are general :
deteriorating physical environment, deteriorating scores, high teacher turnover, low level drug and discipline issues that are denied but known (for heavens sake it's middle school, i expect it, but not the denial). Teacher morale is really low and everyone knows it.
Parents doing all they can to help teachers and now wish the admin would just go away!!

What about Board of Ed? or is that just as polished, political and useless? (Yes, I'll be voting this Fall)