Request for Stay Filed with State Superintendent
One Crofton has requested Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright pause implementation of Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ Phase 2 redistricting decision while the organization’s appeal remains under review by the Maryland State Board of Education.
The stay request follows One Crofton’s December appeal challenging the Anne Arundel County Board of Education’s decision to impose a split articulation on students residing in the Nantucket Elementary attendance area. That appeal identifies substantial factual errors, legal misinterpretations, and procedural deficiencies that render the Board’s decision arbitrary, unreasonable, and unsupported by the record.
According to the stay request, AACPS current redistricting timeline and implementation plan is taking place well before the point contemplated by its own regulations, which allow redistricting decisions to remain unsettled until April 30. As a result, AACPS has begun taking binding enrollment and orientation actions that require affected students and families to make permanent academic decisions now.
“The appeal identifies serious defects in the data and legal assumptions relied upon by the Board,” said Patrick Seidel of Silverman Thompson, counsel for One Crofton. “The stay request is necessary to prevent students from being forced into irreversible academic decisions while that appeal is under consideration.”
Orientation sessions and course selection for redistricted students are either underway or shortly will be, meaning that students may be forced to enroll in courses at schools they may not ultimately attend, creating confusion and lasting academic consequences if the decision is overturned and returned for reconsideration.
“These are not hypothetical concerns,” said Samantha Weaver, Vice President of One Crofton. “Students are being asked to make choices that cannot be undone while the underlying decision is still under active review. A stay is the only way to protect students from unnecessary disruption.”
The stay request reiterates the core findings of One Crofton’s appeal, including reliance on unreliable enrollment projections, misapplication of state construction funding law, and a decision that prioritizes funding objectives over student continuity and educational stability. The filing further explains that One Crofton is likely to prevail on the merits of its appeal based on substantial factual defects and legal errors documented in the record.
Granting a stay would impose no prejudice on AACPS and would preserve the status quo while the State Board completes its review. Denying a stay, by contrast, risks permanent harm to students and families.
“This is exactly the circumstance in which a stay is warranted,” Seidel said. “Allowing implementation to proceed now risks irreversible consequences for students and limits the State Board’s ability to conduct a full and effective review.”
