MCPS Administrative Reviews

Montgomery County's Board of Education Policy BLC governs the Administrative Review (AR) process. An AR is an informal voluntary MCPS procedure used to allow RACU, a neutral problem solving office, to review issues raised by parents/guardians and determine based on state and federal law and MCPS policies and regulations what resolution may be offered to resolve the issues.

An AR is initiated when the parent completes MCPS Form #336-43A: Request for Administrative Review. The AR is conducted by a committee of at least two professional staff members, one of whom is a special educator, and none of whom have had direct involvement in the decision at issue. The procedure includes a review of the student’s records; interviews with the parents/guardians, MCPS staff members, and/or the student and other individuals, as appropriate; and consideration of any new information provided. At the conclusion of the AR, a letter is written by the OSE associate superintendent to the parents/guardians, with copies to appropriate staff members, that summarizes the complaint and proposes a resolution to the complaint. There is a 20 business day timeline from receipt by RACU of the application for AR to the written notification to the parents/guardians and staff members of the associate superintendent’s decision.

Filing an AR is a voluntary process and does not preclude a parent/guardian from pursuing any other dispute resolution process during or after the AR decision has been made. If, however, a state complaint, Office of Civil Rights, mediation or due process is filed during the pendency of an AR, the associate superintendent of special education may consult with OGC on whether to proceed with the issuance of the AR decision or whether to hold the AR in abeyance until the mediation or due process has been resolved.