Montgomery County Public Schools acted in bad faith by creating a policy to block special education placements, a Maryland judge ruled.

Administrative Law Judge Willis Gunther Baker found in an April 2026 decision that MCPS officials tried to circumvent the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal law requiring teams of educators and parents to decide together where a child with disabilities attends school. The Banner first reported the ruling on Sunday, Oct. 4.

Baker wrote that policy documents created under Chief Student Support Officer Margaret Cage amounted to a blatant attempt to circumvent IDEA's requirements. The judge's analysis found the documents were created in part to manage the district's fiscal exposure from private placements and settlements. MCPS spent about $57 million to send roughly 700 students to nonpublic schools in fiscal year 2025, according to state data cited by The Banner.

The case centered on a 6-year-old kindergartner with emotional and behavioral disabilities whose parents sought placement in a specialized nonpublic school. MCPS insisted the child remain in a district program. Baker ordered MCPS to place the boy in the school his parents requested, writing that the district's failures had harmed the student's ability to receive an education.

MCPS disputes the decision.

Spokesperson Liliana López said in a statement that the district respectfully disagrees with the ruling and its characterizations, including the description of a formal policy being in place. López attributed the issue to miscommunication and staff uncertainty. Cage was not available for an interview, López said.

Baker also found Cage not credible. When Cage denied knowledge of the placement directive and testified that her staff had acted without her authority, the judge wrote that the documents spoke for themselves.

Attorney Brian Gruber of the Gruber Law Firm, who represented the family, told The Banner that the preapproval policy shut parents out. "Parents are entitled to have a voice," Gruber said. "When an IEP team comes to a meeting … either with a closed mind or has already decided the placement recommendation … parents are cut out."

Shortly before Baker issued her decision, MCPS published new guidelines stating that placement decisions cannot be predetermined. López said Cage has reinforced compliance with federal law.

The ruling follows a pattern of special education complaints against MCPS. The Banner reported Sept. 28 that such complaints in Maryland have increased more than 200% since 2022, with MCPS facing a large share. Due process hearings in Maryland are generally kept private and are difficult for parents to win, according to The Banner's reporting.

The Board of Education's Committee on Special Populations meets Nov. 9 at 9 a.m., though no agenda item tied to this ruling has been confirmed.