Editor's Note: Since this news story was published, the Maryland State Board of Education upheld a previous decision by the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners to close the Steuart Hill Academy in June 2023.
The Maryland State Board of Education is the last ray of hope for Steuart Hill Academy parents who want to keep the doors open.
Steuart Hill Academy was selected for closure by the Baltimore City School of Commissioners in February 2022 and since then, a small group of parents has been fighting to have the decision reversed.
In a final effort, they brought their appeal to the Maryland Board of Education on Tuesday, asking them to overrule the school district’s decision. Originally, the school was slated to close at the end of the 2021-22 school year but that date was extended to the end of the current year.
The parents didn’t hire their own legal representation, instead they crafted the appeal themselves. Theresa Concepción of Baker Donelson gave oral arguments on behalf of the group, whose main concerns hinged around student safety and impending loss of community.
“They are afraid that if Steuart Hill Academy closes, drug addicts and homeless individuals will set up shop at the now empty building. Parents are afraid that their children will have to walk past their former school and make a much more dangerous walk to a building farther away,” argued Concepción.
Baltimore City Public Schools has slated Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School and Frederick Elementary School, a charter school, as the alternatives for Steuart Hill Academy. The Franklin Square school is just under a half mile from Steuart Hill Academy while Frederick Elementary is just under a mile.
Almost all Baltimore City students walk a mile or less to school, argued Claude de Vastrey Jones of Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett & Scherr who served as outside counsel on behalf of city schools.
“That is the case in almost every jurisdiction across this state. So to ask for an exception simply for Steuart Hill simply for information that is being told to you for the first time… is inappropriate,” said de Vastrey Jones, adding further that if there are specific local safety concerns, parents need to bring that up with the school.
City schools cites declining enrollment, a trend that was in place before but accelerated during the pandemic, and a facility in dire need of repairs as the reason they are closing the school. Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary is also scheduled to close at the end of the year for similar reasons.
De Vestry Jones further argued that the other schools offered more resources, like aviation classes and advanced algebra.
“I do know that pre-K through fifth grade does not need advanced algebra and aviation,” replied Concepión. “What they need is safety and getting from point A to point B, and it can't just be that they might get a better algebra class.”
Instead, Concepción argued that the school could come up with more creative solutions like allowing students from overcrowded schools to attend a smaller one like Steuart Hill.
This is the final step in what has been a long uphill battle for the Steuart Hill Academy parents– they filed an appeal with an administrative law judge from the State Department of Education in November but the judge dismissed the case.
Concepción told WYPR that at the least, parents hope the school will delay the closure by one more school year to give them more time to come up with a plan for their kids.
The board did not say when they will offer a decision.
