This is Part 1 of a series of Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) response releases that will give a glimpse behind the curtain regarding the planning and rollout of the Howard County Council’s CR-112 resolution that called on the Howard County public school system to ‘desegregate’ its schools.

Let’s dive in to analyze a couple of important text messages received as part of the response to MPIA requests that were submitted to the County in September by members of HoCo Families for Education Improvement (FEI):

Throughout this Fall’s controversial school redistricting process, Board of Education (BOE) member Sabina Taj has been one of the strongest advocates for Superintendent Martirano’s socio-economic based school redistricting plan and for the CR-112 resolution. Considering the vocal, unwavering and persistent efforts that she made to ensure that all redistricting moves were looked at “through the lens of equity”, a lingering question has been “what did she know and when did she know it?”.

In the August 22, 2019 Baltimore Sun article entitled, “Emails show county officials blindsided by council members’ schools ‘desegregation’ news release“, Sabina Taj apparently told the Baltimore Sun that “she received a phone call but only about the [CR-112] resolution”.

According to Councilmember Jones’ district aide, BOE member Sabina Taj seems to have been deeply knowledgeable about both the CR-112 resolution in its earliest stages and also knowledgeable about Superintendent Martirano’s socio-economic based redistricting plan well before the details were publicly unveiled.

It is also implied that Sabina Taj not only knew about the August 13 CR-112 press release (contrary to her Baltimore Sun article comment), but also played a large part in convincing Councilmember Christiana Mercer-Rigby to issue the press release in an effort to put pressure on Superintendent Martirano and the BOE, by threatening that two County Councilmembers “are looking to hold him accountable”.