MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - Questions are mounting against Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) leadership over a paper trail revealing that the superintendent quietly signed a contract for a pilot program to test AI weapons screening in high schools.
What we know:
Concerns were raised after the school system took roughly eight months from when the superintendent signed the agreement with the company Vault AI on Nov. 4 of 2025, to release a copy of the contract.
The 33-page document was finally provided on July 23 after a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request was submitted by Janice Sartucci, an advocate with the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland.
According to Sartucci, her initial MPIA request in February was met with a response from MCPS Deputy Chief of Communications Chris Cram stating there were “no responsive documents,” contracts, invoices, or purchase orders regarding Vault AI, adding that the 30-day pilot was a “no-cost agreement.”..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/mcps-leaders-face-questions-over-ai-weapons-screening-contract
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Here is the paper trail from my attempt to obtain the MCPS and VOLT AI contract through the standard Maryland Public Information Act process as set up by Maryland law. When the Superintendent failed to provide the document, the matter was appealed to the Maryland State Public Information Act Ombudsman. It was then, and only then that the contract was produced.
