Montgomery County’s embattled charter school could face legal trouble over an unpaid bill from a transportation company.

It’s the latest difficult chapter in the brief history of MECCA Business Learning Institute, a Germantown charter school that has struggled with special education compliance, finances and staffing since it opened in the fall.

In an April 7 letter, a lawyer representing SafeSeats Transportation alerted district officials that the charter school owes nearly $50,000 for services provided in December, plus late fees. The company shuttled students between home and school in vans.

Attorney Michelle Stawinski set a Monday deadline for payment.

If not, “SafeSeats has authorized us to file an appropriate complaint in the Circuit Court of Maryland for Montgomery County,” Stawinski wrote in the letter, which was reviewed by The Banner.

MBLI founder LaChaundra Graham told school board members on Thursday that the letter left out context. She said charter officials will challenge the company’s position.

“SafeSeats volunteered to provide the services after the school had explained to the vendor that our financial position had changed and we were eliminating transportation,” Graham said. “SafeSeats volunteered to help, so that it did not impose any continued constraints on the families.”

SafeSeats’ legal threat came to light during a Thursday meeting in which charter officials tried to defend their campus against closure.

School board members voted in February to move forward with revoking MBLI’s charter, which would effectively force the school to shutter at the end of the year.

The campus’s fate isn’t yet sealed. A final decision is still to come, and charter leaders have also sought state intervention.

Charter leaders issued a statement Friday saying they worked honestly and openly with their vendors.

“Like many of the challenges the school has faced this year, this matter has arisen in the context of significant financial strain and unresolved funding issues affecting MBLI’s operations,” they wrote. “While we cannot share details about ongoing or potential legal matters, we remain committed to transparency and to meeting all obligations to the fullest extent possible.”

Transportation problems

Since MBLI’s launch, getting kids to school has been a headache.

Charter leaders had hoped to launch this fall in a newly renovated Germantown campus, but construction delays forced them to pivot. They instead started classes in a temporary space — in Bethesda. The two campuses sit about 20 miles apart.

That distance made transportation difficult, a conundrum only compounded when charter officials paused yellow bus service near the start of the school year.

They did so after Montgomery County Public Schools’ transportation department flagged issues with its vendors. Some drivers were not certified to operate yellow buses, according to district emails. Officials also received a complaint that at least one of the buses didn’t have functioning red stoplights for student loading and unloading.

Transportation issues contributed to an enrollment nosedive, which triggered a financial blow because campuses are funded based on how many children attend.

Money troubles

The SafeSeats partnership could’ve helped plug the transportation hole left by yellow buses.

According to Stawinski’s letter, the company agreed to provide morning and evening van services from Sept. 22 through Dec. 31, 2025.

“No payment has been received for the services which SafeSeats Transportation LLC provided between December 8, 2025 and December 22, 2025,” she wrote.

By then, the charter school was facing significant financial challenges.

Charter leaders told families around winter break they were discontinuing student transportation services because of financial constraints.

It’s unclear what exactly SafeSeats and MBLI officials discussed regarding the school’s situation. Stawinski did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Graham told the school board that charter leaders were communicative with SafeSeats.

“We sent them a notification in writing of the need to discontinue transportation services because of our financial position,” she said. “SafeSeats then worked with a member of our staff to continue the services.”

According to MCPS documents, SafeSeats isn’t the only company the charter school did not pay.

In a March 24 memo, Superintendent Thomas Taylor wrote that the campus lost its school nurse “due to their failure to pay the agency through which the nurse was hired.” He lamented that this triggered health and safety concerns for students.

Charter leaders painted the situation differently in an email to parents.

“Due to a temporary change in our current nursing vendor’s availability, we are in the process of transitioning our on-site nursing coverage,” Graham wrote in an email reviewed by The Banner. “While this may result in a gap in full-time, on-site support, please know that we are actively working to ensure that appropriate health protocols and student support remain in place during this time.”

Shortly after that, school leaders emailed parents seeking volunteers with medical backgrounds.

“MBLI is currently seeking qualified volunteers to assist with temporary coverage in the school health room while we determine next steps for ongoing staffing,” they wrote.

Charter leaders on Friday disputed that students lacked access to health care. They said unlicensed staff members were certified to administer emergency medications and help with daily needs. Some staff members are also CPR-certified and trained in using defibrillators.

“A registered nurse supervises and trains them, gives ongoing guidance, reviews care procedures, and is always available for advice during the school day,” they wrote.

Plus, they added, Holy Cross Hospital is nearby.