The year-long battle over where to put a new middle school in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area became more heated this week when the Montgomery County Parks Department petitioned the county’s Planning Board to reject a site the school board has chosen twice.

Rock Creek Hills Local Park in Kensington was chosen by the county’s school board in April 2011, after a five-month site selection process criticized by some of the park’s neighbors for lacking openness or community input. At the direction of new Superintendent Joshua Starr, the board rescinded its decision and started from scratch in November, convening a new panel to examine 38 potential sites.