A group of Montgomery County parents say the county’s Board of Education violated state law by renting public school property to cell phone companies for cell towers. The group, which includes members of the Parents’ Coaltion of Montgomery County, is appealing to the Maryland Board of Education the county school board’s June decision to grant six of the leases. To date, Montgomery County has signed 29 leases with companies such as T-Mobile, Verizon and Cingular on 12 sites across the county, said Lesli Maxwell, spokeswoman for Montgomery County Public Schools.

The county school board lacks the authority to lease public school land to private companies other than childcare centers, said Parents’ Coalition member Janis Sartucci, one of the parents behind the appeal. The majority of the leases were signed by former Superintendent Jerry Weast without the board’s approval, she said, which was also beyond his authority.