Maryland’s inspector general for education found that former Maryland state superintendent Mohammed Choudhury used an encrypted messaging app to discuss work with members of his executive team, despite Choudhury’s earlier denial about doing so.
The summary said Choudhury told investigators that he used Signal to talk with people from his executive team and that work matters sometimes were “mixed in” with personal issues. Those work matters included conversations about government policy and vendor contract decisions, according to the investigative summary.
The response is different from how Choudhury has previously cast his use of the app. In September last year, Baltimore television station Fox45 reported Choudhury initially denied using Signal for his job when asked about it by a reporter. He later told the news station that while he used the app only for “family and friends,” there was a senior member of his team who messaged him routinely “despite my repeated directives to not message me any official agency business-related matters through the Signal application,” the station reported.
Choudhury did not immediately answer a request for comment Wednesday from The Washington Post.
He was selected as state superintendent of schools in 2021. But last year, he withdrew his request for a second-term after a problem-plagued term that included allegations reported by The Post in July 2023 that Choudhury created a “toxic” work environment. Several people with knowledge of the situation previously told The Post that Choudhury did not have enough votes among members of the State Board of Education to support a second term. He now works for the Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas as a deputy superintendent.
The new investigative summary by the inspector general for education said interviews with Maryland State Department of Education employees found “a pattern” of using Signal to discuss work-related matters. A former executive team member reportedly shared some concerns about the optics of using Signal, which has a feature that allows automatic deletion of messages, investigators said. But employees continued using the app “until public scrutiny increased,” according to the report.
Choudhury said he was “not provided with any official training on state communication policy” after being selected as Maryland’s schools chief.
The inspector general recommended the department update its internal policies around the use of such apps and set rules around the retention of records. Maryland State Department of Education spokeswoman Raven Hill said Wednesday the state board and state superintendent’s office are working on updating retention procedures.
The issue isn’t new to Maryland. Former governor Larry Hogan — who is now running for U.S. Senate — was previously criticized for his administration’s use of an app that automatically destroyed communication after 24 hours. Hogan previously defended the practice, stating that it did not “take the place of official government communications.”
