Report flags risks in Montgomery County schools' background check system

...Thousands of Montgomery County Public Schools workers have fallen through cracks in background check systems, according to a new report, potentially meaning people with criminal histories could be working closely with children.

Maryland’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report Monday detailing “deficiencies” with background checks in MCPS, which serves more than 160,000 students.

The report found what it calls serious lapses in important personnel security measures required by state law and county policy within Maryland’s largest school district...

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/report-flags-risks-in-montgomery-county-schools-background-check-system/3970639/

Montgomery watchdog says school system is behind on criminal history checks

About 12,000 employees have outdated criminal history checks, and 4,900 employees haven’t been screened for cases involving child abuse and neglect.

...Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi said in an interview the tone of the superintendent’s response letter was unusual, but she maintained that her office’s work was factually accurate. She noted that the school system agreed to most of the report’s recommendations.

“I think a lot of this back-and-forth really is a distraction, and it’s to get people to talk about something other than the deficiencies that we identified and that are contained in the report,” Limarzi said...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/08/05/montgomery-schools-background-checks/

4,900 MCPS hires have not been submitted for CPS background checks. "100% Your Children are Not Safe"

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A new report from the Montgomery County Inspector General just revealed that almost 5,000 of the district's hires have not been checked out for past violations with the state's Child Protective Services (CPS) division.

So, who's spending time with your kids in schools?..

..."100%. Your children are not safe in MCPS from people who may choose to harm them sexually," said Jennifer Gross, a licensed clinical social worker...

https://wjla.com/features/i-team/montgomery-county-public-schools-background-checks-sex-offender-mcps-education-marc-elrich-child-protective-services-safety-education-classroom-maryland-oig#

Breaking**Inspector General: "Actions of MCPS senior leaders do not demonstrate either accountability or transparency." Report on MCPS Failure to Background Check Staff/Contractors/Volunteers.

Today, the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General issued a report entitled, "Review of MCPS Background Screening Office."

The IG's Report details disturbing gaps in the MCPS background checks of staff, contractors and volunteers.

The MCPS Superintendent, Thomas W. Taylor, responded to the Report and criticized the IG's process.

The IG responded to the Superintendent's criticism with a response letter that included the following statements:  

...OIG staff met with members of the Superintendent’s leadership team on June 25th and in response to that meeting made corrections to address the concerns raised and provided a revised draft report on July 7th. On July 16th we held another meeting to discuss MCPS’s proposed corrective actions and address any other questions or issues. At no time during or after that meeting did MCPS leadership request additional changes to the report, raise wording discrepancies, or identify any inaccuracies. The Superintendent did not attend either of these  meetings, and despite his claims, MCPS leaders did not exhibit or invite an authentic collaboration. In fact, during our last meeting with MCPS leadership, they repeatedly refused to discuss specifics of certain planned actions which would assist the OIG in determining if the proposed steps would address observed deficiencies or offer alternative considerations. It was only in the Superintendent’s July 25th formal response that we learned of the nature and extent of discussions with the State regarding CPS checks...

...Lastly, in contrast to their statements, the actions by MCPS senior leaders do not demonstrate either accountability or transparency. The fact remains that thousands of individuals with unsupervised access to MCPS schools and students have not had a criminal history check in more than five years and thousands more have not completed a CPS check. In the end, only one entity is tasked with and has accepted the responsibility for obtaining these background checks to safeguard employees and students, and that is MCPS.  

The full IG Report is reproduced below: 

Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland screening of employees by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Parents raise transparency concerns over MCPS boundary study process

ROCKVILLE, Md. (7News) — Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor has stressed the importance of transparency, but a parent-teacher representative said the boundary study process is not achieving that.

Brigid Howe, President of the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA), testified before the school board about the problems in June.

She revealed that members of a community committee formed to improve communication and community engagement for the boundary study are required to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).

"I think that when we're talking about work that has to do with a taxpayer-funded entity, a public system, and that is, using data that should not be kept secret; that a non-disclosure agreement is constraining and it makes it difficult for the commitee members to engage in the way that they should for true transparency," Howe told 7News about the problems she thinks are caused...

https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-school-boundary-study-lacks-transparency-parent-teacher-complaints-process-communication-mcps-superintendent-community-sign-non-disclosure-agreements-nda-secret-committee-rockville-maryland

Montgomery County teachers file class action grievance over payroll issues

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Frustration is growing among some educators in the Montgomery County Public Schools system (MCPS) after some did not receive their paychecks on time, and others received less than they were owed.

Now, the Montgomery County Educators’ Association (MCEA) has filed a class action grievance against the school system, hoping to bring attention and swift action to what they say is an ongoing problem tied to a new payroll system.

“It is really outrageous,” David Stein, president of MCEA, said...

https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/maryland/montgomery-county/montgomery-county-teachers-file-class-action-grievance-over-payroll-issues/

MCPS Charter School will Open at Radnor Holding School in August 2025

The MECCA Business Learning Institute Public Charter School (MBLI) will officially launch in Fall 2025, beginning with grades 6 and 7, and expanding each year through high school (grade 12).

While our permanent home at 20261 Goldenrod Lane in Germantown, Maryland, is undergoing its final transformation into a business learning campus, MBLI will open at a temporary Montgomery County Public Schools facility located at 7000 Radnor Road in Bethesda...

https://www.mbli-md.org/

MoCo school board ordered to pay $518K to former B-CC High teacher accused of racism

County jury rules that board, not school principal, defamed educator

Article in Bethesda Today by Ashlyn Campbell. To read the entire article go here.

A Montgomery County Circuit Court jury on Wednesday ordered the county school board to pay former Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School teacher Dan Engler $518,000 in damages after finding the board was ultimately responsible for defaming Engler in a 2023 email accusing him of racism that was sent to the B-CC community.   

The jury awarded the damages after a seven-day trial that revolved around the email sent by B-CC Principal Sheldon Mooney in response to a complaint by two Black students that Engler had made racist comments to them in his classroom on Feb. 8, 2023. The email was vetted by numerous Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) administrators, according to court testimony. The school board oversees MCPS. 

In August 2023, Engler and his attorney David Wachen filed a defamation lawsuit against Mooney and the school board seeking more than $75,000 in damages, according to the complaint. Engler, who taught at B-CC for 18 years before going on medical leave in February 2023, now teaches at Walt Whitman High in Bethesda.    

After several hours of deliberation Wednesday, the jury returned a verdict finding the school board defamed Engler, but Mooney did not. The jury awarded Engler a total of $518,000 in damages and interest.

Attend the county council meeting tomorrow - the council is voting on Zoning Text Amendment 25-02 to overturn our master plans

Tomorrow the County Council will be voting on a zoning text amendment (ZTA), ZTA 25-02 that can lead to even more overcrowding in our schools, and overrides our community master plans.

Please be there if you can. If the council passes this ZTA it will have an enormous impact on many areas of our county.

B-CC principal testifies he made up quote in email central to racism defamation case

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Principal Shelton Mooney testified Wednesday in Montgomery County Circuit Court that although he made up a partial quote in a 2023 email sent to the school community, the words expressed the sentiments of students who witnessed an incident resulting in accusations of racism against a teacher.   

Mooney testified in the Rockville court during a jury trial for a defamation lawsuit filed by the teacher, Daniel Engler, who claims Mooney’s email harmed his reputation and career.  

Engler, who taught at the Bethesda school for 18 years, and his attorney David Wachen filed a defamation complaint in August 2023 concerning the February 2023 incident against Mooney and the Montgomery County school board, seeking more than $75,000 in damages, according to the complaint. Engler now teaches at Walt Whitman High in Bethesda...

 https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/17/bcc-quote-email-racism-defamation/

No BOE Vote/No Budget for Move Leads to: ‘Hasty, haphazard, sloppy’: Community meeting raises concerns about plans for alternative education

A community meeting about Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) relocating an alternative education program from Silver Spring to the Flower Valley and Manor Lake neighborhoods of Rockville became chaotic Thursday night as Rockville residents largely voiced their opposition to the move. 

“That is not what we were told,” one audience member in the Flower Valley Elementary School cafeteria called out during the MCPS presentation. “Can we see the data? Since we can get a straight answer?” another one asked.  

Dozens of community members from the two neighborhoods were gathered for a meeting hosted by councilmember Natali Fani-González (D- Dist.6), who represents the area, after the community raised concerns for safety and security and for a lack of transparency from MCPS on the move.  

“MCPS did not get off to a good start,” Del. Vaughn Stewart (D- Montgomery County), who lives in the neighborhood, said at the Thursday meeting.  “It appeared hasty, it appeared haphazard, it appeared sloppy, and that’s not the way that we want this relationship, and this partnership, and this program to start off.” ..

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/11/community-meeting-concerns-alternative-education/

Reporter Seeks Montgomery County Residents who have had experiences with school bus stop-arm ticketing program.

Hey, folks. My name is Byard Duncan. I’m an award-winning reporter with Type Investigations, focused on consumer protection issues. You can read some of my previous work here: https://www.propublica.org/people/byard-duncan  

I’m working on a story about Montgomery County’s school bus stop-arm ticketing program. If you or someone you know has experience with this program (either positive or negative), I’d love to connect. I want to hear from all sides in order to paint the fairest and most accurate picture possible. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach me via email: byardd@gmail.com. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to meeting you.

Antisemitism at the National Education Association (NEA) Conference

This disturbing post is from an educator who attended the National Education Association (NEA) annual conference, the Representative Assembly (RA), held this year in Portland, Oregon, July 3rd - July 6th. Our Montgomery County MCEA union belongs to the NEA. Jewish educators are grappling with this new reality as they begin to confront the antisemitism in the NEA.

🚨What I Witnessed at the NEA RA in Portland Shook Me to My Core🚨

Just returned from the NEA Representative Assembly. While our Long Beach delegation (with one glaring exception) was full of passionate, dedicated educators 💪🍎—what I saw from the broader body was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever experienced.

Let me be clear:

➡️ 7,000+ educators unanimously voted to honor AAPI Month and National Day of the Black Educator (as they should).

➡️ Then immediately debated—yes, debated—whether Jewish American Heritage Month was even worth recognizing.

Nearly HALF the room gleefully and loudly voted against it. Against including Jews in their “inclusive” vision. Against recognizing a community that’s faced thousands of years of persecution and is currently under attack globally.

😔 I saw people line up, prepared, wearing keffiyehs, clad in Palestine flags, wearing shirts accusing Jews of genocide—eager to speak against anything Jewish. They weren’t improvising. These were coordinated, rehearsed lies. Hardly an Amerian flag to be seen. A sea of Palestine.

🙏 While I felt safe in my small corner of the convention—surrounded by respectful and inclusive delegates from Long Beach and suburban L.A. County—many of my Jewish friends did not.

Educators from Oregon, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Maryland, New Jersey, and Illinois did not feel safe in their assigned sections and had to find other places to sit—near friends and allies. 🤝

There were tears. Panic attacks. Silent breakdowns.

But also hugs. Strength. Unshakable solidarity. 💔❤️

Thank God for the NEA Jewish Affairs Caucus and our allies who worked relentlessly behind the scenes—using convention rules—to keep them from getting microphones. But on Day 3… we couldn’t stop them.

They were READY. And the room voted to:

❌ Ban the ADL

📉 Discredit antisemitism statistics in schools

🚫 Silence Jewish voices under the false label of “racism”

Delegates CHEERED. They CLAPPED. They DANCED.

Some even CELEBRATED the murder of a Jewish American in Colorado.

I was stunned. Heartbroken. Horrified.

This is what too many educators—those we trust to teach our children—are modeling. Hatred dressed as activism. Exclusion masquerading as justice. 👎

I now understand what Jews in Berlin, Munich, or Düsseldorf must have felt in 1936. You think, “It can’t happen here.” But it is happening here. 🇺🇸

If America falls, there’s nowhere left. Much of the Western world is already unsafe for Jews.

We must speak out. We must fight back against this normalized hate. We must demand better from our institutions—especially those shaping the next generation.

Silence is complicity.

#StopAntisemitism #NEA #CTA #JewishVoicesMatter #EducationNotHate #NeverAgain ✡️ #Neajac  #ctajac

Montgomery Co. police sergeant faces charges of possessing child sexual abuse materials

A 20-year veteran of the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland was arrested Thursday on multiple charges of possession of child sexual abuse materials, according to police.

In a statement Friday, Montgomery County police confirmed Sgt. Mark Burhoe, of Mount Airy, had been arrested by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office...

https://wtop.com/crime/2025/07/montgomery-co-police-sergeant-faces-charges-of-possessing-child-sexual-abuse-materials/

BOE Expense Report Shows Club Dues and Conference Fees of $107,014.

 Board Semi-Annual Expenditure Report.pdf

Supreme Court ruling wasn’t the final word, as debate on LGBTQ books opt-out goes on

Wael Elkoshari, a parent pushing for a religious opt-out for instructions involving LGBTQ+ curriculum and books, speaks in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in April, when justices heard arguments in a Montgomery County case. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters)

Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Sean Bulson knows that school administrators “should be thrilled that parents want to be involved” in their children’s education.

Bulson also knows that there can be a point when parents get too involved, acknowledging the potential administrative burden of trying to anticipate everything that a parent might find objectionable in the classroom...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/supreme-court-ruling-not-final-070446901.html

MCPS Boundary Study Virtual Meeting

Supreme Court says parents can pull kids from classes with LGBTQ-themed books

The 6-3 ruling blocks Montgomery County policy that prevented opt-outs; dissent says ruling will create ‘chaos’ for school systems

The U.S. Supreme Court handed a victory Friday to Montgomery County parents who object, for religious reasons, to the school system’s use of LGBTQ+-themed books in classrooms, saying parents should be allowed to opt their children out of such classes.

The 6-3 ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor sent the case back to lower courts for a full hearing, but the majority left little doubt where it stands on the issue, with Justice Samuel Alito writing for the court that the parents have “shown that they are very likely to succeed in their free exercise” of religion claims.

“The Board’s introduction of the LGBTQ+-inclusive” storybooks into the literature curriculum, along with its decision to deny opt-outs as it does for other topics, “places an unconstitutional burden on the parents’ rights to the free exercise of their religion,” Alito wrote.

“The Board should be ordered to notify them [parents] in advance whenever one of the books in question or any other similar book is to be used in any way and to allow them to have their children excused from that instruction,” the majority opinion said. Alito was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

In a sharp, 38-page dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor — joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — said the majority’s ruling would create “chaos” for the nation’s public schools, which will be required to “provide advance notice and the chance to opt out of every lesson plan or story time that might implicate a parent’s religious beliefs.”..

https://marylandmatters.org/2025/06/27/supreme-court-says-parents-can-pull-kids-from-classes-with-lgbtq-themed-books/

D.C. officially ends redshirting for kindergartners

D.C. is cracking down on families who want to enroll their kids late into kindergarten — a practice known as redshirting.

Why it matters: D.C. Public Schools used to let principals allow families to delay enrollment, especially if a child has developmental concerns.

• But suddenly D.C. isn't making exceptions, even for kids with doctors' notes.

The big picture: The pivot has enraged a group of upper Northwest parents, who are pushing the D.C. Council to step in.

Zoom in: In the past, D.C. occasionally let some kids with birthdays close to the kindergarten cutoff wait a year to enroll — or redshirt. It meant that newly minted 6-year-olds could start school a whole year older than newly minted 5-year-olds.

• This year, DCPS rejected requests from more than a dozen families trying to delay enrollment into highly rated elementary schools like Lafayette.
• That means for kids who turn 5 by Sept. 30, it's kindergarten — not an extra year of PreK4. For kids who redshirted last year, DCPS is saying to skip kindergarten and go straight to first grade.

"This has been so stressful," one parent who wishes to remain anonymous to protect their child's identity tells Axios.

• Last year, given their child's learning and socialization difficulties, the family decided to repeat PK4, after receiving written assurances from an elementary principal that he could start the 2025-26 school year in kindergarten, per emails the family shared with Axios.
• But that promise was yanked in May. The family's now being told their child will need to jump to first grade in the fall, despite letters from a pediatrician and child psychologist. "There has been zero sympathy," the parent says. "They are making no exceptions."
• Families in similar situations have been contacted by the DC Child and Family Services Agency for not putting their kids in the right grade, says Eric Goulet, a member of the State Board of Education. He calls it "harsh retaliation tactics."..

https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/07/01/dcps-kindergarten-redshirting-rules

2024: Monique Felder 🠊 Shawn Joseph 🠊 Jerry Weast: [2016] Critic Sees 'Cronyism' In Metro Schools Hiring

 https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2024/02/monique-felder-shawn-joseph-jerry-weast.html