Monday, February 2, 2015

Today at 9:30 AM: Council to Gloss Over MCPS Failure to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse by Staff

Here's what you won't hear discussed today at the Montgomery County Council's Education Committee "briefing" on MCPS Policies and Procedures Related to Child Abuse Allegations.

No one from the Board of Education or MCPS will be put under oath, so truth and facts will not be required. Even the Memorandum from Council staff doesn't give the Council the facts.

Why do Council staff give Councilmembers spin instead of facts?


These facts will not be discussed at the Montgomery County Council today:  
  • MCPS continues, to this day, to maintain a list of suspected child abusers who are currently IN CLASSROOMS.
  • The MCPS work group, that was started in the spring of 2014 (not summer or fall) has not produced a report! The "report" that the Council is being given was written by two MCPS administrators.  Yet, Council staff states in today's Memorandum that the report is from the entire workgroup. Why the fib?

  • Note from a parent who attended recent Work Group meetings: The Montgomery County Council Education Committee, chaired by Councilmember Craig Rice will hear the Superintendent's recommendation for addressing Child Sexual Abuse in MCPS. Please note: this recommendation was advised by, but is not the product of, the workgroup - it was presented to the Superintendent before being fully vetted by the workgroup (on which I sit). Furthermore, it does not follow nationally accepted best practices, nor are many of the recommendations based on empirically supported evidence. A major concern I have is with the school-based liaisons - ALL school employees are mandated reporters and should be addressing all suspicions directly with Child Protective Services and Police - not clearing those calls through a liaison. That would be illegal and continue the culture of coverup.
    Also of note: conspicuously absent from the hearing panel is the parent stakeholder representation.

1 comment:

  1. Is this what is referred to as white wash?

    ReplyDelete

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