Monday, May 16, 2016

EXCLUSIVE: MD Teacher Suspension and Revocation Report 1995 - April 2016

The record of 817 disciplinary actions for Maryland teachers from 1989 through April 2016, are listed on the document below.

This document was obtained by the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD through a Maryland Public Information Act request filed May 4, 2016.

MSDE Disciplinary Actions 1... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

13 comments:

  1. Is 'Violation of Contract' a euphemism for something more substantial?

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    1. When I worked in Frederick County (*mumble mumble* years ago), job interviews usually happened in Spring but some vacancies came up over the summer. One year I interviewed for a position in late June and by the time they told me I hadn't gotten it, it was past the July 15th deadline to resign without penalty. Since it was the 3rd summer in a row of this, and since I was only working 3 days a week with little hope of an increase in time there, I resigned anyway (ended up working in MoCo); Frederick County did pursue suspension of my certification but dropped it when I got MSTA involved.

      That was my first thought when I saw how many had been "Violation of Contract" suspensions

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    2. Mostly not. Most likely the working conditions were such that the teacher resigned early even though the contract was for a year. A friend of mine taught in a Maryland county and was physically shoved by a student. Administration wouldn't believe her or deal with it, so she resigned. Administration then threatened to have her teaching certificate suspended. The MD Department of Education should stop suspending teaching certificates for contract violations. The teacher's contract is with the county. If the list showed the actual violation and allowed a teacher to add a comment, readers would see a more accurate picture.

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    3. A threatened suspension is not a suspension. This list shows actual suspensions. Gossip and rumor are not what this list is about. This list is about making the ACTUAL SUSPENSIONS AND REVOCATIONS PUBLIC.

      There is nothing stopping the teachers union from putting out this list with the explanations that go with each action.

      This is list is being kept SECRET by MSDE and the unions. By keeping this list SECRET, teachers are able to move to other areas and keep teaching, or are able to move to private schools and teach there.

      Any Maryland teacher that is on this list is free to explain the action.

      Pennsylvania, makes this list PUBLIC on their State Education WEBSITE. In Maryland, the only place you will find this list is HERE.

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    4. Do they become substitutes in order to circumvent the 'screening process?'

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  2. I would imagine that “violation of contract” means just that; the teacher failed to perform to the letter of the contract (excessive absences, not teaching curriculum, etc.). What I find troubling, as I scan through the Montgomery County teachers on this list is that there are so few entries for such a large school system. Probability statistics alone would generate a much higher number. Also for the Montgomery County list, there only a few “violation of contract” entries and mainly entries for criminal acts, many of which are implied or stated sex offences. Also very troubling is that most of the Montgomery County teachers cited for criminal and/or sex offences do not come up is the Maryland Judiciary Case Search http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/casesearch/inquirySearch.jis
    and are not listed on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/sorSearch/search.do?anchor=offlist&searchType=byName&coords=0%2B0&streetAddress=1037+carnation+dr+rockville+md&radius=0.5&firstnm=chris&lastnm=harper&county=Allegany&zip=&filter=ALL&category=ALL
    And little things too… How is it that “Alfred P. Vogel” (on the list of criminal Montgomery County teachers) is employed by MCPS and is “dismissed or resigns” in the year 2000 (there is no information in the Maryland Judiciary Case Search or Maryland Sex Offender Registry circa 2000), HOWEVER “Alfred P. Vogel” can be found in the Maryland Judiciary Case Search in 1986 COVICTED of “Child Abuse.” Wow, MCPS really knows how to do a criminal back ground check. There are many other like this one on the list.

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    1. I noticed too that names tend to 'evaporate' from the MJCS over time.

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    2. I find this very troubling. Both myself and my brother were taught in elementary school by Mr. Vogel. His behavior with students was troubling them yet just like the catholic church he went from teacher to principal and got passed around in different school systems. The school system failed the students by letting this person be around kids. No surprise tears lateribreturn from college break and I learn Mr. Vogel has molested some kids at local YMCA. Shame to the school systems. I am over 50 and I still have nightmares about Mr. Vogel.

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    3. Based on the timeline, I was his first victim as he learned and progressed. That info alone makes me identifiable. His method was simple: put the kid in a situation which causes him to be ostracized and bullied by his peers. That child then runs to him for protection. The constant contact between his hand and my posterior could easily seem innocuous, especially back then.

      It made me a pariah and utterly ruined my life.

      Similar to the Catholic Church scandals, my was also an MCPS teacher who insisted nothing was wrong and anything bad happening was my fault, generally chalked up to misbehaviour.

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  3. You can thank Jamie Raskin and the rest of our Montgomery County Delegation for passing legislation that allows names to be removed from Maryland Judiciary Case search. Good luck on keeping track of teachers with inappropriate relationships with students. If they are charged with lesser crimes they can get their record wiped clean and go back to teaching.

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    1. a.k.a. the seven-year gap advocate.

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    2. I think some of them did.

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    3. Our very own advocate Jamie Raskin
      Joins committees just for the asking
      He is so obsessed with emoluments
      That he mixes up his daily ointments
      He takes so seriously his legal craft
      That he often forgets his hair to part
      He regularly burns the midnight oil
      Trying to make sense of the turmoil
      Before he gets on live TV to admonish
      He puts on three coats of shoe polish
      All his former colleagues now wonder
      If he found success or made a blunder.

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