School Design Flaws Indicative of MCPS’s Predator Problem

When a building maintenance worker at Hoover Middle School was arrested on Thursday after allegedly watching female students undressing in their locker room, it became apparent that the school’s layout shows a fundamental design flaw may be responsible in part for placing the young girls at risk.  

NBC Washington reported that Maintenance worker Josh Greenberg, 28, used a Herbert Hoover Middle School staff office to look into the girls’ locker room on two different days, police said.

As NBC Washington reported, the layout of the Rockville/Potomac middle school allowed passersby to peer into the locker room through a window shrouded with blinds located in a staff office - an area possibly accessible by almost anyone. Greenberg reportedly admitted what he had done and was placed on administrative leave, NBC Washington reported.

The architectural blueprint of the school showing the locker room window and its position is located here. And it is that blueprint that would have likely been approved by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Director of Facilities Management James Song.

Hoover Principal Yom Mi Kim wrote to parents after the Nov. 7 arrest: “After these allegations were brought to our attention by the students, we immediately contacted the police, MCPS and the parents of the students involved. The employee has been placed on administrative leave, and an investigation by the MCPS Office of Human Resources and Development is being conducted.”

Then came the MCPS commercial.

“At Hoover, we take pride in ensuring the safety and wellness of all our students. We are proud that students had the courage to come forward and share this information with the staff who they have come to trust and respect.”

It is one more incident in a long line of MCPS staff and teachers who have been arrested and charged with sexual misconduct. In 2013 alone, according to Parents Coalition records, there have been five MCPS workers who have been arrested on sexual misconduct charges.

It is indicative of a systemic problem within the county school system that these alleged predators are able to operate and sometimes thrive around the county’s most vulnerable population.

What’s more damning for MCPS is the emerging evidence that the system moves predators from one school to the next – similar to the actions taken by the Catholic Archdiocese that resulted in millions of dollars in settlements to former abuse victims – and a lifetime of damage to the victims.

It isn’t known how long any of the predators that worked for MCPS were engaged in their appropriate behavior. The school system is more focused on school construction and curriculum secrecy than the safety of the children in their charge.

Despite the recent spate of school shootings, security is not a priority for MCPS. During a recent Parents Day at Bradley Hills Elementary School in Bethesda, the staff piled sign-in sheets and badges on an unmanned table set up in the school entrance way. Anyone could then walk in, sign in and roam freely throughout the school unchallenged.

Slate.com reported that in a 2000 study commissioned by the American Association of University Women, one in 10 students between 8th and 11th grade had reported experiencing inappropriate sexual conduct at school. The news group said that if those number were accurate then nationwide, “4.5 million students currently in grades K-12 have suffered some form of sexual abuse by an educator, and more than 3 million have experienced sexual touching or assault.” 

If a culture of safety isn’t coming from Josh Starr, then it likely won’t filter down to the principals under his charge. Then again, he’s likely far too busy being an education rock star delivering his canned and crafted messages in pricey venues like Strathmore Hall, and having photos of himself getting the Miley Cyrus treatment being tweeted by his staff.

Dr. Starr walks out to give his State of the Schools speech #MCPSSOTS @mcpssuper pic.twitter.com/AyMYrt58He
— Dana Tofig (@MCPSPIO) November 11, 2013