Friday, February 28, 2020
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Bethesda-Chevy Chase H.S. student 'jumped' in school bathroom, taken to ER for injuries
...Meanwhile, a B-CC security guard reviewed closed-circuit security cameras, which captured the portion of the robbery and assault that took place in the open hallway...
QUESTIONS FOR MCPS
7 On Your Side contacted Montgomery County Public Schools Thursday to see if Folivi — or his two alleged accomplices — are allowed to attend B-CC (or any other public high school) while awaiting the outcome of the pending criminal matter...
https://wjla.com/news/local/bethesda-chevy-chase-hs-student-jumped-in-school-bathroom-taken-to-er-for-injuries
Detectives Arrest Man for Threats Made Against Kennedy High School in Wheaton
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 4th District Investigative Section are announcing the arrest of Jason Salinas, age 20, of Takoma Park, Maryland, for making threats of mass violence against students, staff, and teachers at John F. Kennedy High School located at 1901 Randolph Road in Wheaton.
On February 13 at approximately 2:21 p.m., a male subject called the school twice and made threats to shoot people at the school. Officers responded to the school and detectives initiated an immediate investigation into the threats. On February 14, another call came into the school threatening mass violence. Investigators determined that the calls were being made from the same internet phone number.
Though efforts were made by the caller to disguise his phone number by “spoofing” the number via phone applications and the internet, the detectives were able to identify the suspect as Salinas. Salinas was a former student of the high school. Investigators also determined that Salinas had a warrant for his arrest for two counts of second-degree rape and two counts of a third-degree sexual offense.
On February 26, detectives arrested Salinas in Prince George’s County on the strength of the warrant for his arrest for second-degree rape. During a police interview, Salinas made admissions of guilt to making the threatening phone calls to the school. Salinas was transported to the Central Processing Unit and was additionally charged with two counts of mass violence, two counts of disruption of school operations, and two counts of making a false statement to a state official causing an investigation.
The Montgomery County Department of Police in cooperation with the Montgomery County Public Schools fully investigate any threats of violence to schools. These threats are a serious matter and those responsible for making these threats, regardless of intent, will be criminally charged.
For information regarding the Montgomery County Department of Police stance on school threats, please click here.
@MCPS responded to our question about how many 19-21 year olds are enrolled in high schools in Montgomery County:
#FollowUp @MCPS responded to our question about how many 19-21 year olds are enrolled in high schools in Montgomery County:— Lauren DeMarco FOX 5 (@ldemarcofox5) February 27, 2020
19 year olds: 797
20 year olds: 388
21 year olds: 97@fox5dc https://t.co/fhBH6bRjYL
MCPS General Counsel Leaves Too. Superintendent Jack R. Smith's New Regime Begins
As Superintendent Jack R. Smith's contract is renewed today for another 4 years, we learn that another top MCPS administrator is gone.
From the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners February 11, 2020 meeting minutes.
From the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners February 11, 2020 meeting minutes.
Maryland school board won’t increase passing test scores
Maryland school board won’t increase passing test scores
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s state school board voted Tuesday to keep current graduation requirements in place for incoming high school students, reversing previous plans to raise the required scores on standardized tests...
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Board of Ed Prohibits Public from Commenting on Renewal of Jack R. Smith's Contract
As the Parents' Coalition reported last week, Superintendent Jack R. Smith's contract has actually not been renewed. The Board of Education voted to enter into negotiations with him for a new contract, but no actual contract existed yet.
Today, we see that the Board of Education is now poised to vote on a new contract for Jack R. Smith, but the Board of Education doesn't want any public comment on the Superintendent's Contract renewal.
The Board of Education has set the renewal of Superintendent Jack R. Smith's contract for a vote on Thursday, February 27, 2020, during a WORKSESSION. Worksessions of the Board of Education do not permit public comments.
The Board of Education just had a regular business meeting yesterday. They could have put the renewal of the Superintendent's contract on the Agenda for that regular meeting and that would have allowed members of the public to speak during public comment.
The proposed new contract has not been made public prior to the Thursday Worksession.
Clearly, the Montgomery County Board of Education does not want to hear from the public with regard to whether or not they should renew Superintendent Jack R. Smith's contract and they do not want any public discussion of the terms of a contract renewal.
NOTE: This was how the Board of Education operated when Jerry Weast was the Superintendent.
February 27, 2020 AGENDA:
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BKVL6D53D9DF
The Board of Education has set the renewal of Superintendent Jack R. Smith's contract for a vote on Thursday, February 27, 2020, during a WORKSESSION. Worksessions of the Board of Education do not permit public comments.
The Board of Education just had a regular business meeting yesterday. They could have put the renewal of the Superintendent's contract on the Agenda for that regular meeting and that would have allowed members of the public to speak during public comment.
The proposed new contract has not been made public prior to the Thursday Worksession.
Clearly, the Montgomery County Board of Education does not want to hear from the public with regard to whether or not they should renew Superintendent Jack R. Smith's contract and they do not want any public discussion of the terms of a contract renewal.
NOTE: This was how the Board of Education operated when Jerry Weast was the Superintendent.
February 27, 2020 AGENDA:
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BKVL6D53D9DF
MCPS Gets an 'A' in Protecting Predators
From a parent:
Montgomery County Public Schools never got the #MeToo message. How many students have to report sexual harassment and assault to MCPS before they take action to expel the perpetrator?
It is a philosophical question to be sure but not a theoretical one. I have recently seen the sexual harassment reporting process at MCPS and its massive failures up close. What I learned explains the chronic problem MCPS has with students who report predators on campus.
In this particular case, I need to obscure some details to protect the reporting students and sadly the identity of the alleged student perpetrator. To be clear, I have shared all of the details, text messages, images, and stories of this account with the school principal, the title nine coordinators in the office of the chief of staff at MCPS HQ, the head of the school board, and the Superintendent of MCPS.
The principal at the high school called me a liar and mean spirited for making what she called baseless allegations. MCPS said they followed every protocol and that there was no problem.
MCPS, we have a problem.
Three students reported another student for pervasive and repeated harassment and assault. Following MCPS procedures established at their high school, the school security guards took their statements. The students were humiliated by the process. They felt the guard doubted and downplayed their accounts. The security guards joked about their lunch plans in between taking their statements. The School Resource Officer, who should be an advocate for students, stood in the corner on her phone completely disengaged from the process. These staff members were not a caring and empathetic team of professionals who did their best to make the reporting students feel supported/
The principal of any MCPS high school can set the procedure by which students report harassment by faculty or other students. In this case, Renay Johnson, principal at Montgomery Blair High School, assigned this most sensitive task, not to a trained school counselor or high-level administrator, but one of the least qualified members of the team.
When the accused student started posting on social media about the accusers and sending text messages, I sent the messages to MCPS HQ. I spoke directly to the Title 9 coordinator, who listened to my issues, received copies of the communications then told me to stop contacting her.
The accused student spent all of a week on suspension before being allowed back to school. I do not doubt that without substantial assistance, the student will offend again.
We have seen in the case of the sexually harassing Montgomery Blair Math Teacher, Damascus High Student Sex Assault in the locker rooms, And now the lacrosse Coach at Walter Johnson High school, predators tend to repeat and MCPS seems to be unable to stop it.
I read with dismay yet another story of MCPS employing teachers who were harassing students, this time at Walter Johnson High School. The students did not report the shoulder rubs and the wrestling with him and other students. (https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/bethesda/lacrosse-player-says-former-walter-johnson-girls-coach-made-her-and-teammates-uncomfortable/)
The coach would later be arrested in a kidnap scheme by police long after he left MCPS. When the story came out, one brave student wrote a piece describing the behavior in the school newspaper, how they felt it was uncomfortable.
It is clear from the student article that everyone knew. Students were warned about getting in the car with the coach. https://www.wjpitch.com/top-stories/2020/01/22/wj-lacrosse-coach-gary-reburn-what-the-team-didnt-get-to-say/
What if they had reported to MCPS? Would MCPS then take swift and decisive action against the perpetrator?
Let's look at the case of Eric Walstein at Montgomery Blair High School, who retired from teaching after years of alleged harassment of female students. His last three years under Renay Johnson, the then and current principal at Blair. Mr. Wailestin's former students wrote a letter to outline his behavior in 2018, but MCPS already knew all about it from a report by a parent in 2011. Walstein claimed to be unaware of any concerns the school had about him. (https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/blair-alumni-accuse-renowned-math-teacher-of-years-of-harassingbehavior/)
After some time has passed, we will likely find out that the creepy lacrosse coach at Walter Johnson was reported like the Blair Math teacher but that he was allowed to keep teaching.
The lawyers for the Damascus High students said that MCPS had reported the assaults and that everyone knew. MCPS countered by calling the lawyers for the student's liars. Although the lawsuit was in the early stage, it seems unlikely for a lawyer to make that assertion without some proof.
Would it have mattered if the students at Damascus, Blair, or Walter Johnson did report? I am not sure it would have. It certainly did not matter in the case of the three students who reported this month.
MCPS needs to make a wholesale change in its reporting procedures. We need to get security guards out of the reporting process entirely. There is no place for sensitive matters like sexual harassment and assault, except in the hands of highly trained professionals like school counselors and psychologists.
No policy changes are needed. Each principal can make the change today. Principals are in charge of how reporting is handled at MCPS within their schools. You can pressure your principal to make the change today to:
While I feel there is no perfect response to the issues at MCPS, we need to realize that the process matters. All reporting students need to be treated with respect and dignity.
If MCPS can manage to change their process and take claims seriously with real consequences for predators, then they can claim to protect students.
Women all over the country watched as multiple victims came out against accused sexual predators with a long history of harm and wondered where it started and why the first victim was not believed?
Even when victims did report their complaints, the predators were free to continue. It was only when multiple victims came forward that the cases became too hard to visible anymore.
Montgomery County Public Schools never got the #MeToo message. How many students have to report sexual harassment and assault to MCPS before they take action to expel the perpetrator?
It is a philosophical question to be sure but not a theoretical one. I have recently seen the sexual harassment reporting process at MCPS and its massive failures up close. What I learned explains the chronic problem MCPS has with students who report predators on campus.
In this particular case, I need to obscure some details to protect the reporting students and sadly the identity of the alleged student perpetrator. To be clear, I have shared all of the details, text messages, images, and stories of this account with the school principal, the title nine coordinators in the office of the chief of staff at MCPS HQ, the head of the school board, and the Superintendent of MCPS.
The principal at the high school called me a liar and mean spirited for making what she called baseless allegations. MCPS said they followed every protocol and that there was no problem.
MCPS, we have a problem.
Three students reported another student for pervasive and repeated harassment and assault. Following MCPS procedures established at their high school, the school security guards took their statements. The students were humiliated by the process. They felt the guard doubted and downplayed their accounts. The security guards joked about their lunch plans in between taking their statements. The School Resource Officer, who should be an advocate for students, stood in the corner on her phone completely disengaged from the process. These staff members were not a caring and empathetic team of professionals who did their best to make the reporting students feel supported/
The principal of any MCPS high school can set the procedure by which students report harassment by faculty or other students. In this case, Renay Johnson, principal at Montgomery Blair High School, assigned this most sensitive task, not to a trained school counselor or high-level administrator, but one of the least qualified members of the team.
When the accused student started posting on social media about the accusers and sending text messages, I sent the messages to MCPS HQ. I spoke directly to the Title 9 coordinator, who listened to my issues, received copies of the communications then told me to stop contacting her.
The dismissive contempt that the students encountered should be horrifying to MCPS, but when I contacted the school board and the superintendent, there was no objection to the treatment. I have long email chains that verify that MCPS asserts they did nothing wrong, and they will do nothing wrong again. I am sure that is cold comfort to the next victim.
The accused student spent all of a week on suspension before being allowed back to school. I do not doubt that without substantial assistance, the student will offend again.
We have seen in the case of the sexually harassing Montgomery Blair Math Teacher, Damascus High Student Sex Assault in the locker rooms, And now the lacrosse Coach at Walter Johnson High school, predators tend to repeat and MCPS seems to be unable to stop it.
I read with dismay yet another story of MCPS employing teachers who were harassing students, this time at Walter Johnson High School. The students did not report the shoulder rubs and the wrestling with him and other students. (https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/bethesda/lacrosse-player-says-former-walter-johnson-girls-coach-made-her-and-teammates-uncomfortable/)
The coach would later be arrested in a kidnap scheme by police long after he left MCPS. When the story came out, one brave student wrote a piece describing the behavior in the school newspaper, how they felt it was uncomfortable.
It is clear from the student article that everyone knew. Students were warned about getting in the car with the coach. https://www.wjpitch.com/top-stories/2020/01/22/wj-lacrosse-coach-gary-reburn-what-the-team-didnt-get-to-say/
"Every girl on the lacrosse team who had interacted with Reburn, regardless of age, knew there was something off with our varsity coach," says Lily Salvatore in The Pitch, a student publication.
What if they had reported to MCPS? Would MCPS then take swift and decisive action against the perpetrator?
Let's look at the case of Eric Walstein at Montgomery Blair High School, who retired from teaching after years of alleged harassment of female students. His last three years under Renay Johnson, the then and current principal at Blair. Mr. Wailestin's former students wrote a letter to outline his behavior in 2018, but MCPS already knew all about it from a report by a parent in 2011. Walstein claimed to be unaware of any concerns the school had about him. (https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/blair-alumni-accuse-renowned-math-teacher-of-years-of-harassingbehavior/)
After some time has passed, we will likely find out that the creepy lacrosse coach at Walter Johnson was reported like the Blair Math teacher but that he was allowed to keep teaching.
The lawyers for the Damascus High students said that MCPS had reported the assaults and that everyone knew. MCPS countered by calling the lawyers for the student's liars. Although the lawsuit was in the early stage, it seems unlikely for a lawyer to make that assertion without some proof.
Would it have mattered if the students at Damascus, Blair, or Walter Johnson did report? I am not sure it would have. It certainly did not matter in the case of the three students who reported this month.
MCPS needs to make a wholesale change in its reporting procedures. We need to get security guards out of the reporting process entirely. There is no place for sensitive matters like sexual harassment and assault, except in the hands of highly trained professionals like school counselors and psychologists.
No policy changes are needed. Each principal can make the change today. Principals are in charge of how reporting is handled at MCPS within their schools. You can pressure your principal to make the change today to:
- Reporting should happen only to a high-level school administrator who is a direct report to the principal.
- Students should be offered counseling sessions with the school psychologist for three months following each incident.
- Students should be given privacy in reporting, and be prompted to call their parents. MCPS rules require informing parents within 24 hours, but parents don't have to notify at the time of reporting. Students could be offered a chance to call their parents or a trusted adult. Students don't have to make the call, but knowing that they can reach out to their parents and have them present when reporting, for some students, would be comforting.
While I feel there is no perfect response to the issues at MCPS, we need to realize that the process matters. All reporting students need to be treated with respect and dignity.
If MCPS can manage to change their process and take claims seriously with real consequences for predators, then they can claim to protect students.
Urban Design Firm WXY Is at the Center of the Country’s Most Contentious School Integration Work — From New York City to Maryland. Who Are They, Exactly?
Although meetings for a potential diversity plan to integrate and share resources among District 28’s 13 middle schools are now slated to start next month, many parents are unhappy with how little they know about WXY Studio, a New York City-based architecture and urban design firm whose work has been at the center of high-profile school integration efforts around the country...
“When we see an outside consultant coming in, that causes us concern, because we know that when parents want information about the process … the odds are pretty good we’re going to be given roadblocks,” said Janis Sartucci of the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County...
MCPS Elementary Art Teacher has 665 Students
2/24/20 Board of Education Meeting Public Comment
My name is Tracy Holbert and I am an elementary art teacher. I want to start by thanking you all for addressing arts funding last year! I am very passionate about what I teach and I love my students. However in my opinion, the allocation system for specialists in this county is flawed. Allocations for art, music, and PE are based off of the number of homeroom teachers a school will have next year and they were released last week. This is the second year that I have to teach at three different elementary schools. It is stressful trying to remember what materials I need for which building on which day and I have 6, sometimes 7 different preps.
I have been at my base school each year that I have taught in MCPS. However, the other points that make up the rest of my full-time allocation have changed every year I have been in the county. This means that every spring I am shuffled around and I have to interview for the same job that I've been doing well. I have taught in six different schools in six years. I am also currently the elementary art teacher that teaches the most students in the county which is 665 children. I give my heart and soul to my work, but it's not reasonable to think that I'm able to give all 665 children the care and attention that they deserve.
I’ve been advised to find a 1.0 position at another school to solve the issue. I love my home school and the program I have built there. Moving to a position at one school does not remove the problem; all it does is give the problem to a different teacher. If I move to another school, someone else will have to take my three, which could be a first-year teacher who would feel like quitting after the first month. I ask that we conduct research to find out how to solve this issue that is affecting so many people in our school system. Odd number allocations, which cause a split day schedule, cost the county reimbursement for gas, cause tension between principals over scheduling, and less classes are taught due to travel time. If we would round up to even number allocations then it would be easier to coordinate schools. A survey of elementary art teachers revealed that over 17 of us are teaching more than our contractual 25 weekly classes because MCPS has not provided the funding to update allocations between spring projections and the first day of school. Specialists are over scheduled, perform numerous duties outside of the classroom, and travel between buildings. Yet our needs are not prioritized even though we are also academic subjects essential to the whole child.
If art, music, and physical education are a priority to MCPS, we need to take better care of our educators. I want to give the best education to my kids, but I can't pour from an empty cup. Too many of our teachers are at more than two work sites and it is contributing to burnout. If MCPS wants to be considered desirable for a teacher to come work in, we need to fix this issue. It is a question of what our students deserve, what our teachers deserve, and how we respect the profession of education.
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BM4JG54C8504/$file/Tracy%20Holbert.pdf
My name is Tracy Holbert and I am an elementary art teacher. I want to start by thanking you all for addressing arts funding last year! I am very passionate about what I teach and I love my students. However in my opinion, the allocation system for specialists in this county is flawed. Allocations for art, music, and PE are based off of the number of homeroom teachers a school will have next year and they were released last week. This is the second year that I have to teach at three different elementary schools. It is stressful trying to remember what materials I need for which building on which day and I have 6, sometimes 7 different preps.
I have been at my base school each year that I have taught in MCPS. However, the other points that make up the rest of my full-time allocation have changed every year I have been in the county. This means that every spring I am shuffled around and I have to interview for the same job that I've been doing well. I have taught in six different schools in six years. I am also currently the elementary art teacher that teaches the most students in the county which is 665 children. I give my heart and soul to my work, but it's not reasonable to think that I'm able to give all 665 children the care and attention that they deserve.
I’ve been advised to find a 1.0 position at another school to solve the issue. I love my home school and the program I have built there. Moving to a position at one school does not remove the problem; all it does is give the problem to a different teacher. If I move to another school, someone else will have to take my three, which could be a first-year teacher who would feel like quitting after the first month. I ask that we conduct research to find out how to solve this issue that is affecting so many people in our school system. Odd number allocations, which cause a split day schedule, cost the county reimbursement for gas, cause tension between principals over scheduling, and less classes are taught due to travel time. If we would round up to even number allocations then it would be easier to coordinate schools. A survey of elementary art teachers revealed that over 17 of us are teaching more than our contractual 25 weekly classes because MCPS has not provided the funding to update allocations between spring projections and the first day of school. Specialists are over scheduled, perform numerous duties outside of the classroom, and travel between buildings. Yet our needs are not prioritized even though we are also academic subjects essential to the whole child.
If art, music, and physical education are a priority to MCPS, we need to take better care of our educators. I want to give the best education to my kids, but I can't pour from an empty cup. Too many of our teachers are at more than two work sites and it is contributing to burnout. If MCPS wants to be considered desirable for a teacher to come work in, we need to fix this issue. It is a question of what our students deserve, what our teachers deserve, and how we respect the profession of education.
https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BM4JG54C8504/$file/Tracy%20Holbert.pdf
Monday, February 24, 2020
Montgomery Co. Police arrest two MCPS students for raping 11-year-old girls off-campus #BlairHS #BCCHS
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (ABC7) — Two Montgomery County Public School students — ages 20 and 19 — were recently arrested at their respective high schools, on allegations they raped different 11-year-old girls at..artments located off-campus.
Jonathan Coreas-Salamanca, 20, and Ivan Reyes Lopez, 19, are each charged with second-degree rape. Coreas-Salamanca has additional counts of sexual abuse of a minor and third-degree sexual offense...
https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-co-police-arrest-two-mcps-students-for-raping-11-year-old-girls-off-campus
Board of Education Candidates Forum Monday March 16, Potomac Community Center
The Montgomery County Federation of Republican Women and other community groups are hosting a non-partisan candidate forum for the Board of Education seats. Please attend.
This will be a great opportunity for you to meet the candidates and learn about their opinions on top education issues.
DATE: Monday, March 16
TIME: 6:30-7 PM, District 2 and 4 Candidates
7 PM - 8:30 PM - 8:30 PM: At-Large Candidates
PLACE: Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road, Potomac
The Primary begins on April 16 and Primary Election Day is April 28. On the ballot will be 13 candidates for the At-Large Board of Education race and you will vote for one. The top two vote getters for the At-Large race will advance to the General Election. Because only two candidates are running in Districts 2 and 4, these candidates will automatically move to the general election.
This will be a great opportunity for you to meet the candidates and learn about their opinions on top education issues.
WBFF-TV Project Baltimore, the news station that broke the story, will host the public meeting. Town Hall on High School Sexual Offender Thursday
A wall of silence surrounding Baltimore County Public Schools and its decision to allow Santino E. Sudano, a 21-year-old convicted sexual offender, to attend classes at Parkville High School has led to a town hall meeting, created to hear public concern and answer questions.
But instead of being hosted by the school district, which has been mostly silent about its decision to allow Sudano to enroll despite his sexually violent history, it will be provided by the news agency that first broke the story.
“Project Baltimore has been reporting on the situation at Parkville High School for more than a month. In that time, Baltimore County’s current and former superintendent, Parkville’s principal and other high level administrators have refused to interview with us,” said Project Baltimore Investigative Reporter Chris Papst.
“We believe the community deserves answers as to why a 21-year-old convicted sex offender was allowed to attend Parkville. This town hall will be an opportunity for the community to voice their concerns, ask questions and hear directly from their elected leaders. We’ve asked Baltimore County Superintendent Dr. Darryl Williams to join the conversation. He declined our invitation. We hope he changes his mind. The community wants to hear from him,” Papst said.
WBFF-TV Project Baltimore reports that, after being told by a county schools’ spokesperson that “a whole bunch of different people” made the decision to allow Sudano special permission to attend the high school despite being a registered sex offender, the station and the community still do not know what led to the decision – not only to allow Sudano to sit among other unknowing students, but that parents were not informed that their teenagers were attending school with a convicted rapist...
Sunday, February 23, 2020
What Happens When Everyone Looks Away. NYT: A Criminal Underworld of Child Abuse, Part 1. "Every major tech company is implicated."
Part 1 and 2:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/podcasts/the-daily/child-sex-abuse.html
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Do police belong in schools? A suburb wrangles with how to keep kids safe.
“I constantly live with this fear,” Kelly said. “If there’s a cop, I immediately think: What’s happened to Sadiq?”
These disparate views, in the same liberal Maryland suburb, illustrate the core of a thorny debate that has erupted over a community policing bill. The legislation includes a request to “maintain and expand” Montgomery County’s $3 million School Resource Officer (SRO) program, which places police in the county’s 25 public high schools. While the goal of the legislation was to bridge — not widen — the distance between law enforcement and marginalized groups, the clause on SROs has had the opposite effect...
Friday, February 21, 2020
These institutions [like MCPS] will not deny that they hid them, moved them, or protected these predators. MCPS had Inappropriate Interactions Database. #sexualpredators #sexualabuse #rape #METOOK12
Yesterday in Annapolis Maryland State Delegate C.T. Wilson spoke to his proposed legislation that would eliminate the Statute of Limitations in sexual abuse civil cases and allow victims from the past an additional two years to file claims.
Listen to Delegate C.T. Wilson's presentation in the video below about why it is hard for the victims of sexual abuse to come forward. Listen as he talks about how institutions like the Catholic Church are opposed to this legislation.
Institutions.
Institutions including Montgomery County Public Schools that kept an Inappropriate Interactions Database of suspected sexual predators and "investigated" allegations themselves rather than reporting those suspected sexual predators to the Police and Child Protective Services.
John Vigna was not arrested until 2016. Keeping suspected sexual predators in classrooms was happening in 2015 and was not something for the Board of Education to joke about.
Delegate C.T. Wilson's legislation also applies to past victims of sexual abuse in Montgomery County Public Schools.
How many victims of sexual abuse by MCPS teachers and staff have not yet come forward?
Listen to Delegate C.T. Wilson's presentation in the video below about why it is hard for the victims of sexual abuse to come forward. Listen as he talks about how institutions like the Catholic Church are opposed to this legislation.
Institutions.
Institutions including Montgomery County Public Schools that kept an Inappropriate Interactions Database of suspected sexual predators and "investigated" allegations themselves rather than reporting those suspected sexual predators to the Police and Child Protective Services.
While those Board of Education members in 2015 were joking about having an Inappropriate Interactions Database, MCPS elementary school teacher John Vigna was in a classroom full of little children at the same time he had multiple reprimands in his personnel file telling him to stop lap sitting with the little girls.
- Watch this video from 2015, where Montgomery County Board of Education members joked about the MCPS Inappropriate Interactions Database: Friday, June 19, 2015 Breaking News: MCPS May Shut Down "Infamous" Secret Database of Staff Suspected of Sexually Abusing Students. Kauffman calls it the "infamous" database, Smondrowski laughs.
John Vigna was not arrested until 2016. Keeping suspected sexual predators in classrooms was happening in 2015 and was not something for the Board of Education to joke about.
Delegate C.T. Wilson's legislation also applies to past victims of sexual abuse in Montgomery County Public Schools.
How many victims of sexual abuse by MCPS teachers and staff have not yet come forward?
Former Quince Orchard wrestling coach gets probation on pornography charge. Dowloaded more than 1,000 files of child pornography.
A former Quince Orchard High School wrestling coach was sentenced Thursday to five years of probation on a child pornography charge. He also will serve six days in jail.
Dake Williams, 28, of North Potomac, was accused of downloading more than 1,000 files of child pornography in September.
Williams’ sentence on Thursday was five years of probation before judgment, meaning he must serve out his sentence but a guilty conviction won’t show up in his criminal record. To avoid additional incarceration, he must meet conditions laid out in the sentence that include group therapy and community service.
Maryland State Police arrested Williams on Sept. 9 after authorities got a warrant and searched his home...
...The search of Williams’ home and his arrest came two years after customs officials at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport found a package containing ecstasy addressed to Williams’ North Potomac home.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography on Dec. 20, according to state court records...
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Superintendent Jack R. Smith's Contract Has Not Actually Been Renewed
Contrary to what was reported on a Bethesda blog, the Board of Education has not actually renewed Superintendent Jack R. Smith's contract.
What the Montgomery County Board of Education actually did on February 10, 2020, was take a vote to renew his contract pending negotiation of mutually agreeable terms. There is no document to sign at this time.
The actual Resolution passed by the Board of Education said that the contract would be renewed:
What the Montgomery County Board of Education actually did on February 10, 2020, was take a vote to renew his contract pending negotiation of mutually agreeable terms. There is no document to sign at this time.
The actual Resolution passed by the Board of Education said that the contract would be renewed:
"...pending mutual agreement and
approval of the contract terms."
At this time there is no agreement between the parties as to the terms of a new contract. First the parties have to agree to the new terms, and then the actual contract has to come back before the Board of Education for a vote.
Cell Tower Vendors on Board of Education Land Owe $165,000 in Property Taxes #Again
The Montgomery County Board of Education has cell towers on 12 pieces of public school land. 11 of those cell towers are on Board of Education property where a public school is currently located.
7 of those cell towers have vendors who have not been paying their Maryland Property Taxes. The amount of property tax dues for each vendor is shown in the images below. The account number is shown on the MCPS list of cell towers and on the property tax bills below. Note some cell towers have multiple vendors.
The Parents' Coalition discovered unpaid property taxes in 2013, and in 2015, and in 2016, and again in 2017, on cell tower compounds located on Board of Education land.
7 of those cell towers have vendors who have not been paying their Maryland Property Taxes. The amount of property tax dues for each vendor is shown in the images below. The account number is shown on the MCPS list of cell towers and on the property tax bills below. Note some cell towers have multiple vendors.
The Parents' Coalition discovered unpaid property taxes in 2013, and in 2015, and in 2016, and again in 2017, on cell tower compounds located on Board of Education land.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Montgomery Co. students launch effort to assist disabled classmates in emergencies
...“While evacuating, I noticed that one girl who was in a wheelchair waited in an area of refuge while everyone else evacuated,” he told the school board at a meeting last week.
The students researched the school’s policy on emergencies and discovered the girl was doing exactly what Montgomery County Public Schools policy required.
The policy urges students unable to safely evacuate alone to wait on an upper floor inside the building until a fire department official arrives to facilitate the evacuation because there isn’t equipment in place for school employees to do so.
The students came prepared with a few potential solutions, including an award-winning device they invented...
Maryland’s ER wait times — the time spent in the emergency room before being admitted to the hospital or being sent home — are the longest in the country
https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2020/02/montgomery-county-er-ambulance-wait-times/
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Montgomery County v. FCC: Oral Argument Before US Court of Appeals for 9th Circuit. 5G... "may be dangerous, maybe they are not" "
Montgomery County, MD's appellate brief submitted in this matter:
https://www.nlc.org/sites/default/files/users/user56109/Montgomery%20County%20Brief%20on%20Merits%20filed%206%2010%202019.pdf
Maryland lawmakers can improve on 50-year legacy of transparency #MPIA #Transparency #PublicInformation
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Maryland Public Information Act. The “PIA” guarantees governmental transparency by requiring State and local government agencies, upon request, to allow for the inspection of their records “with the least cost and least delay,” subject to certain exceptions for confidentiality, privacy, and privilege.
Public records have changed a lot in 50 years, as government at all levels transitions into the digital age. But the core right guaranteed by the PIA — the right of citizens to know what their government is up to — has not...
Bowen Levy went to school one day and never came home
...Advocates for students with disabilities said Bowen’s death has gained notice far beyond Central Special.
“It’s just so upsetting to hear about this when it could’ve been, and should’ve been, entirely preventable,” said Lyda Astrove, a longtime advocate for students with special needs in neighboring Montgomery County, who said Bowen’s death stirred concern in online discussions and on Facebook.
“The whole community has been heartbroken for them,” she said of the Levys...
Monday, February 17, 2020
Governor announces Maryland's first education inspector general
ANNAPOLIS, Md. —
Gov. Larry Hogan announced Monday the appointment of Maryland's first inspector general for education.
Hogan announced the appointment of Richard P. Henry, who has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience at the federal level and currently serves as executive director of the Maryland State Department of Education's Office of Compliance and Monitoring...
Update: Maine School will Not be Receiving 200+ Tons of Crumb Rubber from WJHS Football Field. Where will it go?
The Parents' Coalition has learned from Sarah Craighead Dedmon the Editor of the Machias Valley News Observer that the school in Maine that was listed as the destination for the 200+ tons of crumb rubber infill removed from the WJHS artificial turf football field will not be receiving the crumb rubber.
MCPS will need to update their plan for the removal of the 200+ tons of crumb rubber removed from the WJHS artificial turf.
Where will it go?
MCPS will need to update their plan for the removal of the 200+ tons of crumb rubber removed from the WJHS artificial turf.
Where will it go?
 |
| Images from the 200+ tons of crumb rubber removed from the WJHS artificial turf field. Each bag is 1 ton. |
MCEA: “The jobs were not posted, there weren’t interviews." #SuddenlyProcessMatters
...The most recent example came on Feb. 10, as Smith announced during a school board meeting that several central office departments would merge to form two new departments.
During the meeting, the school board appointed staff members to head the departments and filled vacancies in other administrative roles.
Lloyd said he learned of the changes six minutes before the meeting...
State BOE Superintdent Search Firm will not come to Montgomery County. MCPS is Largest School System in MD. #HazardYoungAttea
In 2011, when the Maryland State Department of Education was picking a new State Superintendent the search firm held a forum in Montgomery County to hear from parents in the largest school system in the State.
The Maryland State Department of Education is once again looking for a new State Superintendent but this time the search firm, the same search firmed used in the past, will not come to Montgomery County.
This search firm gets used over and over again in Maryland, even when their are issues with their vetting of candidates. Why would they avoid the largest school system in the State when reaching out to parents, teachers and community members?
The Maryland State Department of Education is once again looking for a new State Superintendent but this time the search firm, the same search firmed used in the past, will not come to Montgomery County.
This search firm gets used over and over again in Maryland, even when their are issues with their vetting of candidates. Why would they avoid the largest school system in the State when reaching out to parents, teachers and community members?
 |
| https://news.maryland.gov/msde/state-superintendent-search-community-forums-scheduled/ |
Friday, February 14, 2020
Board of Ed. Pat O'Neill Thinks Super Bowl LIV was Played on Artificial Turf #NaturalGrass #NotPlastic
At the Board of Education meeting on February 10, 2020, Board of Education member Pat O'Neill asked MCPS staff to research what the protocols were on the artificial turf in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Pat O'Neill said, "...I just have a question...Last Sunday when I was watching the Super Bowl in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami I noticed that it was on artificial turf.
(interrupted with correction from public)
It was, it was artificial turf.
(again interrupted)
No, it was artificial..."
https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/40658?ts=3163
Here is a news report on the natural grass football field used in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for Super Bowl LIV.
https://www.kshb.com/sports/crews-prep-hard-rock-stadium-field-for-super-bowl-liv
Pat O'Neill said, "...I just have a question...Last Sunday when I was watching the Super Bowl in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami I noticed that it was on artificial turf.
(interrupted with correction from public)
It was, it was artificial turf.
(again interrupted)
No, it was artificial..."
https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/40658?ts=3163
Here is a news report on the natural grass football field used in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for Super Bowl LIV.
https://www.kshb.com/sports/crews-prep-hard-rock-stadium-field-for-super-bowl-liv
Thursday, February 13, 2020
When a Public School Auditor Speaks Up: Dallas, TX (Note: same school system that had arrests from bus camera scam)
Dallas ISD’s Chief Internal Auditor addresses school board over alleged wrongdoing by administrators
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Additionally, according to charging documents, police say Brown has “extensive criminal history.” #ClarksburgHS #Arrest #Robbery
5 Clarksburg High School students arrested after a handgun was brought to school
MCPS Hiring General Counsel
General Counsel
Company Name Montgomery County Public Schools Company Location Rockville, Maryland, United States
Posted DatePosted 1 week ago
Number of applicants
43 applicants
Company Name Montgomery County Public Schools Company Location Rockville, Maryland, United States
Posted DatePosted 1 week ago
Number of applicants
43 applicants
Description
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:
The general counsel is responsible for ensuring cost-effective, creative, and proactive legal problem solving of the highest quality to assist the Board, the superintendent of schools, and other Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) staff to navigate legal requirements, evaluate and manage legal risk, align and conserve resources, promote collaborative dispute resolution and reduce avoidable litigation, if possible, and engage in strategic decision making to promote equity and academic excellence for all students. The general counsel reports directly to the superintendent of schools (superintendent) and the superintendent will supervise day-to-day school, administrative, and operational matters involving the general counsel. As a member of the superintendent's cabinet, it is expected that the Montgomery County Board of Education (Board) officers and the Board's chief of staff will work with general counsel on matters directly related to the daily work of the Board office. Serves as legal advisor on matters related to policy decision making. The superintendent and Board officers will collaborate on legal matters that have systemic implications or impact the overall operation of MCPS. Coordinates all legal counsel serving MCPS and the Board and supervises attorneys and other staff in the Office of the General Counsel.
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