On March 8, 2022, the Whitman High School newspaper published an article about an annual event called Vike-A-Thon. The article alleged that the event is associated with rampant sexual abuse of students by other students.
Within hours of the article being published the principal notified parents, guardians and students that the event was being cancelled and that the Montgomery County Police were being consulted. Students were encouraged to report unsafe behavior or serious incidents to administrators immediately. [Note: But please go straight to the police!]
The Whitman High School school newspaper article was written by Eliana Joftus, the daughter of new Montgomery County Board of Education member Scott Joftus.
Since being appointed to the Montgomery County Board of Education on December 2, 2021, Scott Joftus has remained relatively quiet and has not taken a public stand on any significant MCPS matters. His new re-election website makes no mention of the decades of cases of sexual abuse of MCPS students by MCPS staff, nor has Mr. Joftus spoken up in support of the dozens upon dozens of known victims of sexual abuse by MCPS staff.
Bravo to Eliana Joftus for investigating and documenting the information she obtained about an annual, toxic school event and making that information public.
I guess it's true, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
ReplyDeleteBut only if the squeaky wheel has connections.
DeleteTouché!
DeleteIt hardly seems fair or appropriate to refer to this writer as a "BOE Daughter." She's a writer for Whitman's student newspaper, and has the right to express opinions that aren't overshadowed by her father's position. Please identify her in your header as more than the daughter of her father, and refrain for portraying this writer as responsible for her father's actions.
ReplyDeleteWriters should not disclose potential conflicts of interest? Most major publications do this all the time. The writer is in the same household with a person who employs the principal at her school. She writes an article and it gets an immediate response from the principal.
DeleteMeanwhile, you have read the Whitman HS magazine article. "A History of Oversight: Sexual Abuse Cases Persist Despite MCPS Prevention Efforts" written by a different author at the same school and no response from the principal.
It's clear that the article by the daughter of a BOE member got a response from the principal and the other article written by another student did not elicit a response.
We would like to see Board of Education members who stand up for victims of sexual abuse, but they never do and Mr. Joftus certainly has not.
Congratulations to his daughter for using her voice to speak up and get action.
To get immediate attention
ReplyDeleteIn a rather sticky situation
All you need is to mention
That you have a connection.