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Thursday, August 31, 2023

Blair Student Arrested, Charged with Underage Possession of a Firearm

Montgomery County Police arrested a 17-year-old Montgomery Blair High School student Tuesday and charged him with underage possession of a firearm.

Officers were called to the school in Silver Spring following a self-search by the student. As a result of the search, parts of a personally made firearm, or ghost gun, were located.

Around 12:45 p.m., the security staff had confiscated part of a ghost gun from the male student. The school staff then called police...

Blair Student Arrested, Charged with Underage Possession of a Firearm - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)

Maryland lawmaker calls for special hearing to investigate issues at State Department of Education

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — For many local public school students, this week marked the return to school. And while students are back in the classroom, problems continue to mount at the Maryland State Department of Education.

Now, some lawmakers are calling for a special hearing in Annapolis to learn more about what Fox45 News has exposed.

“It's potentially a crime that has been committed for willfully deleting public records,” said Ryan Nawrocki, a Republican state delegate representing Baltimore County. “I'm extremely concerned. Some of my other colleagues are also very concerned.”

The Baltimore County representative, over the past few months, has been watching Project Baltimore’s investigation into Maryland State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury. Project Baltimore discovered that text messages on the superintendent’s state-issued cell phone were deleted, even after we filed a public record request to see them, which could be a violation of state law...

Maryland lawmaker calls for special hearing to investigate issues at State Department of E | WBFF (foxbaltimore.com)

Teen stabbed several times after multiple juveniles involved in fight in Rockville

ROCKVILLE, Md. - A juvenile was taken to a Rockville hospital after he was stabbed when several juveniles met up for a fight Monday night. 

Around 10:20 p.m. on Aug. 28, officers with the Rockville City Police Department responded to the 700 block of Rockville Pike for a report of an assault...

Teen stabbed several times after multiple juveniles involved in fight in Rockville (fox5dc.com)

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Montgomery County parents share bus stop safety concerns

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/montgomery-county-parents-concerned-about-bus-stop-safety/3413756/ 

The parents said they are frustrated after their children experienced bus route issues. News4’s Juliana Valencia spoke to MCPS about the concerns.

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Breaking: BCC High School Teacher sues BCC Principal and Board of Education for Defamation @mcps @mocoboe

The BCC student newspaper The Tattler first reported about the potential for this lawsuit to be filed in March of this year.


The Complaint has now been filed and is shown below. 


Note item #133 in the Complaint states:

133. As a result, and in retaliation for the newspaper’s critical coverage of Mooney’s mishandling of numerous issues over the past academic year, on or about June 1, 2023, Mooney relieved the newspaper’s faculty advisor of her position. 

Also see #171 - 178 titled Administrative Proceedings which discusses the MCPS internal administrative processes.  

 

The full text of the Complaint as filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court on August 21, 2023, is shown below and at the Scribd link.


Daniel Engler Complaint Against Shelton Mooney and Montgomery County BOE by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Thursday, August 24, 2023

"Transparent" MCPS needs more than a month to find and release Jackson Lewis law firm contract

 MCPS is having a very difficult time producing the Jackson Lewis law firm contract.

This is our request for the contract, which we submitted on August 14, 2023:

This is a request under the Maryland Public Information Act.

I am seeking a copy of the recent contract between the Montgomery County Board of Education / MCPS and the Jackson Lewis law firm.  Specifically, I am seeking a copy of the contract that covers the services that have or will be provided to the Board of Education and MCPS that are related to the significant allegations of harassment and bullying involving former BOE/MCPS employee Joel Beidleman.

The document that I am seeking may be sent to me by email or may be mailed to me at:

(address)

As the requested document should be readily available, I ask that it be provided without undue delay.  There should be no need to wait 10 business days or 30 days to fulfill this request.

Please promptly acknowledge receipt of this request.

Thank you for your anticipated fulfillment of this request.

Today, August 24, 2023, we received the letter below from MCPS.


The Parents' Coalition denied the request for an extension beyond 30 days because the documents that we are seeking should be readily available.  It should not take 30 days or even two days to locate and "prepare" the documents for disclosure.  

MCPS responded to our denial with the following email:



Superintendent McKnight has promised transparency during the investigation, but as illustrated by the letter above from MCPS, reality is quite the opposite.  

Here's what the Attorney General's MPIA manual says about response time requirements:




Maryland schools recovered from pandemic learning loss in English. Math is a different story.

The annual release of Maryland’s public school test scores on Tuesday told a puzzling tale of two academic subjects: While students posted some record-high pass rates on English language arts, math scores increased only slightly over last year and remain jaw-droppingly below 2019 levels.

Three quarters of Maryland public school students failed the state’s math tests in grades three through eight this spring, an indication of just how much math students didn’t learn during the year of Zoom classes, and how difficult it has been for teachers to catch them up...

MCAP scores: Maryland schools recovered on English tests, but not in math - The Baltimore Banner

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Breaking: Board of Education President Karla Silvestre Violates MD Law

 

Board of Education - Publications: Handbook - Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD | Montgomery County Public Schools | Rockville, MD (montgomeryschoolsmd.org)

§ 3-903 - Meetings :: 2013 Maryland Code :: US Codes and Statutes :: US Law :: Justia


Montgomery County Board of Education President Karla Silvestre has decided that Maryland State law governing the power of Boards of Education doesn't apply to her.  She has sent out the letter shown below and stated that it represents actions of the Board of Education.  

The Board of Education has not held a legally constituted session since July 20, 2023.  

The Montgomery County Board of Education has not met and has not taken any action in open or closed session to address the Beidleman investigation or to hire an investigator.  

Ms. Silvestre speaks for only herself in the letter shown below.  





42,863 out of about 160,000 students were deemed chronically absent during the previous school year.

All Together Now: In Schools Together, Learn Together, Achieve Together. This is the theme of Montgomery County Public Schools’ newly rolled out attendance action plan.

During the previous school year, 42,863 out of about 160,000 students were deemed chronically absent, meaning they missed 18 or more days of school, which is 10% of the school year.

During the 2018-2019 school year, 30,349 students were chronically absent.

According to MCPS statistics, during the previous school year, 30% of African American students receiving free or reduced meals were chronically absent. More than 42% of Hispanic students receiving free or reduced meals were chronically absent.

At the high school level, 36% of students were chronically absent...

MCPS Declares War on Chronic Absenteeism - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)

Days before the new school year, Poolesville parents still fear potential harm from campus construction

POOLESVILLE, Md. — 7News is On Your Side, following ongoing construction at Poolesville High School that has some parents worried for their kids’ health and possible exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Students return to campus for the 2023 school year in just seven days--on August 28.

Months ago--some students experienced symptoms like "headaches and nausea" off and on during construction at the school.

"Earlier on there was kind of debris and dust as they were walking outside the buildings in between classes, and then later on--the air quality, indoor and outdoor, strong tar smells, kids getting sick," parent Cindy Fang described...

Days before start of the school year, Poolesville parents still fear potential harm from campus construction | WJLA

Questions over deleted texts remain unanswered as State School Board weighs Superintendent's future

The Maryland State School Board is running out of time to make a decision on whether the current superintendent will receive a new contract.

Right now, State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury earns more than $300,000 a year to oversee the operation of Maryland public schools, which involves billions of tax dollars. But his future as superintendent is in doubt...

Questions over deleted texts remain unanswered as State School Board weighs Superintendent | WBFF (foxbaltimore.com)

CNS: Auditors keep a close eye on school district contracting in Maryland — and if you’re wondering why, just look at what happened in May in Montgomery County.

 

Audits show trouble lurking in school contracts

Auditors keep a close eye on school district contracting in Maryland — and if you’re wondering why, just look at what happened in May in Montgomery County.

After auditors raised suspicions, the district’s former assistant director of transportation pleaded guilty to stealing over $320,000 from the county’s school system over a span of at least five years by misusing district purchasing cards and mismanaging a contract for the purchase of school buses. 

What’s more, several state audits in recent years raised serious questions about contract spending in other Maryland public school districts. Richard P. Henry, Maryland’s inspector general for education, acknowledged the possibility that officials in other school districts could be misusing the school contracting system.

“You know, we don’t find out all the time, but there will always be some individuals who will take advantage of flaws in the system, and you know, possibly profit from it or use it to their advantage,” Henry said.

County or district officials frequently audit local school districts in Maryland. On top of that, the state Office of Legislative Audits reviews the books of each school district once every six years, whereas the Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education takes complaints from the public and investigates them...

Audits show trouble lurking in school contracts – CNS Maryland

Why Haven’t We Made It Safer to Breathe in Classrooms?

Two years ago, we got a chance to assure parents and teachers, in any future epidemic, that the air in classrooms was safer, making it easier for children to attend school in person and avoid learning loss and isolation.

In March 2021, Congress allocated $122 billion for schools to cope with the Covid pandemic and its aftermath — to hire tutors, retain teachers or improve their facilities. Public health and clean air advocates hoped that this would lead to widespread improvements in classroom ventilation and air quality to help ward off future pathogenic threats and reduce problems like dust, allergens and wildfire smoke.

But only about 34 percent of school districts said they used any of the money to upgrade their heating ventilation and air-conditioning systems, according to a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 28 percent more installed in-room air cleaners, 8 percent said they installed ultraviolet lights — a more expensive and complicated method — and the rest reported no changes that would substantially improve air quality.

Moreover, once the federal spending was approved, aggressive salespeople descended on school officials who were struggling to open. School officials often were persuaded to spend more for products that many scientists believe aren’t substantially more effective than cheaper alternatives that have been thoroughly studied. Some of the products could even be dangerous...


Opinion | Few Schools Have Covid Relief Funds to Improve Air Quality - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Only 2 Montgomery council members ask county, state to handle MCPS inquest

 


Two members said that government inspectors general, not a law firm the school district hired, should investigate its handling of allegations against Principal Joel Beidleman

Two Montgomery County Council members requested Monday that state and county watchdogs investigate the county school system’s handling of reported allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation by former Farquhar Middle School principal Joel Beidleman...

https://wapo.st/3skifXZ

MCCPTA Statement Regarding the Board of Education Oversight Responsibilities Relating to Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Bullying by MCPS Principal


Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) must foster a culture that is a safe environment for students, support staff, teachers, and administrators. The MCCPTA Executive Committee condemns the systemic failures that allowed the continued sexual harassment and bullying outlined in The Washington Post article on August 11, 2023.

As stakeholders of this system, we call on the Board of Education to fulfill its oversight duties and diagnose and disclose the failures that occurred. The system has failed. The public deserves an explanation, commitment that actions will be taken to rectify the process, and full visibility into the progress of those actions...

Statement Regarding the Board of Education Oversight Responsibilities Relating to Allegations of Sexual Harassment and Bullying by MCPS Principal | Communities | thesentinel.com

MACCHE received more than 200 calls from Poolesville parents between March and May raising concerns about health hazards stemming from the construction project.

...Brian Lancaster is the father of a Poolesville rising tenth grader. Like Anderko, Lancaster submitted testimony to the school board in May suggesting ways to reduce student exposure to construction hazards, like updating air quality monitoring data on the construction project’s webpage and conducting regular meetings with community members and health experts. He said to his knowledge, school officials never pursued his suggestions. He described MCPS as performing “lip service” about the Poolesville project and said he’s been discouraged by the lack of transparency and two-way communication with central office staff.

“We’ve come up with strategies and alternatives, and they politely nod their head yes but don’t listen to us at all,” he said. “As parents, that’s our biggest ask—just consider the alternatives we’re coming up with and respond to us directly.”..

MCPS pledges ‘frequent communication’ on Poolesville HS project (moco360.media)

MD IG for ED Bombshell Report: Failures in Baltimore City Schools investigations hinders potential Augusta Fells High School prosecutions

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A bombshell report just released by the office of the Maryland Inspector General for Education found that failures in Baltimore City Schools internal investigation into Augusta Fells, a high school in west Baltimore, hindered the chance of prosecuting those responsible.

The IG finding City Schools Staff Investigations Unit lacks a written policy regarding self-incrimination, which potentially places employees at risk during internal investigations. This lack of a written policy, which is known as a Garrity Warning and is similar to Miranda Rights, according to the IG's report, raised major concerns among local, state, and federal prosecutors. As a result, those prosecutors declined to consider criminal charges...

Report: Failures in Baltimore City Schools investigations hinders potential Augusta Fells | WBFF (foxbaltimore.com)

Look! It can be done: NYC Dept of Education lawyers grill deputy chancellor on ‘cover-up [accusations he covered up misconduct by two top execs, and then rewarded them with hefty pay hikes]

City Department of Education lawyers grilled First Deputy Chancellor Daniel Weisberg behind closed doors this week amid accusations he covered up misconduct by two top execs, and then rewarded them with hefty pay hikes, The Post has learned.

On Wednesday, DOE lawyers met with Weisberg and his chief executive, Christopher Groll, asking them to explain why they doled out salary increases to Amanda Lurie and her boss, Chief Enrollment Officer Sarah Kleinhandler, said a source close to the situation.

They also asked Weisberg whether he shared an explosive Office of Special Investigations report on the misconduct with Chancellor David Banks, the source added.

The meeting came days after The Post revealed the findings against Lurie, senior executive director in the Office of Enrollment, and Kleinhandler, who is accused of failing to supervise Lurie...

NYC DOE lawyers grill deputy chancellor on 'cover-up' (nypost.com)

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Breaking: MCPS Chief Safety Officer Ed Clarke Removed from Position. Parents' Coalition had Exposed Failure to Report as Required by Law @mcps @mocoboe @pcmc1

In December of 2022, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD obtained documents from the Maryland Center for School Safety regarding MCPS' compliance with Maryland's serious school incident reporting requirements.  

The Parents' Coalition had filed a Maryland Public Information Act request and upon receipt of our request, we were contacted by the Center for School Safety for a telephone conference with their staff attorney Dawn LuedtkeDawn Luedtke is now a Montgomery County Councilmember.  

The documents we obtained showed that MCPS had not complied with Maryland law with regard to reporting serious incidents.  ABC7 reported on this revelation. 

MCPS gave the excuse that their Chief Safety Officer, Edward Clarke, was not aware of the filing requirements.  But Edward Clarke was formerly the head of the Maryand Center for School Safety and had lobbied for the creation of that office.  

Since the ABC7 news report aired in December, Edward Clarke has been removed from his position and placed in MCPS Human Relations Department with the position of Administrator Special Assignment

On June 27, 2023, the Montgomery County Board of Education appointed a new Chief Safety Officer, Pamela B. Wheeler-Taylor



Jay Thirunarayanapuram, a gifted artist who had just completed his freshman year at Albert Einstein High School, died five days after he turned 15.

...When she opened the door and saw two Metro Transit police detectives standing outside, a wave of panic swept over her.

“Can we come in and visit with you?” one asked.

The detectives sat down on a couch and quietly told her that Jay was found next to the Metro tracks near the Rhode Island Avenue station that afternoon. They said it appeared he had been videotaping himself for social media when he slipped while riding atop a Metro train, a practice known as subway surfing — an escalating problem for some major transit agencies...

...The 15- and 16- year-olds interviewed for this article, who attend high schools in Fairfax County, Montgomery County and the District, said they had been riding on top of or between trains for the past year or so...

Jay Thirunarayanapuram, 15, died while subway surfing this summer. - The Washington Post

Friday, August 18, 2023

Opinion Montgomery County owes answers on a school principal’s misconduct

How did Montgomery County Public Schools respond to 18 reports of misconduct by principal Joel Beidleman? Not by firing him, or even by disciplining him, but by promoting him. Revelations in a Post investigation into the district’s inadequate response to an abusive educator demand a full accounting.

The Post’s Alexandra Robbins and Nicole Asbury laid out a pattern of sexual harassment, threats, retaliation and more by Mr. Beidleman in his time as assistant principal at Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown and Lakelands Park Middle School in Gaithersburgand as principal at Farquhar Middle School in Olney. Many of the episodes were reported verbally or in writing to MCPS, including in a complaint by a social studies teacher whom Mr. Beidlemen allegedly told, “You should just f--- me” and “Shave your p---y and sell the hair.” Mr. Beidleman denies many of the accounts in the story...


https://wapo.st/45b3Iw4

Teachers Union Opposes Law Firm Chosen by MCPS for Investigation

Montgomery County Education Association called the law firm that Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) hired to investigate claims of abuse and harassment concerning Paint Branch High’s former principal “anti-worker,” noting it “has assisted organizations overcome sexual harassment claims in the past.”..

...As of August 4, MCPS placed Beidleman on “extended leave” and initiated an independent external investigation into the claims. In June, Beidleman had been promoted to principal of Paint Branch with a 20% raise in salary...

Teachers Union Opposes Law Firm Chosen by MCPS for Investigation - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)

MCPS facing scrutiny for hiring familiar law firm to investigate a principal's sexual harassment allegations


MCPS facing scrutiny for hiring familiar law firm to investigate a principal's sexual harassment allegations

Montgomery County’s school board is facing heavy criticism for its decision to hire its own private law firm to investigate a principal who’s been accused of sexual harassment and bullying. 

County Executive Marc Elrich spoke out Tuesday about the school board getting to choose who investigates them. MCPS has hired a Baltimore law firm that’s represented them before, and for both Elrich and parents, that’s raising major concerns about whether the probe will be truly independent...

MCPS facing scrutiny for hiring familiar law firm to investigate a principal's sexual harassment allegations (fox5dc.com)



Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Fox 5 news: Parents say MCPS ignored complaints about principal for years @mcps @mocoboe

https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1264996


Calls for accountability are intensifying among some Montgomery County teachers and parents who say they’ve complained for years about a principal’s harassment and bullying, but nothing was done. 

Jenni Coopersmith wants to know what took so long? 

She is a former Montgomery County Public Schools para-educator and parent who told FOX 5 she complained to school officials years ago that she and her daughter were harassed. That was back in 2016, and now six years later, that same principal faces 18 allegations of sexual harassment and bullying.

Jennifer Gross: “What the hell does employment have to do with sexual harassment and child abuse?” #BeidlemanInvestigation @mcps @mocoboe

...Bethesda-based licensed clinical social worker Jennifer Gross specializes in the field of child abuse and neglect and has conducted sexual harassment and abuse prevention trainings on a national level. Gross expressed extreme skepticism about the school district’s hiring of Jackson Lewis to conduct the investigation into itself and Beidleman.

MCPS has highlighted the firm’s specialty in education and employment law, to which Gross asked, “What the hell does employment have to do with sexual harassment and child abuse?”

“This principal was making lewd, sexual comments to children,” Gross said, in reference to allegations that Beidleman described middle school girls dressing and acting “like hoes and thots” during two 2018 Farquhar assemblies. “This move is akin to telling someone who has a broken leg to go see a dermatologist. Why? Because a dermatologist won’t know what they’re looking for, so who’s going to come out looking rosy on the other side?”..

McKnight pledges ‘open communication’ in Beidleman investigation (moco360.media)

MCPS reportedly hires law firm to handle investigation into principal accused of sexual harassment.


MCPS reportedly hires law firm to handle investigation into principal accused of sexual harassment

"It's the wrong firm, with the wrong focus," Janis Sartucci of the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland told 7News.

The longtime Montgomery County resident and former Montgomery County Public Schools parent is talking about Jackson Lewis P.C. law firm.

The Washington Post reports MCPS has hired the law firm to conduct the investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former Farquhar Middle School Principal Dr. Joel Beidleman.

"The firm is already working for MCPS. They received payments in fiscal year[s] 2023 and 2022," she said...

MCPS reportedly hires law firm to handle investigation into principal accused of sexual harassment | WJLA