MCPS official tampered with investigation of principal, report says

An inquiry by an outside law firm found flaws in the district’s promotion and record-keeping systems that allowed alleged abuse to go unchecked

Montgomery County Public Schools witnessed systemic failures, a potential coverup and employee conduct that kept crucial information from people who needed it, according to a heavily redacted report released Thursday by the Montgomery County Board of Education about the June promotion of Joel Beidleman, the former Farquhar Middle School principal. Beidleman was elevated to run Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville despite numerous complaints by staff, parents and union stewards of sexual harassment, bullying, retaliation and other inappropriate conduct submitted to the district since 2016...

...The report also listed six complaints to the district about Beidleman that were not included in The Post’s original story: five via Lighthouse Hotline, a third-party complaint hotline service, and a third Maryland Safe Schools report. A Feb. 7 Lighthouse Hotline account obtained Thursday by The Post described a “hostile work environment” at Farquhar “for at least 5 years.” The complaint alleged that Beidleman “sexually harasses, gaslights, and manipulates his staff on a daily basis. Both men and women. If he does not get his way, there is bullying and vindictive behavior (removal from leadership positions, stipends taken away, grade level changes etc).”

MCPS also twice ignored inquiries from Maryland’s Office of the Inspector General for Education (OIGE) about a complaint it had received against Beidleman — once June 28, the day after Beidleman’s promotion, and another June 30. These additional notifications add up to 25 reports of misconduct submitted to MCPS about Beidleman since 2016, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Post...

https://wapo.st/46MqdIf