Misconduct case against former Montgomery Co. principal is costing taxpayers $2.3 Million

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — There was hearty applause at a school board meeting in June of last year, as the Montgomery County Board of Education voted to appoint Dr. Joel Beidleman as principal of Paint Branch High School.

By August of that same year, a newspaper reported the promotion happened amid numerous sexual harassment and bullying complaints against Beidleman

Those developments and the fallout have cost Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) millions.

“It's very alarming,” said Esther Wells of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League, who is also an MCPS parent. “We know there are unmet needs in our school system directly linked to our children and our funds need to go there,” she said...

...MCPS also provided documents that show legal fees and court costs in the Beidleman case that amount to more than $148,000. In total, all of these items add up to more than 2.3 million dollars...

Misconduct case against former Montgomery Co. principal is costing taxpayers millions (wjla.com)

7News takes a closer look at rising legal fees paid by Montgomery County Public Schools

Parents demanded the right to shield their children from books that went against their religious beliefs. The firm Wilmer Hale represented MCPS in a lawsuit about the issue and has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal payments from the school system.

"They're already significantly over budget and that is not the best use of taxpayer funds," said Esther Wells, President of Montgomery County Taxpayers League.

The MCPS Board of Education recently reviewed legal fees paid between July and December.

7News analyzed the numbers and found in Fiscal Year 2023 MCPS paid more than $462,000 in legal fees.

In FY24 that number skyrocketed to more than $1.3 million...

https://wjla.com/news/local/mcps-legal-fees-montgomery-county-public-schools-2023-lawsuit-law-firm-payments-taxpayer-funds-transparency-former-principal-joel-beidleman-parents-community#

From the "Less Redacted" Report Released Today: "Employee 25 utilized an improper restraint technique on a student"

Why was this redacted the first time the report was made public?  

From Page 8 of the "less redacted" Jackson Lewis LLC report released today:

ii. Student Complaints Since arriving to in 2013, there were three complaints against Employee 25 involving sexual harassment and/or bullying behavior towards students, including 

(1) a July 2017 complaint that Employee 25 referred to a student as a “whore,” 

(2) an October 2017 complaint that Employee 25 utilized an improper restraint technique on a student, and 

(3) complaints that Employee 25 made a reference to “hoes and thots” during a January 2018 student assembly. All of these complaints involving students were investigated and resolved by Employee 25’s supervisors.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/boe/boe-news/2024.02.08-jackson-lewis-report-redacted_redacted.pdf

@mocoboe Releases Less Redacted Version of Jackson Lewis LLC Report on Principal Promotion

First Redacted Jackson Lewis LLC Report:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/boe/boe-news/230908-jackson-lewis-report.pdf

Today's Second Version of the Jackson Lewis LLC Report: 

 https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/boe/boe-news/2024.02.08-jackson-lewis-report-redacted_redacted.pdf

School Board ‘Taking Another Look’ Into Sharing More From Redacted Report

The school board is “taking another look” into sharing more from a redacted report that investigates the promotion of a former school principal.

“We have also heard your request for a better understanding of the Jackson Lewis findings, and we are taking another look at the report to see if there are any areas in which we could redact less,” Board of Education President Karla Silvestre said during a meeting Tuesday.

County Council President Andrew Friedson has said councilmembers want to see the unredacted report...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/school-board-taking-another-look-into-sharing-more-from-redacted-report/?fbclid=IwAR3F4zAS2jtyIk8OzO8PK-kr_g6LPaFisWyhdOrDp4f-1s2KV8JnFIiNnYg

@mococouncilmd President Friedson Waits Until 5 Days Before Council Hearing to Ask (NOT SUBPOENA) Unredacted Jackson Lewis Report from @mocoboe

Attention Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson:

The Parents' Coalition wishes to advise you that Montgomery County Public Schools and the Montgomery County Board of Education can never respond to a public information act request in under 30 days.  

If the Montgomery County Council wanted a copy of a document prior to their February 8, 2024, meeting they would have had to request it by at least December 1, 2023, to allow for MCPS and Board of Education attorneys (in house and outside) to ask for an extension of time, review the request, shuffle the document around for weeks and eventually produce another redacted version of the document.  

However, if the Montgomery County Council ACTUALLY wanted a copy of this document they could just subpoena it.  

But we realize that you don't really want to make an unredacted copy of the Jackson Lewis LLC report public so the February 2, 2024, letter shown below will be a nice touch to tell the public you "tried" with absolutely no chance of MCPS actually producing an unredacted copy of the letter by February 8th. 

After February 8th, way after, the Board of Education can quietly slip the County Council a less redacted version of the Jackson Lewis Report without any public notice.   

Well played. 

What’s next for MCPS Superintendent McKnight?

...Additionally, Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County—an MCPS watchdog group—pointed out that Montgomery County Code states that the council has the power to issue subpoenas and administer the oath to any witness examined before the council...

https://moco360.media/2024/01/26/whats-next-for-mcps-superintendent-mcknight/

Montgomery County councilmember says unredacted report on former MCPS principal should be released

 https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1402277

Friedson Wants to See Redacted Beidleman Investigation Report - It was not clear whether MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight will be in attendance at the Feb. 8 Council session.

At his weekly media briefing Monday, Council President Andrew Friedson laid out some of the details about the upcoming Council session with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). That meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 8...

...It was not clear whether MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight will be in attendance at the Feb. 8 Council session...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/friedson-wants-to-see-redacted-beidleman-investigation-report/

MCPS investigator who alleged retaliation is restored to former position

Khalid Walker said he had been told to reverse finding on Beidleman sex harassment allegations

...Walker told MoCo360 that he would return to his former job on Monday. “I am looking forward to returning to DCI,” he said. “The recent OIG report highlighted many issues that some of us in the office had voiced concerns about for a long time. I am very much looking forward to participating in making all of the recommended changes.”..

https://moco360.media/2024/01/26/mcps-investigator-who-alleged-retaliation-is-restored-to-former-position-he-says/

Now: Next Montgomery County Inspector General Report on MCPS Released. Repeat Issues Noted.

OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL Megan Davey Limarzi, Esq. Inspector General NEWS RELEASE ______________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release January 24, 2024 OIG Finds Deficiencies in MCPS Complaint Handling Processes Rockville, Maryland – Montgomery County Maryland Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi announced today the release of a new Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report, MCPS Complaint Processing, detailing the results of an OIG review of the Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) complaint handling and investigation processes as they relate to allegations of misconduct by employees. This review is the second of two MCPS related engagements announced by the Inspector General on September 20, 2023. Through this review the OIG sought to determine whether MCPS has effective procedures for the receipt, assignment, investigation, referral, resolution, documentation, and retention of allegations of misconduct by its employees. The OIG also evaluated whether DCI, as MCPS’s primary department for investigating allegations of employee misconduct, follows reasonable steps in conducting its investigations. The review found numerous issues and resulted in 5 findings and 5 recommendations aimed at strengthening MCPS’ handling of employee misconduct related complaints and investigations. Of particular note, many of the same deficiencies were previously identified by other entities and reported to MCPS, but they failed to implement appropriate corrective actions. The report can be found at the following location, https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGActivity/FY2024/OIG_24-08.pdf

Please direct all inquiries to: Email: ig@montgomerycountymd.gov Phone: 240-777-8240

Jackson Lewis law firm also working for Montgomery County while representing @mcps @mocoboe

 

Montgomery County Schools superintendent says board wants her to resign

...In September, the Office of the Montgomery County Inspector General (OIG) announced that it would open two investigations related to allegations against Farquhar Middle School Principal Dr. Joel Beidleman and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) handling of misconduct complaints. Officials claimed he was unanimously promoted during a June meeting to become the principal at an area high school – all while being under investigation for sexual harassment.

You can read more about that investigation here.

"It's basically the Real Housewives of Rockville at the moment. It's a big soap opera," said Janis Zink Sartucci, a member of the Parents Coalition.

She told WUSA9 that this is "a huge distraction," and said "whatever is going on and whoever was involved, the school board should just handle it."..

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/montgomery-county-schools-superintendent-board-wants-her-to-resign/65-f0393998-3ffb-4583-95e2-b20b0787077c

'I will defend my reputation:' MCPS superintendent fights back after being asked to 'step away' from role

The Board of Education is calling on the superintended to step down. The sudden move is now causing people to ask what Dr. Monifa McKnight knew about the harassment scandal involving former middle school principal Dr. Joel Biedleman and how she may have been involved. FOX 5's Sierra Fox has the story.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/mcps-superintendent-monifa-mcknight-fights-back-after-being-asked-to-step-away-from-role.amp

@mocoboe Board of Education asks @MCPS Superintendent to "Step Away" from job

https://www.dcnewsnow.com/video/board-of-education-asks-montgomery-county-public-schools-superintendent-to-‘step-away’-from-job/9351685/

 

In Case You Missed It: After months of stonewalling, MCPS finally provides retroactive contract for Jackson Lewis services on Beidleman Investigation. Spoiler: No Contract When MCPS Announced Investigation.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

With a huge amount of help from the Public Access Ombudsman at the Maryland Attorney General's office, the Parents' Coalition has finally obtained a copy of the contract between the Montgomery County Board of Education and the Jackson Lewis law firm.

The contract, which was never approved by the Board of Education as required by law, is dated August 24, 2023 but covers the period July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.  To be clear: The Jackson Lewis law firm began their work long before the contract was signed.  We're not sure that matters much, though, since the contract has never been approved by the Board of Education — unless they approved it in secret, which would be a violation of the Open Meetings Act.

Since the contract was never approved by the Board of Education, there is literally no executed contract between the Board of Education and Jackson Lewis.  The Board of Education isn't obligated or even authorized to pay Jackson Lewis for their services...

Full story at: https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2023/12/after-months-of-stonewalling-mcps.html

MCPS spent half million on legal fees amid content, harassments suits

ROCKVILLE, Md. (CITC) — Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland has spent 548% more on legal fees this fiscal year than last, according to a recent report from the district.

The MCPS school board detailed the expenses in a December report. The district spent $487,735 through August 2023, up from $75,191 the prior fiscal year.

In the report, MCPS states the spike occurred due to "substantial litigation on two separate matters pending in federal court." MCPS paid more than $195,000 each to law firms WilmerHale and Jackson Lewis, according to the report.

WilmerHale is representing MCPS in a lawsuit over its "inclusivity" curriculum. The lawsuit alleges MCPS parents are not notified when their children will be read books discussing gender identity or sexual orientation, nor are they able to opt their children out of such materials...

https://wjla.com/news/local/maryland-school-district-spent-half-million-on-legal-fees-amid-content-harassments-suits-montgomery-county-public-schools-wilmerhale-crisis-in-the-classroom-joel-beidleman#

Montgomery Co. releases redacted report on MCPS principal misconduct investigation

...For years, anonymous complaints were made to MCPS about principal Dr. Joel Beidleman harassing and bullying co-workers, but these allegations were not investigated because MCPS had a policy of not looking into anonymous complaints.

Five key MCPS leaders knew of these allegations and apparently did not push for answers

This led to Beidleman being promoted to Principal at Paint Branch High School which has since been pulled. Dr. Beidleman remains on leave and the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General is picking up the investigation into how the situation was handled. They said they would investigate every allegation made against Beidleman to set the record straight...

Montgomery Co. releases redacted report on MCPS principal misconduct investigation | WJLA

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

 

Nobody involved in Montgomery Co. principal’s promotion engaged in ‘intentional misconduct,’ report finds

Nobody involved in the promotion of Montgomery County, Maryland, Principal Joel Beidleman violated a school system policy or engaged in intentional misconduct when he was promoted earlier this year while under investigation for harassment and bullying, according to a report released Thursday...

Nobody involved in Montgomery Co. principal’s promotion engaged in ‘intentional misconduct,’ report finds - WTOP News