Letter #2: It is absolutely inconceivable to me why the county is not addressing this issue. #SexualAbuseofStudentsbyStaff

This is the second in a series of letters written to MCPS and Montgomery County officials over the last 15 months concerning the many arrests of MCPS staff, substitutes and contractors on charges of sexually abusing MCPS students.  Letter #2 was written exactly one year ago today.
Letter #1 is at this link.

Letter #2 dated January 31, 2014

Dear County Executive Ike Leggett, Dr. Starr and Members of the Board of Education,

On October 8, 2013, I sent all of you a letter1 regarding the sexual abuse of MCPS students by school employees. At the time I sent the letter, there had been arrests of eight MCPS employees in only two years for the sexual abuse of students. Since I last wrote, four more staff (two MCPS staff members and two outside employees who work with MCPS students) have been arrested for the sexual abuse of MCPS students and staff 2. In summary, in the past two school years, twelve people who either work directly for MCPS or work with MCPS students have been arrested for sexual abuse.

It is absolutely inconceivable to me why the county is not addressing this issue. It is inexplicable why my repeated outreach attempts to county officials go unanswered. I received one response from a board assistant. This response was filled with platitudes and despite numerous outreach attempts of mine back to that person as well as outreach to others I still have no response. There has been no visible action taken by the schools, the board of education or the county executive’s office to address this ever escalating issue.

I would again ask for a response from the County Executive, the Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education regarding how the county is going to address this issue.
I would again state, I am specifically asking to know if the following is in place in the schools and if it is not, I would like to be part of implementing the following:

• A clear and easy to access place within MCPS with information regarding child abuse. This would include information regarding what type of screening of employees, volunteers & programs is being done. It would include red flags / signs & symptoms of abuse. It would include links and information regarding how to report said concerns to the schools, police and CPS. It would include how each of those agencies respond to concerns, allegations and reports.

• A clear and easy to access site within MCPS with the school and county policies regarding such things as: What are the guidelines / rules / regulations for electronic communication / engagement between staff and students? What is the protocol / regulation for how departments / agencies share concerns / findings / convictions (i.e. between schools, administration, police and CPS)? Have the loopholes that allowed part-time staff not be held to the same standards as full time staff been closed?

• A link on the MCPS website informing parents about the superintendent’s requirement schools fill out the “Report of Suspicious / Inappropriate Interaction with a Student” form.

• Education for parents regarding child sexual abuse.

• Education and prevention for children in our schools.

I hope to hear from each of you in a timely manner. I may be reached either xxxxxxxxxx

Sincerely,
Jennifer Alvaro

1 See attachment 1
2 See attachment 2




ATTACHMENT 2
Subsequent to my letter of October 8, 2013, the following arrests were published, thus raising the number of arrests from eight to twelve.

1. November 2013 - Josh Andrew Greenberg, a building service worker at Herbert Hoover Middle School.

•  Arrested for peeping on two girls changing in the locker room.

2. November 2013 - Yee Tak Sharon Kui, teacher at The Frost School (a private special education school which serves children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and related special needs). This school serves MCPS students.

•  Fled the country prior to being arrested for the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old autistic child 

3. December 2013 - Mandel Sirotkin, substitute teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools from Feb. 2007 until Nov. 2012. A school district spokeswoman confirmed he worked at 20 buildings during his tenure. Those schools included Albert Einstein High School, Clarksburg High School, Goshen Elementary School, Thomas Wootton High School and Walter Johnson High School.

• Charged with the sexual abuse of one female student.

4. January 2014 - Walter Stafon Bowman, Briggs Chaney Middle School teacher.

•  assault charges stem from incidents of unwanted physical contact with three female coworkers.

Peeping Hoover MS Janitor STILL Employed by MCPS! @mcpssuper

ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJLA) – Parents want to know why a convicted peeping Tom, now facing charges of animal sexual abuse, remains employed by Montgomery County Public Schools.

Last November, Montgomery County Police arrested Joshua Greenberg, 29, of Montgomery Village, for spying on teenage girls as they changed in a locker room at Herbert Hoover Middle School in Potomac. Greenberg, who was a janitor at the school, entered a physical education office where he peered through a window with blinds. A group of half-clothed girls saw Greenberg's furtive glances and immediately notified school leaders. Upon reviewing school surveillance cameras, detectives saw the 29-year-old entering the private office around the time of the incident.

During police questioning, Greenberg fessed up to the crime and admitted he was "sexually aroused [and] attracted while watching the victims change."

In March, Greenberg pleaded guilty to a single count of Private Place Prurient Intent. Montgomery County District Court Judge James Sarsfield sentenced him to three years of supervised probation and ordered he pay $557 in fines. As part of his plea deal, Greenberg was required to complete 40 hours of community service and attend weekly counseling for psychiatric treatment.

During an April 17 meeting with his court-assigned forensic social worker, Greenberg admitted to having an interest in juvenile females and added that, "his [November 2013] offense was not the first time he has done something like this, it was just the first time he had been caught."

On June 5, Greenberg met with his probation officer, where he confessed to masturbating while watching a group of juvenile females at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. The 29-year-old was completing community service hours at the time of the relapse.

In mid-October, Greenberg attended a one-on-one session with his probation officer. According to court documents, he was, "visibly upset... sweating profusely, shaking and crying." During a follow-up session with his father and social worker present, Greenberg admitted to sodomizing and engaging in oral sex with his parent's black labrador retriever, Lilly. Montgomery County Police have since charged him with Perverted Practice, a felony in the state of Maryland.

Despite a troubled trajectory of deviant sexual misconduct, ABC 7 News has learned Greenberg is still employed by MCPS. Following his November 2013 arrest, administrators quietly moved the janitor to the Shady Grove school bus depot along the 16600 block of Crabbs Branch Way in Derwood. In fact, his name, job title and email address are posted on the school district's website.

"It's outrageous that he was allowed to continue as an MCPS employee," said Jennifer Alvaro, a Bethesda mother and sexual abuse therapist. "People are putting their blind faith and trust in a system that is time and time and time again proving they don't deserve it."

ABC 7 News visited the Montgomery Village home Greenberg shares with his parents along the 9500 block of Snyder Mill Court. His mother answered the door with two dogs by her side. She denied any knowledge of the recent criminal case against her son, and then shut the door.

"He must be in a really bad place," longtime neighbor and close family friend Joan Steinberg said. "He's a sweet kid, he's a good worker, he does whatever he's told and he tries hard. Don't judge when you don't know the whole story."

MCPS spokesman Dana Tofig declined an on-camera interview, but released a written statement, saying:

"As soon as the incident at Hoover Middle School was reported last year, the police were contacted, the employee was removed from the school, and he has not served in a school since. As a building maintenance worker in a bus depot, an employee would have no contact with students in any way. While we do not discuss the outcome of personnel investigations in the media, it is important to note that each investigation is different. The outcome of an investigation can be impacted by a variety of factors and circumstances that, while not appropriate to share publicly, need to be taken into account."

Still, parents like Alvaro say there is no valid excuse for a school system to employ a convicted sexual offender. Period.

"There should be complete and utter outrage and anger," Alvaro remarked. "I think the school system has proven that it will not and cannot clean this situation up on its own. There's something deeply disturbing and very wrong about that."

https://wjla.com/news/crime/convicted-peeping-tom-re-arrested-for-molesting-family-dog-still-employed-by-mcps-109340

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/11/convicted-peeping-tom-re-arrested-for-molesting-family-dog-still-employed-by-mcps-109340.html#ixzz3KBd0kQzV Follow us: @ABC7News on Twitter | WJLATV on Facebook

Hoover MS Staffer wants Reconsideration of Sentence - June 27th

Previous posts on MCPS staff person Josh Andrew Greenberg arrest and sentencing. Court Scheduling Information

Trial Date:

06/27/2014Trial Time:01:00 PMRoom:411

Trial Type:

RECONSIDERATION HEARING

Trial Location:191 EAST JEFFERSON ST ROCKVILLE 20850-2325

Charge and Disposition Information

(Each Charge is listed separately. The disposition is listed below the Charge)

Charge No:

001Description:PRIV PL - PRURIENT INTENT

Statute:	CR.3.902.(c)Description:PRIV PL - PRURIENT INTENT
Amended Date:	CJIS Code:1 0716MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X

Incident Date From:

11/06/2013

To:

11/06/2013

Victim Age:

Disposition

Plea:	GUILTY
Disposition:	PBJ SUPERVISEDDisposition Date:03/17/2014
	Fine:$1,000.00Court Costs:$22.50CICF:$35.00
Amt Suspended:	Fine:$500.00Court Costs:$0.00CICF:$0.00
PBJ EndDate:	03/17/2017Probation End Date:Restitution Amount:$0.00
Jail Term:	Yrs:Mos:Days:
Suspended Term:	Yrs:Mos:Days:
Credit Time Served:

---

Charge No:

002Description:PRIV PL - PRURIENT INTENT

Statute:	CR.3.902.(c)Description:PRIV PL - PRURIENT INTENT
Amended Date:	CJIS Code:1 0716MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X

Incident Date From:

10/31/2013

To:

10/31/2013

Victim Age:

Disposition

Plea:	OTHER PLEA
Disposition:	NOLLE PROSEQUIDisposition Date:03/17/2014
	Fine:$0.00Court Costs:$0.00CICF:$0.00
Amt Suspended:	Fine:$0.00Court Costs:$0.00CICF:$0.00
PBJ EndDate:	Probation End Date:Restitution Amount:$0.00
Jail Term:	Yrs:Mos:Days:
Suspended Term:	Yrs:Mos:Days:
Credit Time Served:

---

Charge No:

003Description:PRIV. PL.-PRURIENT INTENT

Statute:	CR.3.902.(c)Description:PRIV. PL.-PRURIENT INTENT
Amended Date:	CJIS Code:3 5715MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X

Incident Date From:

10/01/2013

To:

10/01/2013

Victim Age:

Disposition

Plea:	OTHER PLEA
Disposition:	NOLLE PROSEQUIDisposition Date:03/17/2014
	Fine:$0.00Court Costs:$0.00CICF:$0.00
Amt Suspended:	Fine:$0.00Court Costs:$0.00CICF:$0.00
PBJ EndDate:	Probation End Date:Restitution Amount:$0.00
Jail Term:	Yrs:Mos:Days:
Suspended Term:	Yrs:Mos:Days:
Credit Time Served:

Hoover MS Staff $1,000 Fine and PBJ Disposition

Click here for previous posts on this incident:

Josh Andrew Greenberg Charge No:

001Description:PRIV PL - PRURIENT INTENT

Statute:	CR.3.902.(c)Description:PRIV PL - PRURIENT INTENT
Amended Date:	CJIS Code:1 0716MO/PLL:Probable Cause:X

Incident Date From:

11/06/2013

To:

11/06/2013

Victim Age:

Disposition

Plea:	GUILTY
Disposition:	PBJ SUPERVISEDDisposition Date:03/17/2014
	Fine:$1,000.00Court Costs:$22.50CICF:$35.00
Amt Suspended:	Fine:$500.00Court Costs:$0.00CICF:$0.00
PBJ EndDate:	03/17/2017

----------------------

Probation Before Judgment (PBJ) -- A conditional avoidance of imposition of sentence after conviction; failure to satisfy the terms and conditions may cause imposition of sentence after a finding of violation of probation.

"...MCPS continued for fifteen years to employ a teacher who had been found responsible for indicated child abuse."

As a reminder, the above quote was from an Administrative Law Judge Opinion and released as part of a Maryland State Board of Education Opinion.

The ALJ Opinion was July 2, 2012.  What has MCPS done since that time to stop this practice?

See list of MCPS teachers/staff arrested since 2012 at this link.

Hoover MS Staff Trial Date

Josh Andrew Greenberg

Trial Date: 03/17/2014

Trial Time:08:30 AM

Room:411

Montgomery County District Court - Rockville

Greenberg Trial Date (Hoover Middle School staff)

Josh Andrew Greenberg Court Scheduling Information Trial Date: 12/16/2013 Trial Time:08:30 AM Room:411 Trial Type: Trial Location:191 EAST JEFFERSON ST ROCKVILLE 20850-2325

From Twitter: Middle school worker at Herbert Hoover Middle in Rockville charged w/ at least 2 "peeping tom" incidents, watching school girls in locker rm

UPDATE: http://www.mymcpnews.com/2013/11/08/middle-school-building-service-worker-charged-in-peeping-tom-incidents/

	Scott MacFarlane @ MacFarlaneNews Washington, D.C. NBC 4 I-Team Reporter - Investigative journalism nbcwashington.com Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNews Middle school worker at Herbert Hoover Middle in Rockville charged w/ at least 2 "peeping tom" incidents, watching school girls in locker rm.