Predictable: The Cover-Up Continues with a Former @mcps Assoc. Sup. Running Council Hearing on MCPS.

On Thursday, February 8, 2024, the Montgomery County Council will hold a hearing "To review findings and recommendations of Office of Inspector General Report #OIG-24-08 and discuss next steps."

That's the title of the hearing as stated in the Staff Memorandum.    

But Council staff neglect to mention that one of its own staffers is a former very, very highly placed MCPS Associate Superintendent whose positions included supervising the MCPS human resources department from 2016-2021. Now that former MCPS Associate Superintendent is advising the Council how to run an oversight hearing on MCPS internal practices?  

Why disclose an obvious conflict of interest?  Who cares about ethics?  

The Council President has already announced his decision to not put any witnesses under oath.  Why get into the messy issue of his staff person who should probably be at the witness table instead of on the Council dais?  

Exactly what did Council staffer Essie McGuire know about complaints regarding Joel Beidleman and when did she know that information?  That question will not be asked by Councilmembers. Ever. 

The former MCPS Associate Superintendent who now works for the Council has once again done an excellent job of supplying the Council with a packet of garbage for tomorrow's hearing.  46 pages of MCPS policies and procedures all easily accessible on the MCPS website via a simple link.  46 pages of policies and procedures copied into the packet for the meeting to make it "look" like Councilmembers are being given something of substance. 

The former MCPS Associate Superintendent who now works for the Council neglects to mention anything about the powers the Council has to put witnesses under oath or to issue subpoenas.  

Once again, a nice thick packet with zero substance.  

9/26/2023 SURPRISE! County Council is "briefed" on MCPS Beidleman Matter by their staff, who is (surprise) former MCPS Assoc. Superintendent & who oversaw MCPS Human Resources

Report: Montgomery County Public Schools lacks protocol around complaints

https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/maryland/montgomery-county/report-montgomery-county-public-schools-lacks-protocol-around-complaints/

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

Senior staff and administrators with Montgomery County Public Schools listed in a complaint have been cleared of alleged misconduct, according to report from the county Inspector General’s office.

2 MCPS administrators cleared following allegations of misconduct

https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1393732

 

Montgomery watchdog recommends school system revise policies. Seven Employees involved. Beidleman still on leave.

After an investigation, the county inspector general suggested the school system require employees in leadership positions to disclose previous relationships with subordinates

...Among the allegations were that two Montgomery County Public Schools administrators made “inappropriate jokes and statements of a sexual nature directed toward a subordinate,” and that a supervisor was aware.

Megan Davey Limarzi, the county inspector general, wrote in a memorandum released Wednesday that her office did not find any evidence of violations of school policy, in part because there was little information to substantiate the complaint’s details.

The person who filed the complaint ignored multiple requests to talk to investigators, according to the memo...

The complaint included allegations involving seven employees from Maryland’s largest public school system, Montgomery County Public Schools, the inspector general’s office said in an email. None were identified...

...Beidleman has denied the allegations. He was initially placed on leave in August, which remains his status, Cram confirmed Wednesday...

https://wapo.st/48QaokC

Montgomery County Inspector General: MEMORANDUM OF INVESTIGATION - Alleged Misconduct

 https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGActivity/FY2024/OIG-MOI-MCPS-SeniorOfficials.pdf

Report: MCPS Should Strengthen Romantic Relationship Disclosure Requirements

A report by the Montgomery County Inspector General’s office declared allegations of misconduct by senior Montgomery County Public School officials “unsubstantiated.”

However, the report that was released Wednesday did note that there were “opportunities for improvement regarding the disclosure of romantic or sexual relationships between staff, as well as requirements that MCPS staff cooperate with investigations.”..

https://www.mymcmedia.org/report-mcps-should-strengthen-romantic-relationship-disclosure-requirements/

Breaking: SURPRISE! County Council is "briefed" on MCPS Beidleman Matter by their staff, who is (surprise) former MCPS Assoc. Superintendent & who oversaw MCPS Human Resources

It's a small world and the County Council can't find anyone to brief them on MCPS education issues except a former MCPS Associate Superintendent who now works for the County Council's Education Committee.  The County Council staffer is Essie McGuire and Ms. McGuire has decided that the topic for discussion at the Council's Thursday, September 28, 2023, Education Committee will be:

Discussion - Review of Initial Report Findings and Processes for Investigations of Employee Misconduct in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

However, after stating that discussion topic Ms. McGuire has papered the Councilmembers with 103 pages of copied MCPS policies and procedures, all easily available on the MCPS website.

Ms. McGuire does not provide the Councilmembers with any information that could assist them in understanding their oversight powers.  She does not provide a list of inquiries that could be made by Councilmembers. 

Ms. McGuire is also a former Executive Director to the MCPS Chief Operating Officer.  In that position Ms. McGuire worked closely with the MCPS Office of Human Resources and was frequently included in Board of Education Closed Meetings.  

How about a new topic for the Council's Thursday Education Committee meeting?

What did Ms. McGuire know about the Beidleman allegations? If she knew, when did she know it and what actions did she take to address or investigate those allegations, if any?  

And then, how about Ms. McGuire stepping away from any Council deliberations involving MCPS Human Resources issues?   

Essie McGuire

(16) Essie McGuire | LinkedIn (note she does not list her time at MCPS on her LinkedIn resume)

Essie McGuire was hired in August of 2016 by MCPS to work in the position of Executive Director for the Chief Operating Officer.

Job description for Executive Director for Chief Operating Officer

Human Resources Job Descriptions - Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD (montgomeryschoolsmd.org)

Job description includes:  Works closely with the Office of Human Resources and Development regarding personnel and other human resources matters.

In this position she was in Closed Sessions of the Board of Education where personnel issues would be discussed.

For example:  170314 Report of Closed Sessions.pdf (boarddocs.com)

July 1, 2020, Essie McGuire was promoted to MCPS ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT of OPERATIONS 

OHRD Rec Appts Public 200210.pdf (boarddocs.com) (see page 4)

Superintendent Jack Smith's "vision" with 3 administrative heads, one was Essie McGuire.

Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland: Interim Superintendent McKnight Removes Superintendent Jack Smith's "Vision for the Future" Administrators. Where are they now? (parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com)

In 2021, Essie McGuire left MCPS and moved back to old job at County Council

Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland: On June 29, 2021, MCPS Associate Superintendent of Operations Essie McGuire was in a Closed Door Meeting of the Board of Education, Tomorrow She Runs the County Council's Briefing on MCPS. (parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com)

Essie McGuire back to County Council job of staff member handling MCPS matters

20210914_2C.pdf (montgomerycountymd.gov)

County still working to protect confidential files of child abuse victims

More than a month ago, Montgomery County’s inspector general revealed that a county file-sharing platform provided access to confidential files of child sexual and physical abuse victims to any employee and contractor.

The victims’ information came from the Tree House Advocacy Center, a Rockville nonprofit that the county contracts to provide evaluations, therapy, support services and care to victims.

Nearly seven weeks after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report, the county is still working on technology protections throughout the county’s file-sharing platforms for files with sensitive information.

The records of the children revealed names, medical information, specific abuse, and other details. It was the second time this year the OIG has found vulnerabilities within the county’s file-sharing platforms.

Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi told the council on Tuesday that she continues to be concerned that documents containing sensitive data still have not been secured...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/government/county-still-working-to-protect-confidential-files-of-child-abuse-victims/

Montgomery County Inspector General Again Raises The Alarm On Data Security Breaches

Montgomery County’s Inspector General is raising concerns for the second time this year about personal information of children being at risk of a security breach.

Megan Limarzi released a report Tuesday concerning at least 529 child victims of sexual or physical abuse or neglect at the Tree House Child Advocacy Center in Rockville. Their names, biographical data, medical information, clinician, notes and details of their abuse were available to any county employee or contractor that had access to a shared platform as of late September.

The Inspector General didn’t say whether the data was actually accessed by unauthorized users, but that the question should be pursued.

Limarzi reported on another set of unsecured documents in May. That case involved Medicare benefits applications stored on a shared platform at the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, involving social security numbers, date of birth, Medicare numbers, bank checking account numbers, and applicants’ addresses.

Limarzi says county agencies aren’t taking seriously recommendations to either delete the sensitive information or restrict access to personal documents on the shared platforms...

https://dcist.com/story/20/10/27/montgomery-county-inspector-general-again-raises-the-alarm-on-data-security-breaches/