School Investigating Teacher Calling for Marxism Lessons in Classes

 Mar 14, 2023

A teacher is under investigation for political opinions shared on social media after her posts were highlighted by Fox News.

The teacher, Rachel Rothstein, works at the North Bethesda Middle School in Central Maryland. On Monday, Fox News Digital published a report about numerous political opinions she had shared on her personal TikTok account, in which she, with a seemingly joking tone, discussed her strongly left-wing political beliefs, mentioned "indoctrinating" students, and said that "revolutions involve violence," among other things. The outlet claimed that Rothstein deleted her TikTok account after it reached out to her for comment.

The topic of education and the alleged "indoctrination" of children by teachers has, in the last year, become a significant talking point among conservative parents and politicians. This has been spurred by accusations, not always substantiated, that lessons about social justice history and gender identity are designed to "indoctrinate" left-wing beliefs into children...

School Investigating Teacher Calling for Marxism Lessons in Classes (newsweek.com)

BCC High School Plastic Grass Stadium Cost Overrun of $295,000 in Capital Budget Funds. Bad News for Other Capital Budget Needs.

BCC High School plastic field installation.

MEMORANDUM 
To: Members of the Board of Education 
From: Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools 

While the building addition at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School was completed and opened in September 2018, the site work aspects of the project are continuing. This site work includes the installation of an artificial turf stadium field. This summer, the progress of the site work was paused when a concealed, preexisting stormwater management condition was discovered in the area of installation of the new stadium field.

This condition presented an unanticipated obstacle to be addressed. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) staff worked with the project contractor and officials with the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services to design an acceptable resolution that would allow the project to move forward. At this juncture, work is proceeding on the designated approach for this project. There is not an anticipated impact to the opening of school, but minor work may continue into the school year. The unanticipated additional requirements for the site work have increased the cost of the project and will require an additional $295,000 to complete.

Due to favorable bid experience, this amount of funding is available as unexpended funds in the addition project for North Bethesda Middle School. I recommend that the Board request a transfer of $295,000 from the North Bethesda Middle School Addition project to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Addition project in the Fiscal Year 2020 Capital Budget. This will allow MCPS to address the needed site work at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School through a budget-neutral approach.

 https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BF8PCC5E768C/$file/FY2020%20Cap%20Bdgt%20Amend%20FY2019-2024%20CIP%20Trans%20Funds%20190829.pdf

MCPS Says Escobar was employed as a temporary part-time lunch hour aide at Kensington Parkwood ES and North Bethesda MS, and also worked as a temporary part time special education paraeducator at North Bethesda

A Germantown man who worked at an after-school program has been charged with having inappropriate and sexual communication with two boys that began when the boys were in elementary school and continued through their middle school years, a Montgomery County police statement said...

...UPDATE:

A letter to Kensington Parkwood parents says, in part:

Dear Parents/Guardians:

I am writing to inform you about the arrest of Mr. Christopher Escobar, a former Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) paraeducator and lunch hour aide, who also worked for BAR-T.  BAR-T is a private provider of before and after school programs for children in Montgomery County, some of which are hosted at various MCPS schools.  Mr. Escobar has been charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, stemming from inappropriate contact with two MCPS students who attended the BAR-T before- and after-school care program at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School.

MCPS is fully cooperating with the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office on this matter. The alleged behavior described in the charging documents is upsetting and unacceptable. We expect and require all who work with MCPS students to be held to a high standard of character, and these allegations certainly violate that.

Mr. Escobar was hired by MCPS in August 2013 and last worked for MCPS in June 2017.  During his time with the school district, he was employed as a temporary part-time lunch hour aide at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School and North Bethesda Middle School, and also worked as a temporary part time special education paraeducator at North Bethesda. Mr. Escobar stopped working for BAR-T in January 2018.

School counselors and support staff will be available at Kensington Parkwood and North Bethesda to provide counseling and support to students as needed.

Spanish language department at North Bethesda Middle School

Gazette Letter to the Editor: Teachers need more oversight

I love teachers. They are among the most notoriously underappreciated, underpaid groups of professionals of our time. Unfortunately, every once in a while, we get one who shouldn't be teaching. They're burned out, stressed out, maxed out ... whatever the issue, they are no longer good for our children. So what do we do? Well, nothing. After three years of good behavior, they earn tenure and they are apparently set for life, long after their teaching has become ineffective and/or inaccurate.

Take the Spanish language department at North Bethesda Middle School. One of the teachers cannot speak the language properly and therefore teaches the students in her class some kind of hybrid language that is completely useless, leaving parents to find private tutors or subsequent teachers to undo the damage.

Here in Montgomery County, knowledge of Spanish is quickly becoming vital. How can we continue to shortchange our children and keep protecting the teacher at the expense of the student?

Sef Hussey, Bethesda

White Flint Sector Plan: Scale it Back

This coming Wednesday, Sept. 16, Councilmember Roger Berliner will host an open forum at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. With the White Flint Sector Plan up for a vote at the County Council, now is the time to let Councilmember Berliner know his constituents do not want inappropriate density, overcrowded schools, dangerous traffic, and boundary changes.

Here is the information on the forum:

Date: Wednesday, September 16

Time: 7:30 pm

Location: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center

4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda