Auditors allege extensive misuse of student funds by Northwood HS principal

MCPS auditors are reporting that the Principal of Northwood High School, Mrs. Mildred Charley-Greene (or her immediate predecessor), unlawfully collected curricular fees from students and then used the funds to purchase meals for the football team, a practice that is explicitly prohibited in the MCPS Athletic Handbook.  

In addition, Mrs. Charley-Greene (or her immediate predecessor) used over $2500 of student money to purchase smartphone services for staff members, a violation of MCPS procurement rules.

Adding to the misuse of student funds, Mrs. Charley-Greene (or her immediate predecessor) improperly spent over $60 per staff member on "staff refreshments". 

The complete audit report, which lists numerous rule-breaking spending actions by the current principal or her immediate predecessor, is available at:

http://audits.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/school/northwoodhs

Update: This blog post has been updated to recognize the fact that the audit covers a period of time where both the current and former principals had control over the Independent Activity Fund.   The audit does not distinguish between improprieties attributable to the current principal and improprieties attributable to the former principal.   In any case, there is nothing in the audit that indicates that the current principal has issued refunds to students for the illegally collected curricular fees.   Furthermore, there is nothing in the audit that indicates that the current principal has reimbursed the IAF accounts for funds improperly used for staff refreshments, meals for the football team, or smartphone service.

MCPS formerly required that an audit be conducted whenever the administrator of an IAF (the principal) changes. However, MCPS no longer reliably conducts IAF audits when there is a change of principal. Many IAF audits are more than a year overdue.

Pursuant to MCPS Regulation DIA-RA, "Independent Activity Funds (IAF) are funds that, unless otherwise specifically designated, belong to the student body currently in attendance and must be used solely for the benefit of the student body."

NBC4: MCPS Swatted

Kippah-Wearing MCPS Student Told to Prove Religion

Patch:  The principal at Northwood High School told Patch that “students are asked for verification when their religious headwear is not traditional headwear that we are accustomed to seeing.”


Update:  Worldwide coverage

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=46&sid=2734812http://www.theblaze.com/stories/high-school-student-needed-rabbis-note-to-wear-yarmulke-in-school/

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Mont-Co-Student-138708369.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/maryland-schools-insider/post/montgomery-student-needed-a-rabbis-note-to-wear-yarmulke-to-school/2012/02/03/gIQAg4YKnQ_blog.html 


http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/02/02/3091478/md-student-asked-to-defend-wearing-kippa 


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/caleb-tanenbaum

http://www.jewishjournal.com/religion/article/md_student_asked_to_defend_wearing_kippah_20120202/

http://www.jspace.com/news/articles/md-student-asked-to-defend-wearing-kippah/7357

http://www.allvoices.com/news/11437213-md-student-asked-to-defend-wearing-kippah

http://www.tlj-news.com/2012/02/01/kippah-wearing-student-told-to-prove-religion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kippah-wearing-student-told-to-prove-religion

http://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=26697&SECTION_ID=1

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/high-school-student-needed-rabbis-note-to-wear-yarmulke-in-school/

http://findalismonkeyinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-need-to-bring-in-note-from-my-rabbi.html

http://www.stljewishlight.com/news/world/article_3dc066fa-c7f1-52df-96d8-23a79b14ae70.html

Graduates at 3 high schools were less likely to gain a 3 on AP exams than the MCPS average

Wheaton Patch: Grading Area High School AP Scores

MCPS is celebrating the AP success of its 2010 graduates. Overall, the school system had 66 percent of graduating seniors participate in AP scores and 50 percent get a 3 or higher on at least one of the exams. That’s far beyond the national averages of 28.3 and 16.9 percent respectively. But how did Wheaton, Kennedy and Northwood do?

Continues here...

10 of 25 High Schools in MCPS Fail to Make AYP

Here is the link to The Washington Post story reporting on today's press conference from the Maryland State Department of Education: 

The Washington Post: More Md. students resorting to alternative assessments to graduate

And here are the details that The Washington Post didn't include. Here is the list of the 10 MCPS high schools that did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress from the 2010 Maryland Report Card.

High School and areas where Adequate Yearly Progress was "NOT MET."

Blake - Reading & Math: Special Education 

Clarksburg - Reading: Limited English Proficient

Damascus - Reading: Special Education

Gaithersburg - Reading: Special Education

Kennedy - Reading & Math: Special Education
Magruder - Reading: FARMS/Special Education/Limited English Proficient
Northwest - Math: Special Education
Northwood - Reading & Math: Special Education
Paint Branch - Reading & Math: Special Education
Sherwood - Reading: Hispanic/FARMS/Limited English Proficient

FARMS = Free and Reduced-Price Meals

Additional charges made against Montgomery County soccer coach

Gazette:  Police identify second victim of alleged sexual abuse by Takoma Park man

...Roger Misael Fernandez, 38, of the 900 block of East West Highway in Takoma Park, was first arrested Thursday afternoon by Montgomery County police after the first victim, a 17-year-old member of the Real Maryland FC soccer club, reported Sept. 15 that Fernandez touched him inappropriately in March. The teen told police Fernandez, a soccer club coach, touched him at the club's corporate office at 12114 B Heritage Park Circle in Silver Spring, according to Montgomery County Police.

The second victim, also a 17-year-old club player, was identified shortly after Fernandez' arrest. He said Fernandez inappropriately touched him on two occasions: once in February in the club's corporate headquarters and once at the Holiday Inn at 2 Montgomery Village in Gaithersburg in March, said county police spokesman Cpl. Dan Friz. The charging documents for the second sexual assault indicate the touching in March at the hotel occurred after the coach tricked the player into driving with him to the hotel.

"It looks like it was a ruse to get him there; he lured him into the room where he sexually assaulted him," Friz said from his reading of the charging documents. "Force wasn't used, so once Fernandez assaulted him, the victim was able to leave the room."

...Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said that while the incident did not take place at a school function or on school property, the arrest raises concerns. Northwood parents were notified of the arrest Thursday, and the school system is working with police to identify other potential victims, Tofig said...

...Tofig was also uncertain if Fernandez was screened by the school system before he began volunteering...

...David Noyes, the general manager of the Real Maryland FC Soccer Club, expressed surprise and dismay at the news when reached for comment today. Club officials have been working with police to help identify any other potential victims, he said...

$140 Fee to Graduate in MoCo - AYP Missed

According to a MCPS Press Release on Annual Yearly Progress (AYP):

...Northwood missed the graduation rate target for all students...

Do you think the $140 fee that is charged to Northwood students to participate in graduation had any impact on that statistic?

Please note, the Maryland Constitution still provides for a free public education for Maryland children. Isn't graduation the culmination of a free public education?

We know from the Washington Post that a 50% increase in the MCPS after school activity fee resulted in a 20% drop in participation. The actual fee increase was from $20 to $30, and netted an estimated loss of over 6,000 MCPS students participating in after school activities.

Government Courses - Another Missing Component in MCPS Education

What has happened to the teaching of US government to our high school children? Do they know that federal laws apply in MCPS schools? Are our children learning from the adults in the school building to follow rules and standards of conduct?

Apparently not if your child attends a school where they post or disclose personally identifiable information that is readily apparent for all to view.

I've seen this first hand at Blair. Every few weeks, our trusted Blair volunteer coordinator puts out a plea for volunteers to help stuff envelopes containing student interim grades for mailing to parents. When I have questioned this practice, I've been told that the letters are folded in such a way that the volunteers do not see the individual score reports, and that even if they view the letters, the parents are acting in accordance with school policies that let them perform these tasks. Pretty feeble justification, in my opinion, especially when the policy requires training of the volunteers, documentation of the hours, and requires that the the principal is responsible for:

Supervising the scheduling of the volunteer, determining the
role of the volunteer, and assuring that the volunteer has no access to
confidential student or personnel information.

Then, a few weeks ago, at Blair, I noticed the public posting of students who were scheduled to sit for the January administration of HSAs. Names, room numbers, and tests to be taken - names of those students who didn't pass the tests when they were administered the previous May. My student's name is not among the ones posted, so I don't have standing to complain. This time Blair administration won't get an e-mail from me - but I hope that some of the parents of kids named on the list will say something.

Is this an isolated practice? No. Just yesterday, I heard of another high school in Bethesda that will be posting names in the school hallways of students who owe financial obligations. I thought that practice was eliminated - after all, didn't Magruder and Richard Montgomery HS also do that a few years ago and were told to stop?

From the Department of Education website:

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g;
34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

. . .

Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. (34 CFR § 99.31)

What can you do as a parent or student? Call your principal, show him/her the law, assume this is a mistake, but ask to get the information off the wall.

Should they refuse and you want to pursue this further? Contact the Department of Education Compliance office at the information on their website.

For additional information or technical assistance, you may call (202) 260-3887 (voice).

Individuals who use TDD may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

Or you [use] the following address:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-5920