Federal judge grants settlement approval in FieldTurf USA lawsuit that included N.J. schools (But Not for MCPS. MCPS Did Not Bother To Participate.)

A federal court judge has given final settlement approval to a proposed class action multi-district lawsuit by plaintiffs in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and California who claimed they were sold defective synthetic field turf by FieldTurf, USA...

...The total settlement value for more than 1,200 class action members nationwide exceeds $50 million in cash and in credits, according to Law.com.

The settlement on Friday allows plaintiffs to each collect cash from the class action or they can claim credits to have FieldTurf install new artificial turf. Each is entitled to $7,500 in cash compensation or $50,000 in credits for new turf, Law.com reported...

https://www.nj.com/middlesex/2024/12/federal-judge-grants-settlement-approval-in-fieldturf-usa-lawsuit-that-included-nj-schools.html

Locked bathrooms spark frustration among students, staff

By the end of the school day, many of the bathrooms throughout the school are locked, causing many students to travel to other floors to use the restroom.

At RM, many students have become irritated over the lack of open bathrooms at school. Searching for open bathrooms has caused several students to miss class time, interfering with their learning. Some students have expressed that they find it to be a major inconvenience to spend so much time just to use the restroom. 

“It wastes my class time; it wastes my time to learn.” Sophomore Shyla Agarwal said, “I can’t take notes in class because I missed them which affects my grades on quizzes and tests.” 

Many students share similar stories about having to search the school for a bathroom. 

Sophomore Sara Benachenhou said, “I was on the second floor and both the bathrooms were locked so I had to go all the way to the first floor to get to a bathroom.” ..

https://thermtide.com/22277/news/locked-bathrooms-cause-frustration-among-students-and-staff/

RM staff discover swastikas drawn in school building

 From The Tide, reporter Maya Nachman. Full story here.

RM staff discovered swastikas drawn throughout the school building on three occasions in the past two weeks. 

RM Principal Alicia Deeny wrote a message to the RM community on March 12 after the swastikas were found drawn onto the stalls in the boys bathrooms. The next day, on March 13, Ms. Deeny sent an additional message sharing that the school was able to identify the student who was the source of the graffiti after they had discovered another swastika drawing in a bathroom. 

Ms. Deeny sent an additional email on March 19 after more swastika drawings were found in a stairwell and door at RM. According to her email, the person who drew these symbols is still yet to be identified but the incident is still being investigated by school security and administration. 

And:

This incident comes amidst a 337 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the US since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, according to the ADL. However, before the war began, Maryland was reported to have the tenth most antisemitic incidents out of any states in the US, according to the ADL.

More Antisemitism in MCPS - this time, Richard Montgomery High School

Letter from the Richard Montgomery HS principal, March 13, 2024:

 Dear Parents/Guardians:

I am writing to share an update on the message that I shared yesterday regarding swastikas drawn in two of our boys’ bathrooms.  Today we discovered another instance of a swastika in a bathroom and also were able to identify the student who was the source of the graffiti.  The student will be addressed in accordance with the MCPS Code of Conduct. We have also shared this information with the Rockville City Police Department and are following MCPS hate-bias protocols.

As I shared yesterday, our counseling department is available to meet with any students who may have concerns about this incident. We have also been in contact with the MCPS Restorative Justice Team to organize an opportunity for students who would like to come together to share their thoughts regarding this incident.

I am grateful to our administrators, security, and building services team for their speedy response to this incident. We will continue to support our students with any concerns they have about this situation.

Sincerely,
Alicia Deeny
Principal

The Tide: Longer winter break would provide students with valuable rest

 

Winter break is a much-needed break for RM students and teachers after all the studying and the tests beforehand. It’s a time for travel and relaxation with family and friends. It’s a time to visit extended family. It’s a time for seniors to reflect on early college decisions or start preparing for regular decisions.

Of course, it’s not only for students but for teachers as well to be free from grading hundreds of tests and homework. But one week goes by in a blink of an eye, and many students are left wondering how time passes so fast by the time Jan. 1. rolls around.

The issue of winter break at RM is a minor issue that many students feel will never change. Even though RM is an IB school and since many students are part of the IB program, the workload for students increases drastically...

https://thermtide.com/20709/opinions/longer-winter-break-would-provide-students-with-valuable-rest/

3 students charged with robbery after alleged assault at Montgomery Co. high school

Police in Rockville, Maryland, have charged three students, ages 14 and 15, with robbery after an assault inside a bathroom at Richard Montgomery High School earlier this month involving students from another school.

Police said they responded to Richard Montgomery on Jan. 13 for a report of an assault that happened inside the school. A student also later reported seeing a gun outside the school, which led to the school being placed on lockdown...

3 students charged with robbery after alleged assault at Montgomery Co. high school - WTOP News

Police: 3 juveniles arrested after group of Gaithersburg students were led into a school bathroom and robbed

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Three juvenile boys have been arrested and charged with robbery after an assault at Richard Montgomery High School. On Jan. 13, Rockville City Police responded to Richard Montgomery High School (RMHS) for the report of an assault which occurred inside the school and an allegation that a gun had been brandished off school grounds forcing the school to enter a brief lockdown...

Three students charged with robbery in Montgomery County | wusa9.com

1/24/23: Former Richard Montgomery High School Student Arrested with Possession of Handgun on School Property

The Rockville City Police Department has charged a 15-year-old juvenile with firearms related offenses.

On January 24, 2023, at approximately 2:45 p.m., Richard Montgomery High School Security personnel notified the school’s Community Engagement Officer that a former student was on school property and was possibly in possession of a handgun. The student was apprehended by Rockville City Police approximately one block away from the high school, who was in possession of a firearm. The juvenile was arrested without incident and will be charged accordingly.

The preliminary investigation has determined today’s incident is unrelated to the lockdown which occurred at Richard Montgomery High School on January 13, 2023. Rockville City Police continues to work closely with Richard Montgomery High School and Montgomery County Public Schools to ensure the safety and security of students and staff remains the highest priority for our community.

The investigation into this matter is ongoing. Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Rockville City Police Criminal Investigation’s Unit at 240-314-8938.

Extra police and security presence at Richard Montgomery High School this morning after reports of an altercation possibly involving a handgun on Friday. @7NewsDC @MCPS #GaithersburgHighSchool

Extra police and security presence at Richard Montgomery High School this morning after reports of an altercation possibly involving a handgun on Friday. @7NewsDC @MCPS pic.twitter.com/vke60fGjhj

— John Gonzalez (@John7News) January 17, 2023

Columbia Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Shooting of Richard Montgomery Student

Shawndel Arnez Weems of Columbia was sentenced to 50 years in prison Friday in the shooting death of Richard Montgomery High School student Simeon Mukuna, 18. The two did not know each other.

Although Weems, 24, spoke during the sentencing, he did not apologize or express remorse, according to the Howard County State’s Attorney’s office...

Columbia Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Shooting of Richard Montgomery Student - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)

Thurs. Oct. 6th Meeting to Discuss Plan to Park 22 @mcps School Buses at Each of These High Schools: Magruder/Wootton/RM/Rockville/Gaithersburg/Watkins Mill

The Montgomery County/MCPS Plan to move part of the MCPS Shady Grove Bus Depot to Seven Locks Road only moves some of the school buses currently in the Shady Grove Bus Depot.  The rest of the school buses will be parked at 6 high schools.  The MCPS Shady Grove Bus Depot can't be removed from its current location without the use of the parking lots at these 6 high schools.  

The meeting shown below on October 6th will only discuss moving some of the Shady Grove Bus Depot school buses.  It's time for the Board of Education to discuss their plan to take over the parking lots of these 6 high schools and turn them into bus depots. 

 Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland: Tues. 8/23/22: Board of Ed to Delegate Authority to Park 33 Buses at Each High School - Magruder/Wootton/RM/Rockville/Gaithersburg/Watkins Mill (parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com)

Man Accused of Fatally Shooting Richard Montgomery Student Found Guilty

Shawndel Arnez Weems, 24, of Columbia was found guilty Friday of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Richard Montgomery High School student Simeon Mukuna, 18.

A Howard County jury also found Weems guilty of using a handgun in the commission of a crime in the violent fatal shooting that was committed “over nothing,” according to Rich Gibson from the State’s Attorneys Office for Howard County...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/man-accused-of-fatally-shooting-richard-montgomery-student-found-guilty/

#FlipTheTurf: It’s Time to Swap NFL Stadium Turf for Real Grass

Of the 32 teams in the NFL, 16 teams still play on artificial turf, despite the undeniable risk it poses to both players and the environment. It’s time to play smarter with Pennington.

The numbers don’t lie:

• 28% more non-contact lower body injuries.*
  
  32% more non-contact knee injuries.*
  
  And 69% more non-contact foot and ankle injuries occurred on turf.*
• Turf can get up to 60 degrees hotter than natural grass, increasing the rate at which toxic gases are released and ingested.**
• 90% of NFL players believe artificial turf will shorten their careers.*** 

And the issue is bigger than just football. 

• Currently, turf can’t be recycled in the US, leading to an estimated 330 million pounds of landfill waste each year, and microplastics in our water and irrigation systems.**** 
• On average, one turf field requires over 440,000 pounds of petroleum derivatives. The production of which emits carbon, creates fossil fuels, and contributes to global warming. **** 
• Unlike grass, turf does not cool the environment. It does not filter air and water pollutants. It does not fix carbon dioxide or release oxygen. Turf has zero climate benefits.***** 

As pioneers of the grass industry, Pennington believes in working with nature, not against it. That’s why we’re rallying for change. 

Every signature we get applies pressure to the NFL and its team owners to face the facts and make the flip to a more sustainable field. If they say yes, we’ll bring the grass— no questions asked. And we won’t stop pushing until all 32 NFL teams ditch the turf. Because every game the NFL allows to play out on turf actively puts their own players at risk. And in turn, our planet. 

Sign this petition to join the movement to #FlipTheTurf.

 

 

*Based on NFL injury data collected from 2012 to 2018

**Based on 2007 Columbia University study in New York City

***Based on 2010 NFLPA Survey

****Based on 2017 Synthetic Turf Council data detailing an average 440,000 lbs of turf and infill per sports field and an estimated 750 fields being replaced in 2018 

*****The University of Arkansas, “Turfgrass Science” Study, 2009

https://www.change.org/p/fliptheturf-it-s-time-to-swap-nfl-stadium-turf-for-real-grass?recruiter=1253975818&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=8d90bdb0-90e0-11ec-b99e-0135b59629b9&share_bandit_exp=initial-32289362-en-US

Nashville reaches tentative harassment settlement of $1.2M with former public school administrator (Also Former MCPS Administrator - Moreno Carrasco)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Lawyers for Metro Nashville Public Schools have reached a proposed settlement of a $1.2 million sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former district administrator.

Terms of the final settlement with Dr. Vanessa Garcia have not been made public. That deal still must be approved by the Metro School Board, according to Metro deputy law director Mike Safley.

Latest case to be settled from Shawn Joseph tenure

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Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

By: Phil WilliamsPosted at 3:53 PM, Jan 06, 2020 and last updated 5:12 PM, Jan 06, 2020

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Lawyers for Metro Nashville Public Schools have reached a proposed settlement of a $1.2 million sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former district administrator.

Terms of the final settlement with Dr. Vanessa Garcia have not been made public. That deal still must be approved by the Metro School Board, according to Metro deputy law director Mike Safley.

The proposed settlement, disclosed in a new court filing Monday, came less than three weeks after U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. rejected numerous efforts by the school district's lawyers to throw out various claims made by Garcia.

Garcia's lawsuit accuses former Metro Schools administrator Mo Carrasco of grossly inappropriate sexual comments, as well as one occasion when he allegedly put his hand on her breast at a district Christmas party.

After Garcia filed a formal complaint back in November 2017, other witnesses came forward - and Carrasco resigned. In May 2018, Garcia herself lost her job as part of a so-called "realignment."...

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/metro-schools/mnps-reaches-tentative-harassment-settlement-with-former-administrator

Maryland investigates claim of inappropriate help on diploma-related projects #MCPS #RMHS

Maryland education officials are investigating a teacher’s allegations that improper help was given on student projects required for high school graduation in suburban Montgomery County, according to statements and emails related to the incident.

Brian Donlon, a social studies teacher at Richard Montgomery High School, told the state he observed inappropriate assistance on “bridge projects,” which students complete to qualify for a diploma when they do not pass state-required exams.

Donlon said in an interview he noticed a small group of students using a worksheet designed to help them organize a bridge project in government, but it had been filled in for them in advance. The sheet did not fully give answers but significantly guided the students, he said, which he considers cheating.

“If a student was taking an actual test and I walked over and gave the student some guidance toward the answer, I think this is exactly the same thing,” he said. “It’s a highly improper level of assistance.”..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/maryland-investigates-claim-of-inappropriate-help-on-diploma-related-projects/2020/01/20/6df0cbc2-322c-11ea-a053-dc6d944ba776_story.html

‘Why don’t we get the field?’: Use of playing field pits an elite private school against D.C. public schools

An elite private school has been granted special access to a public playing field in Northwest Washington in exchange for funding upgrades to the site. But the deal with D.C. officials has some residents and politicians calling foul on a move they say shortchanges public school students.

The deal between the Maret School and the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation allows Maret exclusive use of the field at the Jelleff Recreation Center during the hours of highest demand, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., on weekdays for the next decade, according to Marjo Talbott, Maret’s head of school. In exchange, the school is spending about $950,000 to improve the turf field, add a fence and renovate the recreation center building, Talbott said.

In response, a coalition of public school parents, elected officials and area residents is petitioning Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) to reverse the deal...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/why-dont-we-get-the-field-use-of-playing-field-pits-an-elite-private-school-against-dc-public-schools/2019/08/31/5081b5de-ca5c-11e9-a1fe-ca46e8d573c0_story.html

injuries have continued. Not only are you putting their bodies in danger, you are also putting their futures at risk because their ability to perform is affected. It is unfair for the players that have worked so hard to have their opportunities for college scholarship potentially affected due to MCPS not choosing to do the right thing here.

From Molly Wichenbach public comment.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
BEFORE THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
July 11, 2019

RE: RICHARD MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL’S DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS ARTIFICIAL TURF
FROM: JOSEPH P KING, STUDENT

Good evening members of the Board of Education and Superintendent Smith. My name is JOEY King and I am a student from Julius West. My brother is on the Richard Montgomery Football Team and I am here to speak on his behalf since he is at health class this morning.

Since football practice is about to start again, we have all been talking about various home-made padding that we may be able to use to protect his skin, elbows, and legs when practice starts again and during the season.

We were talking about the reports that you also heard about last month at this meeting and also about testimony that you heard last year school year from Molly Winchenbach from the Soccer Team. It seems sad to know that there still hasn’t been commitment by the County to do anything about this during the summer before all the athletes are back on the field. “Looking into it,” was the answer that was given at the last meeting but that is not a good enough answer and probably wouldn’t be one that our teachers would accept if we tried that.

MCPS has already sent out samples of the turf and found clear reasons for the difference between our
field and the other field at Whitman that was replaced recently. This has been known since February.
Can you please tell me, today, a reason that this is being ignored?

• RM’s field is four times the FIFA standard!

Can you please tell me, as I am sure you have found out by now, what was the reason for this?
Who is responsible?
When is it going to be fixed?

MCPS has already verified what was obvious: there is something very wrong with the RM turf and the injuries are too many.
What are you going to do about it?

The band-aid that MCPS came up with last spring did not work. The injuries have continued.
Not only are you putting their bodies in danger, you are also putting their futures at risk because their
ability to perform is affected. It is unfair for the players that have worked so hard to have their
opportunities for college scholarship potentially affected due to MCPS not choosing to do the right thing here.

This cannot be the outcome with which you are satisfied.

I have heard that MCPS is in the investigating the replacement of all or most of the fill in RM’s turf all at once over the summer but, since I haven’t heard more, I am afraid that you have decided to not allocate funds or energy for us.

For the sake of my teammates, I am asking you to ensure this remediation gets done immediately.
Please. Do you agree that you owe it to the students whose health and safety you say are your top
priority.

You know, for fact, that this turf is 4x the standard for abrasiveness.
You know the reasons why it is so abrasive.
You know what you need to do to fix it.
Don’t waste anymore time while more students get hurt.

Please. Do it now.

Thank you.

NEW: RMHS Athlete was Correct. RMHS Field is More Abrasive. Confirmed Again in July Test. #artificialturf #GrassIsSoftest

In the fall of 2018, a Richard Montgomery High School athlete complained to the Board of Education about the abrasiveness of the new RMHS artificial turf field.
ABC7 covered the story.

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2018/11/7-on-your-side-students-wounded-by.html

Now, in August of 2019, MCPS releases new abrasiveness test information that shows the RMHS artificial turf field is still the most abrasive surface of the fields tested.  For comparison, the first image shows the abrasiveness of Kentucky bluegrass and Tall fescue.

https://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/ssrc/research/infill/abrasion-indices-of-synthetic-and-natural-turf

MCPS Field Testing of Artif... by Parents' Coalition of Montg... on Scribd

Board of Ed Releases Only One Page of Three Page February Artificial Turf Report. Report Shows Whitman Got Taller Plastic Grass and ZEOFILL is Abrasive Infill.

Handwritten notations and highlighting have been added. 

The above page from a February Report on artificial turf infill was posted to the Board of Education's Agenda for the June 24, 2019, meeting (video of parent reporting on continuing injuries to athletes from Richard Montgomery HS artificial turf).

Also posted with this page of the Labosport Report was information from MCPS showing which field was referenced by each column of the chart.  We have made notations on the above Report showing which MCPS field the data refers to and what type of infill was used at each field.

Pages 1 and 2 of the Labosport Report were not made public.  

The Labosport Report shows that the Whitman High School artificial turf plastic grass is taller than the plastic grass installed at Richard Montgomery HS and Einstein HS.  The Report also shows that the Richard Montgomery HS infill is highly abrasive.  In addition, in the columns evaluating the ZEOFILL infill we see higher numbers for abrasiveness.

This Report shows that there is increased abrasiveness when ZEOFILL is used in the infill.

Why has the Board of Education been withholding this report from the public since February?  Students continued to use these fields even when the Board of Education KNEW there was a hazardous situation causing injury to students.

When will the Richard Montgomery High School artificial turf infill be REMOVED and REPLACED with a less abrasive infill?
 

Breaking: Board of Ed Keeps Dangerous Field in Use Despite Testing Showing Field 4 Times as Abrasive as FIFA Standard. #SueUsWeDon'tCare #SuckItUpKids

Public Comments of Jennifer Young

Before the

Montgomery County Board of Education

 June 24, 2019

On Richard Montgomery High School’s Artificial Turf

Good evening members of the Board of Education and Superintendent Smith.  You
may remember at the CIP hearings in November a student from Richard
Montgomery who plays on the soccer team as a goalie, Molly Winchenbach.  She
testified about the unusual abrasiveness of RM’s new artificial turf field and the
resulting injuries suffered by student athletes.  She is my daughter.  She would be
here tonight to give you this update and make this plea herself, but she is at practice.  High school athletes never seem to have a season off these days.

To MCPS’s credit, after Molly’s testimony, they sent out samples of RM’s and Whitman’s artificial turf for independent testing to a lab in Canada.  Both
fields had been installed at the same time using the same organic Zeofill rock/sand mix but their effect on the athletes was drastically different with RM’s field causing substantially more serious abrasion injuries.  That different experience of
the athletes was confirmed by the objective tests.  Although in my meeting with the
Director of Construction and Director of Athletics back in February to go over the
results of the tests, I was not permitted to keep a copy, I wrote down the pertinent
results right after the meeting, so my numbers are within a few points.  There was
agreement in the room that the results were shocking.  The abrasiveness of the field
was measured against FIFA’s standard of 30.

Old crumb rubber fields tested a 3. 

Whitman’s field tested a 20.  

RM’s field tested 128!
Four times the FIFA standard!

The lab tests also figured out why – the volcanic rock particles used in
the RM field Zeofill were much larger than those used at Whitman, and at RM, the
rock was layered with the sand like a cake, rather than all mixed together, as it was
at Whitman.  

Now that MCPS has verified what we have been saying all along – there is
something very wrong with the RM turf – it is so abrasive, it is tearing the skin off
the athletes, what are you going to do about it?  MCPS thought that perhaps they
had solved the problem for this spring.  They had removed some of the fill and
tried to mix up the layers more by deep tining it.  The plan then was to just replace
the offending larger particle fill with the smaller particle fill gradually with regular
monthly maintenance.  But, I’m here to tell you, on behalf of my daughter and the
other student athletes who are using and will be using this field in the fall
regularly, that MCPS’s remediation plan is not aggressive enough.  I’ve provided
you with a picture of what happened to Molly’s leg the first time she slid on the
turf this spring to stop a ball coming into the goal.  The RM turf scraped off the top
layer of about 6 inches of her skin.  This cannot be the conditions under which you
expect student athletes to play.  While all athletes may not experience the
abrasiveness of the RM field the same, it is particularly damaging to the students,
like Molly in positions, like goalie, who have to slide on the turf all the time.   She
plays on turf all over the county, both indoor and outdoor, and only receives
serious injuries like this from the RM turf.  

I understand that MCPS is in the process of asking the manufacturer of the
turf how much it will cost to replace all or most of the fill in RM’s turf all at once
over the summer.  I am asking you to ensure this remediation gets done
immediately.   (And any cost should not come out of CIP funds already allocated
to capital expenditures for RM, which needs substantial expansion over the
summer just to keep up with its ever growing student population.) You owe it to
the students whose health and safety you say are your top priority.  You now know
this turf is 4x the standard for abrasiveness, you know the reasons why it is so
abrasive, and you know what you need to do to fix it.  Don’t waste anymore time
while more students get hurt.  Do it now.
 Thank you.

UPDATE:  Board of Education sneaks February Report on to their website.