Montgomery County Student Charged After Making School Threats

For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 17, 2025

Gaithersburg, MD - Detectives from the Community Engagement Division- Behavioral Assessment and Administrative Unit (BAAU) have charged a 17-year-old student after making threats against a Montgomery County Public School.

 

On Tuesday, March 18, Community Engagement officers responded to the location for the report of a school threat received via voicemail.

 

The investigation revealed that the suspect called the school and left a voicemail with threatening language directed towards the principal and various demographic and religious groups.  

 

During the course of the investigation, BAAU detectives identified the male suspect as a 17-year-old MCPS student and charged him with threats of mass violence and a hate crime related to the race/religion of a person/group.

 

Because the suspect is a minor, the case will be handled by the Department of Juvenile Services.

 

At this time, the BAAU has determined there is no credible threat to the community.

 

 

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https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail_Pol.aspx?Item_ID=46903

Whitman High School Students Involved in Altercation at School

A violent assault occurred at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda Monday.

According to a letter to high school community members from Principal Gregory Miller, “a physical altercation took place involving several Whitman students. The incident was recorded.”

The assault was reported to the county police department and “an investigation is currently underway,” Miller wrote...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/whitman-high-school-students-involved-in-altercation-at-school/

Antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ graffiti at Whitman High School

Antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ graffiti was smeared on Whitman High School property this past Monday, August 19th. Yesterday the principal, Mr. Miller, sent out this letter. The Board of Education has not commented.

Whitman High School Letter: "serious incident involving antisemitic graffiti that was reported today"

March 23, 2023

Dear Walt Whitman High School Community Members.

I am writing to make you aware of a serious incident at our school today, Thursday, March 23 and how it was addressed.

Two students found a swastika carved into the surface of a wooden stool in a science lab. This is a hateful symbol of antisemitism and is prohibited under MCPS Policy ACA Nondiscrimination, Equity, and Cultural Proficiency. Per established protocols, we immediately notified the Montgomery County Police, the Office of School Support and Well-Being, and have filed the appropriate reporting forms for this matter. As always, this type of behavior is deeply troubling and it requires that we immediately begin an investigation. If we are able to identify any student who may be responsible, that individual will face consequences in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.  

Yet again, I have to write and let our community know about another instance of behavior that is antisemitic. We have done so much as a school community to call out this type of activity and to educate our students while still addressing and healing from past incidents of antisemitism. Subsequently, having to write another letter is very distressing for me and profoundly upsetting for our Jewish community. While it feels like a gut punch to find another example of antisemitic hate, we remain undeterred and will forge ahead with our efforts. Unfortunately, the increase in incidents we’ve experienced at Whitman are on par with a disturbing trend in Maryland. An audit released today by ADL shows a 98% increase in antisemitic incidents in Maryland in 2022. 

We are committed to ensuring that all students, including Jewish students, are safe, valued, and can thrive in our school. This week, our PTSA hosted a session called Creating a Community of Care for parents in the Whitman cluster. As such, we will continue to intensify our efforts to use education and our partnerships with community organizations to engage our students, staff, and parents in conversations about respecting and celebrating our diverse community. On April 12, we will be holding student town hall meetings by grade level to review the MCPS Student Code of Conduct and share the school system’s new protocols for addressing specific incidents of hate/bias and discrimination. Furthermore in May, we will be partnering with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) to provide students with the opportunity to hear from children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Finally, in August, we are again partnering with JCRC and ADL to provide our staff with a comprehensive training on the experience of Jewish students in schools and antisemitism and its manifestation in schools.     

We encourage families to have conversations with their students about respecting and showing acceptance to all people and demonstrating understanding of our differences. I also can’t emphasize enough that parents must talk to their children about the serious school consequences associated with engaging in hateful or discriminatory behavior. Please see these resources for how to talk to your children about antisemitism:

• 5 Tips for Talking with Children About Antisemitism - JSSA

https://www.jssa.org/tips-talking-children-anti-semitism/ 

• Parents’ and Caregivers’ Guide to Countering Antisemitism - Nickelodeon and USC Shoah Foundation

https://www.nickelodeonparents.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NICK-TTA-Countering_Antisemitism_Parent_Guide.pdf

Thank you to the students who reported this incident. If you have any information in regard to it, please contact the main office at 240-740-4800.  

Sincerely,

Robert W. Dodd, EdD

Principal 

Walt Whitman High School

Incident of Antisemitic Graffiti at Walt Whitman High School

12.17.22 Letter to WW Community- Antisemitic Graffiti by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Brawls erupt between Whitman, B-CC students after rivalry football game despite new security measures

By Grace O’Halloran

OCTOBER 22, 2022

A B-CC student allegedly “jumped” a Whitman senior in downtown Bethesda after last night’s football game between the rival schools, sparking a series of brawls that involved at least eight students and a Montgomery County Police officer.

At approximately 7:49 p.m., a B-CC senior struck a Whitman senior from behind on a sidewalk outside the Chipotle on Old Georgetown Road, according to the Whitman student and a bystander. Then, at least eight other students pushed the Whitman student to the ground and proceeded to punch, kick and curse at them, the student said.

In 2019, The Black & White reported on a pattern of increasingly violent altercations outside the Bethesda Chipotle in the hours following football games between the two schools. After police removed 12 students from Whitman’s homecoming game due to aggressive behavior, Whitman and B-CC administrators announced on Monday that this year’s Battle of Bethesda would take place an hour and a half earlier than in previous years.

Football player Jacob Gaum, a junior, said that the fight didn’t shock him and he believes that the altercations will remain popular after intense games...

Brawls erupt between Whitman, B-CC students after rivalry football game despite new security measures – The Black and White

Football: Whitman HS forfeits to Wootton HS on homecoming night after fourth quarter controversy

By Will Gunster

OCTOBER 17, 2022

The football team (0–7) lost to the Wootton Patriots (2–5) 21–6 in a close battle that slipped away in the final minutes of the game.

With the stands packed to the brim for homecoming and senior night, the Vikes were looking to pick up their first win in nearly three years. Unfortunately, some late game drama and controversy saw the Vikes fall just short...

Football forfeits to Wootton on homecoming night after fourth quarter controversy – The Black and White

Federal charge in fentanyl death of Montgomery County high school student

The pill that a 16-year-old Walt Whitman High School thought was oxycodone was actually laced with fentanyl. Now, the man who sold the pill faces a new federal charge in connection with Landen Hausman’s death.

In April, Mikiyas Maryie Kefyalew, 24, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was charged with the state crime of distribution of a narcotic...

Federal charge in fentanyl death of Montgomery County high school student - WTOP News

Former Whitman High rowing coach sentenced to three years for sex abuse

 

Kirk Shipley, a three-time All-Met coach, had pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two rowers at the Bethesda, Md., high school

ormer Walt Whitman High rowing coach Kirk Shipley was sentenced Friday to three years in prison for sexually abusing two former students — an outcome that appeared to stun the former Montgomery County teacher and his attorney.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan imposed 36 months for first-degree sexual abuse of a secondary education student and 24 months for possession of a sexual performance by a minor. She suspended two of the five years.

Shipley pleaded guilty to the felonies in June as part of a plea deal. He will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Shipley and his attorney had argued he should be given probation for his crimes. Speaking publicly for the first time since his arrest last year, the three-time All-Met Coach of the Year apologized to the victims, calling his actions “very, very wrong.” Shipley also expressed remorse about the impact on hundreds of his former students and athletes at the high-achieving school in Bethesda, Md., saying that he hoped that “those memories will be happy again” someday...

Former Whitman rowing coach Kirk Shipley gets three years for sex abuse - The Washington Post

“MCPS to this day continues to put these loopholes in and allow men like Kirk Shipley to operate with impunity, and who was paying the price? Our children,” said Gross.

Former Whitman High School teacher sentenced to 3 years in prison for sexual abuse of students

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Former Walt Whitman High School teacher and rowing coach Kirk Shipley was sentenced to 3 years in prison for sexually abusing students.  

Shipley, 48, worked at MCPS for nearly 20 years. According to court documents he sexually abused two former students and rowers on the crew team on multiple occasions between 2013 to 2018 at his home in the district.

Jennifer Gross — a Whitman alum, parent and certified sex offender treatment provider — said she wrote a letter in 2018 detailing issues in MCPS’s response to reports of student abuse and blames the district for victim-blaming procedures...

Former Maryland high school teacher sentenced for sexual abuse of students (dcnewsnow.com)

. @NVRDC is proud to represent the survivors who have bravely come forward in the Kirkland Shipley case & are grateful for the sentence he received today. If you're a survivor & need support/services, please reach out to us at http://nvrdc.org.

.@NVRDC is proud to represent the survivors who have bravely come forward in the Kirkland Shipley case & are grateful for the sentence he received today. If you're a survivor & need support/services, please reach out to us at https://t.co/rLRKTpRwXm. pic.twitter.com/lbdrQMeUrG

— Network for Victim Recovery of DC (@NVRDC) September 9, 2022

According to D.C. Judge Maribeth Raffinan, Shipley was 44 years old and victim one was 18. They exchanged more than 4,000 texts, many of a sexual nature. He also had sexual relations with her.

...In imposing her sentence, Raffinan said that Shipley “certainly waivered with regard to his acceptance of responsibility.” He took advantage of the fact that he was a teacher and mentor, she noted.

During the emotional hearing, a woman who only identified herself as a community representative, called Shipley “a predator who has abused his position of authority as a teacher and coach.” She said Shipley “demonstrated a pattern of behavior in which he has gained the trust of these teens as a mentor.”

Throughout the hearing, Shipley was referred to by Judge Raffinan and others as a person who groomed some of the students he coached and taught, building trust and connection before making sexual advances.

The community representative stated that while Shipley only is charged in connection with two victims, he abused his position of authority and power during 20 years. “Eventually, Kirk hit on everyone,” she said, adding that many of these former students struggle with trust issues. “We’ve carried with us guilt and shame.”

She then directed her comments to Shipley. “You have contributed nothing to our success or our actions. You are a cancer and always have been.”..

Whitman Rowing Coach Sentenced to Three Years for Sexual Abuse - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)

Ex-rowing coach at Bethesda school sentenced for sexual abuse #WhitmanHighSchool @mcps @mocoboe

A former rowing coach at a Bethesda, Maryland, high school was sentenced Friday to serve three years in prison for sexual misconduct with two students.

Kirkland Shipley, of D.C., has been sentenced to five years, with two suspended, on charges of first-degree sexual abuse of a secondary education student and possession of a sexual performance by a minor. He pleaded guilty in June...

Ex-rowing coach at Bethesda school sentenced for sexual abuse - WTOP News

Breaking - DC judge sentences former #Whitman HS rowing coach Kirkland Shipley to 5 years in prison, 2yrs suspended.@mcps @mocoboe

Breaking - DC judge sentences former #Whitman HS rowing coach Kirkland Shipley to 5 years in prison, 2yrs suspended. He took a plea deal, will be incarcerated for 3 years, and have to register as a sex offender.

— Megan Cloherty (@ClohertyWTOP) September 9, 2022

Whitman HS Artificial Turf Football Field Fails Again. @mcps Pays for Upkeep on this field. What's the total so far?

After the zeolite infill failed at the @WWHSAthletics new artificial turf field, they replace it with a wood infill called #Brockfill. They promised it would not float or migrate. Then it rained. #whatabrock #fieldofbaddreams #hotmess @mocoboe @MCPSAthletics @bdubbsonline pic.twitter.com/xrwmV1Ku8R

— Safe Healthy Fields (@SHPFC) July 14, 2022

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Breaking: Whitman HS Artificial Turf Field has Failed. 3 Yr Old Field not draining at required rate, infill must be removed.

https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2022/02/breaking-whitman-hs-artificial-turf.html

Student brings BB gun to Whitman, police respond

Montgomery County police and school security responded to reports of a student in possession of an airsoft BB gun at Walt Whitman High School today, Principal Robert Dodd wrote in an email to community members this afternoon.

School officials contacted police after a student alerted administrators that a firearm was potentially present in the school building, Dodd told The Black & White. The student showed the weapon to another student but did not threaten anyone, he said. 

“We were able to ascertain that it was a facsimile weapon,” Dodd said. “Police took possession of the facsimile weapon, and in that process, we were able to make sure that everyone was safe and secure.

As of 1:00 p.m., the student in question was no longer on the school’s campus, the principal said...

https://theblackandwhite.net/72052/news/student-brings-bb-gun-to-whitman-police-respond/

Whitman HS Artificial Turf field to get Pine infill. What's next Dirt infill? Who is paying for this new infill?

Giant bags filled with pine infill for Walt Whitman’s synthetic turf sports field sit along the sidelines as workers repair the field’s drainage system.

 https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/04/06/advocates-hope-bill-to-monitor-synthetic-turf-waste-will-move-forward-in-final-days-of-legislative-session/

Question remains if Bethesda coach accused of sexual abuse will take a plea deal

A former Bethesda, Maryland, high school rowing coach has another month to decide if he’ll take a plea deal on charges of sexually abusing two of his students.

The abuse is said to have happened while 47-year-old Kirk Shipley was coaching the girl’s rowing team at Walt Whitman High School. He was also a social studies teacher at the school...

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2022/04/question-remains-if-bethesda-coach-accused-of-sexual-abuse-will-take-a-plea-deal/

BOE Daughter Gets Immediate Action from Principal after Story Published in School Newspaper

On March 8, 2022, the Whitman High School newspaper published an article about an annual event called Vike-A-Thon.  The article alleged that the event is associated with rampant sexual abuse of students by other students. 

Within hours of the article being published the principal notified parents, guardians and students that the event was being cancelled and that the Montgomery County Police were being consulted.  Students were encouraged to report unsafe behavior or serious incidents to administrators immediately. [Note:  But please go straight to the police!]  

The Whitman High School school newspaper article was written by Eliana Joftus, the daughter of new Montgomery County Board of Education member Scott Joftus.

Since being appointed to the Montgomery County Board of Education on December 2, 2021, Scott Joftus has remained relatively quiet and has not taken a public stand on any significant MCPS matters.  His new re-election website makes no mention of the decades of cases of sexual abuse of MCPS students by MCPS staff, nor has Mr. Joftus spoken up in support of the dozens upon dozens of known victims of sexual abuse by MCPS staff.  

Bravo to Eliana Joftus for investigating and documenting the information she obtained about an annual, toxic school event and making that information public. 

Whitman HS: It’s been 10 years too long. Vike-A-Thon needs to go. Stop the underage hookup culture, or pick a new event: taking an honest look at Vike-A-Thon

By Eliana Joftus

MARCH 8, 2022

Content warning: This story contains language that pertains to sexual assault and drug use. Students’ names have been changed for anonymity. 

As a freshman, junior Lacey put all of her energy into preparing for Vike-A-Thon on the afternoon of the event. She straightened her hair, put on the sparkly outfit that she had purchased specifically for the party and meticulously applied glitter on her upper cheekbones to add a radiant shine to her face. But the night wasn’t all about Instagram-worthy experiences. 

At Vike-A-Thon, Lacey was sexually assaulted. 

Vike-A-Thon is a rave-style fundraising event that has served as the pinnacle of Whitman SGA’s “Charity Month.” Tickets cost between $30 and $40, and from 9 p.m. until midnight, students pack together in the school’s darkened gymnasium as music blares and neon lights strobe. 

Vike-A-Thon was once a “dance marathon” previously known as “bRAVE” during which students were locked in school for 12 hours on a weekend night. bRAVE started in 2012, but due to excessive underage drinking and drug use, the SGA re-branded the fundraiser in 2016 as Vike-A-Thon. The last time the SGA held Vike-A-Thon in February of 2020, sales raised $24,000, more than the funds from every other Charity Month fundraising event combined.

While organizers advertise the event as lighthearted and fun, the event’s appeal is rooted in a toxic atmosphere, one that’s ripe for sexual abuse — particularly involving exploitative power dynamics between upperclassmen and underclassmen. It’s been 10 years too long. Whitman’s SGA or school administrators need to cancel Vike-A-Thon...

https://theblackandwhite.net/71844/opinion/its-been-10-years-too-long-vike-a-thon-needs-to-go/