Montgomery County Public Schools' review of employee histories reveals criminal violations

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — 7News presses Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) for answers after a recent review of employee histories reveals criminal violations.

We reached out to MCPS to learn more about the cases. The school system confirmed recent screenings flagged 22 employees...

...We talked to a former MCPS student and parent who is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider.

She said MCPS is putting its students in danger.

"My response is a deep sense of disappointment and outrage. What this means is MCPS is failing in its most basic duty to help create safe environments for our children," Jennifer Gross said.

MCPS blamed the background check backlog on the previous administration and said it rescreened more than 10,000 employees between September and December of 2025...

https://wjla.com/news/local/story/montgomery-county-public-schools-mcps-background-checks-criminal-violations-employee-screening-child-protective-services-safety-concerns-maryland-education-issues-backlog-policy-fbi-rapback

MCPS Parent Speaks Out After Student Injuries Raise Bullying Concerns

A Rockville parent said he was moved to speak out and advocate for his 10-year-old son, who was allegedly struck in the head on his schoolyard in early October, after reading about MCPS middle school student Lenny Diaz on MCM news. Diaz was hospitalized with serious injuries after another student threw a metal object at his head.

The parent, John Bittner, has a fifth grader at Sequoyah Elementary School in Derwood, whom he said has been harassed by two classmates for several years. Bittner alleges his son was kicked in the head and suffered headaches and nightmares as a result...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/mcps-parent-speaks-out-after-student-injuries-raises-bullying-concerns/

Read the Report MCPS Does Not Want You to See: CESO Assessment of MCPS Department of Transportation

@mocoboe Paid $168,380 for Comprehensive Analysis of @mcps Transportation, Then Shelved the Report.

Here is the 5 Part CESO report the Montgomery County

Board of Education doesn't want the public to read. 

 

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Montgomery County Public Sc... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

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Montgomery County Public Sc... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

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Montgomery County Public Sc... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

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Montgomery County Public Schools, MD: 4 CESO Deliverable 01.31.2024 by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

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Montgomery County Public Sc... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

Superintendent Taylor: Instruction is Not Our #1 Priority @mcps @mocoboe

Youth Safety and Substance Abuse Update

Montgomery County Council

Health and Human Services Committee

Education and Culture Committee

Public Safety Committee

... 

There were significant increases in violent crime involving juveniles (ages 17 and under) 

between FY22 and FY23:

o Arrestees increased 329% from 92 to 395.

o Victims increased 216% from 215 to 679.

o Suspects increased 178% from 150 to 417.

...

• Significant annual increase in opioid poisoning and opioid-related ER visits in the County

for 10-21 year olds began in FY22 and accelerated in FY23.

• Youth ages 10-17 account for 12% of opioid overdose-related ER visits from July 1, 

2022 to November 20, 2023, and 18-21 year olds make up 10% of these visits. 

• Hispanic youth make up 42% of the total opioid overdose related ER visits by 10-21 

year-olds, followed by African American youth at 26%, and White youth at 18%. 

• Fire & Rescue reports 91 high confidence opiate ODs from January through October of 

this year, with greater concentrations in the Wheaton, Aspen Hill, and Silver Spring

corridor. 

• MCPS reports that Naloxone was administered 18 times in FY23, and once in FY24. The 

MCPS overdose response program distributed 450 Naloxone kits/doses to schools and 

286 doses to community members at training events

...

MetaViewer.php (granicus.com)

BOE Member: "...the most important topic I’ve heard about, right behind math and literacy, is safety.”

Safety on the agenda: Montgomery Co. education board urges more focus on school safety

Each year, the Montgomery County Board of Education maps out when different topics will come up on its calendar.

This year, the topic of school safety was slotted for April. That prompted a suggestion from board member Brenda Wolff.

“The majority of the school year is over by April,” Wolff said to her colleagues. “And in my visits around the county, the most important topic I’ve heard about, right behind math and literacy, is safety.”..

Safety on the agenda: Montgomery Co. education board urges more focus on school safety - WTOP News

NJ School bus driver molested students daily during ‘hide-and-seek’ on parked bus, cops say

https://www.nj.com/morris/2020/02/school-bus-driver-molested-students-daily-during-hide-and-seek-on-parked-bus-cops-say.html?fbclid=IwAR3rgGK33SYempRKsdj5V-8xjg9mTSVzUbOHoOto5I9RyqyMFb_MlsDCqlU

Board of Education to Meet with Planning Board to Discuss Artificial Turf, Pedestrian Safety, Boundary Analysis #OffCamera #OpenMeeting

This is an Open Meeting of these two public bodies, however, the meeting will not be videotaped or live streamed.  The public is welcome to attend and film the meeting.  

Lunch will be served and paid for by taxpayers, but the public will not be permitted to eat the food. 

Montgomery County Planning Board Agenda at this link.

Agenda for Board of Education and Planning Board luncheon is below.