Breaking**Inspector General: "Actions of MCPS senior leaders do not demonstrate either accountability or transparency." Report on MCPS Failure to Background Check Staff/Contractors/Volunteers.

Today, the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General issued a report entitled, "Review of MCPS Background Screening Office."

The IG's Report details disturbing gaps in the MCPS background checks of staff, contractors and volunteers.

The MCPS Superintendent, Thomas W. Taylor, responded to the Report and criticized the IG's process.

The IG responded to the Superintendent's criticism with a response letter that included the following statements:  

...OIG staff met with members of the Superintendent’s leadership team on June 25th and in response to that meeting made corrections to address the concerns raised and provided a revised draft report on July 7th. On July 16th we held another meeting to discuss MCPS’s proposed corrective actions and address any other questions or issues. At no time during or after that meeting did MCPS leadership request additional changes to the report, raise wording discrepancies, or identify any inaccuracies. The Superintendent did not attend either of these  meetings, and despite his claims, MCPS leaders did not exhibit or invite an authentic collaboration. In fact, during our last meeting with MCPS leadership, they repeatedly refused to discuss specifics of certain planned actions which would assist the OIG in determining if the proposed steps would address observed deficiencies or offer alternative considerations. It was only in the Superintendent’s July 25th formal response that we learned of the nature and extent of discussions with the State regarding CPS checks...

...Lastly, in contrast to their statements, the actions by MCPS senior leaders do not demonstrate either accountability or transparency. The fact remains that thousands of individuals with unsupervised access to MCPS schools and students have not had a criminal history check in more than five years and thousands more have not completed a CPS check. In the end, only one entity is tasked with and has accepted the responsibility for obtaining these background checks to safeguard employees and students, and that is MCPS.  

The full IG Report is reproduced below: 

Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland screening of employees by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

***BREAKING: New Charges filed on former MCPS Cloverly Elementary School Teacher John Vigna

Please see our previous extensive coverage of the arrest, conviction, vacated conviction, and re-trial of former MCPS elementary school teacher John Vigna. Recall that Mr. Vigna was never fired by the Montgomery County Board of Education and his teaching license was never revoked.  He was allowed to retire and voluntarily surrender his teaching license. His original conviction was vacated and he was released from prison.  A new trial on those charges has been scheduled for 2024.  Now additional charges have been filed against Mr. Vigna.  

New charges were filed against Mr. Vigna on November 30, 2023.

From Maryland Judiciary Case Search: 

Circuit Court For Montgomery County - Criminal

Location: Montgomery Circuit Court

Case Number: C-15-CR-23-001418

Title: State of Maryland vs. JOHN VIGNA

Case Type: Criminal Indictment

Filing Date: 11/30/2023

Case Status: Open

 

Maryland & France

A French author wrote for years about his sexual relations with children and continued to win acclaim. Now one of them has spoken out.

PARIS — The French writer Gabriel Matzneff never hid the fact that he engaged in sex with girls and boys in their early teens or even younger. He wrote countless books detailing his insatiable pursuits and appeared on television boasting about them. “Under 16 Years Old,” was the title of an early book that left no ambiguity.

Still, he never spent a day in jail for his actions or suffered any repercussion. Instead, he won acclaim again and again. Much of France’s literary and journalism elite celebrated him and his work for decades. Now 83, Mr. Matzneff was awarded a major literary prize in 2013 and, just two months ago, one of France’s most prestigious publishing houses published his latest work.

But the publication, on Thursday, of an account by one of his victims, Vanessa Springora, has suddenly fueled an intense debate in France over its historically lax attitude toward sex with people who are underage. It has also shone a particularly harsh light on a period during which some of France’s leading literary figures and newspapers — names as big as Foucault, Sartre, Libération and Le Monde — aggressively promoted the practice as a form of human liberation, or at least defended it...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/world/europe/france-pedophilia-gabriel-matzneff.html

From 2010: Forgotten Study: Abuse in School 100 Times Worse than by Priests

WASHINGTON, DC, April 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the last several weeks such a quantity of ink has been spilled in newspapers across the globe about the priestly sex abuse scandals, that a casual reader might be forgiven for thinking that Catholic priests are the worst and most common perpetrators of child sex abuse.

But according to Charol Shakeshaft, the researcher of a little-remembered 2004 study prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, "the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."

After effectively disappearing from the radar, Shakeshaft’s study is now being revisited by commentators seeking to restore a sense of proportion to the mainstream coverage of the Church scandal.

According to the 2004 study “the most accurate data available at this time” indicates that “nearly 9.6 percent of students are targets of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career.”..

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/forgotten-study-abuse-in-school-100-times-worse-than-by-priests

"Child sexual abuse is the largest public health crisis facing our children. There is no other issue that comes as close to having such a dramatic impact on kids," said Jennifer Alvaro, child sex abuse prevention expert.

VIRGINIA

'God, make this stop' | Teens abused by best friend's dad share their harrowing experiences

Alvaro recommended the district adopt an employee code of conduct that explictly references inappropriate behavior, like the code she advocated for that was adopted by the Montgomery County Public Schools.

Experts Weigh in on Efforts to Protect CPS [Chicago Public Schools] Students From Sexual Abuse

by Maureen Kelleher on July 16, 2018

...Alvaro calls lack of training for students “a major loophole” in preventing child sexual abuse. “This would be analogous to never holding active shooter drills with kids. It’s our job as adults to prevent sexual abuse. But you have to tell kids what to do if it happens. It’s just like putting seat belts on or fire drills.”

https://chicagounheard.org/blog/experts-weigh-in-on-efforts-to-protect-cps-students-from-sexual-abuse/

Stop the Silence in Montgomery County

CNN Spotlights MCPS Personal Body Safety Lesson that Brought About Arrest of MCPS Teacher

BETRAYED Chicago schools fail to protect students from sexual abuse and assault, leaving lasting damage #mcps #MeTooK12 #SameHere

They were top athletes and honor-roll students, children struggling to read and teenagers seeking guidance.

But then they became prey, among the many students raped or sexually abused during the last decade by trusted adults working in the Chicago Public Schools as district officials repeated obvious child-protection mistakes.

Their lives were upended, their futures clouded and their pain unacknowledged as a districtwide problem was kept under wraps. A Tribune analysis indicates that hundreds of students were harmed.

Drawing on police data, public and confidential records, and interviews with teens and young adults who spoke out, a Tribune investigation broke through the silence and secrecy surrounding these cases and found that:

When students summoned the courage to disclose abuse, teachers and principals failed to alert child welfare investigators or police despite the state’s mandated reporter law.

Even in cases where school employees acted swiftly, they subjected young victims to repeated interrogations, inflicting more psychological pain and defying basic principles intended to preserve the integrity of an investigation.

Ineffective background checks exposed students to educators with criminal convictions and arrests for sex crimes against children. And CPS failed to disclose to other districts that past employees had resigned after investigators found credible evidence of abuse and harassment.

Whether the sexual attacks were brutal rapes, frightening verbal come-ons or “creepy,” groping touches, the students often felt betrayed by school officials and wounded for years.

One young athlete, a 16-year-old honors student aiming for a law career, began cutting advanced chemistry and math classes to avoid a track coach who raped her repeatedly in his office at Simeon Career Academy. Even after he was arrested, “she didn’t know if she wanted to go to school any more. She told me she felt alone. … She talked about suicide,” Simeon Principal Sheldon House testified at the coach’s 2016 criminal trial.

At Hubbard High School, Kyana Aguilar was 17 when she reported a security guard for groping her buttocks and breast. “I trusted him because he worked at the school,” she told the Tribune. “He was an ordinary person who violated me. It could happen to anyone.”

Aguilar is now 21, and the guard is behind bars. Still, she said, “there are some nights where I think about it and can’t sleep. It still haunts me.”

The exact number of cases in which school workers sexually assaulted students remains elusive, in part because CPS does so little to understand and tackle the problem. The district acknowledges that it does not track child abuse by its employees in a consistent or formal manner...

http://graphics.chicagotribune.com/chicago-public-schools-sexual-abuse/gaddy

School Security Guard Who Pleaded Guilty to Sex With Student Accused of Visiting Victim

https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/School-Security-Guard-Who-Pleaded-Guilty-to-Sex-With-Student-Accused-of-Visiting-Victim-475312513.html

These kinds of Victim Impact Statements have taken place in Mont. Co. courtrooms, except without cameras and even without the press.

Sexual assault victims confront former Olympic doctor Larry Nassar in court

An onslaught of victims, many of them tearful and with voices tinged with anger and determination, confronted former USA Olympic gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar in a Michigan courtroom Tuesday, telling him how he robbed them of their childhoods by using his position as a star physician to sexually assault them and scar them for life.

One by one, the victims stood at a podium in Ingram County Circuit Court in Lansing just feet from the man who molested them as children, some in front of their parents during medical examinations...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/sexual-assault-victims-confront-olympic-doctor-larry-nassar/story?id=52378336

In this #MeToo, moment, let’s not forget abused children .@mcps .@mocoboe .@KathleenDumais1

In this #MeToo and #TimesUp moment, just as we’ve been shocked by the abuse, we are also disturbed by the enablers, the seemingly good people who either knew or strongly suspected that something foul was afoot but chose not to act.

For each persistent abuser, there are enablers who chose not to act...

...Every state and territory has enacted penalties that range from civil fines to criminal charges for those who knowingly fail to report child abuse — except Maryland and Wyoming...

 ...• prevented the Montgomery County school officials from simply reprimanding charismatic veteran teacher John Vigna for his inappropriate contact with children, while letting him stay in the classroom for decades.

• emboldened the numerous teachers at Vigna’s and Carraway’s schools to defy their bosses’ assurances that they’d handle the problem, and do what Maryland law has long required: report to police or child protective services... 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-this-metoo-moment-lets-not-forget-abused-children/2018/01/12/ff92cc46-debf-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html?utm_term=.9a75dcd07d78

Parents are upset after Superintendent Jack Smith left tonight’s budget meeting early. They wanted to ask him about the former lunch aide at Clover Elementary School aide, Sean Kelley, who was arrested for child porn distribution.

[Happening Now] Parents are upset after Superintendent Jack Smith left tonight’s budget meeting early. They wanted to ask him about the former lunch aide at Clover Elementary School aide, Sean Kelley, who was arrested for child porn distribution. pic.twitter.com/4sGM9Ba0xs

— Anna-Lysa Gayle (@ABC7Annalysa) January 9, 2018

Full Report:  http://wjla.com/news/local/community-meeting-addresses-arrest-of-teachers-aide-charged-with-possession-of-child-porn

ABC7: “Where were all the school board members?” - Cloverly Elementary School Parent.

“Where were all the school board members?” - Cloverly Elementary School Parent.

We’re told school board members were not present at the budget meeting, due to the inclement weather. pic.twitter.com/21zwWu5bfr

— Anna-Lysa Gayle (@ABC7Annalysa) January 9, 2018

Full Report:  http://wjla.com/news/local/community-meeting-addresses-arrest-of-teachers-aide-charged-with-possession-of-child-porn

ABC7: Parents confront MCPS leaders, after lunch aide charged with possession of child porn

As Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith walked out of a budget meeting early on Monday night, parents were furious.

“(You all) know what we were here for,” said one parent.

They were there to ask him about Sean Kelley.

Before his arrest, Kelley worked as a part-time lunch aide at Cloverly Elementary School.

He’s now charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

“He is charged with three counts of distribution of imagery of a minor engaged in sexual conduct and seven counts of possession of imagery of an individual under the age of 16 engaged in sexual conduct,” said a spokesperson for Maryland State Police.

After Dr. Smith left the meeting, parents directed their questions to Chief of Staff Dr. Henry Johnson...

http://wjla.com/news/local/community-meeting-addresses-arrest-of-teachers-aide-charged-with-possession-of-child-porn

Tonight: Civic Fed Meeting to Tackle MCPS Cover Up of Child Sex Abuse. Monday, January 8th at 7:45 PM

Tonight:  Civic Fed Meeting to Tackle MCPS Cover Up of Child Sex Abuse. Monday, January 8th at 7:45 PM pic.twitter.com/TJlfc3ixxz

— Parents' Coalition (@PCMC1) January 8, 2018

MCCF Dec. 11th Meeting: Jennifer Alvaro of Bethesda Named MCCF’s Community Hero for December

Montgomery County Civic Federation, December 2017

...Ms. Alvaro wants to be clear that, while some positive changes and actions have been implemented, there is still no transparency in the process.  Abuse can only thrive in an atmosphere of secrecy, and Jennifer Alvaro will continue to advocate for transparency and action to protect our children.  That is why she is our newest Community Hero. Two months ago, even The Washington Post had to admit that another child sex abuse “case appears to be the latest of several in which a Montgomery County school system employee was admonished for repeated incidents of inappropriate behavior with students but stayed on the job and allegedly crossed the line again.”  The mandated reporters—principals and MCPS administrators—repeatedly failed to report incidents to Child Protective Services. Board of Education Members and County Councilmembers are not holding MCPS accountable for these failures to report sex abuse of students to the proper authorities.  Only two States have no penalties for failing to report child sex abuse, and Maryland is one of them.  In this literally lawless atmosphere, it is time the Civic Federation’s voice be heard.  Please see below a draft resolution to join the Parents’ Coalition in support of Ms. Alvaro’s quest for Montgomery County Board of Education to create a Web page that lists all known abusers and lists every school and program that each were involved with...

http://www.montgomerycivic.org/files/CFNlatest.pdf

The Washington Post took 77 Days to Cover the MCPS teacher John Vigna Trial .@PostBaron @washingtonpost

Why didn't The Washington Post send a reporter to cover the trial of Montgomery County Public School teacher John Vigna while it was in progress?

Why did it take 77 days for The Washington Post to report on the sworn testimony at the trial?  

When students are sexually abused in other public school districts does it take The Washington Post 77 days to report on the trials in those cases?

Today we see The Washington Post reporting on a civil trial involving the sexual abuse of public school students by a staff member/volunteer.  The coverage of the civil case is in real time as the case is proceeding.  The coverage gives details that show that public school administrators were warned about this perpetrator but did not report him to Child Protective Services or the police.  The failure to report lead to additional victims.  This case is in Prince George's County.

And therein lies the difference.  The Washington Post jumps on events involving sexual abuse of students that happen in Prince George's County, but dawdles on coverage of the exact same types of cases when they happen in Montgomery County.

Why?  Maybe The Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron would like to explain why the difference in reporting?

Remember Marty Baron is the Boston Herald Editor featured in the movie Spotlight.  Clearly he knows how to investigate and report on these types of stories.

Why no SPOTLIGHT on the sexual abuse of public school students in Montgomery County, Maryland?

Open Letter to Superintendent: MCPS has yet to correct the flaws, loopholes and shoddy implementation of the policy and regulations regarding child abuse and neglect.

From: jennifer alvaro 
Date: Thu, Oct 19, 2017 at 10:32 AM
Subject: Child Sexual abuse in MCPS
To: "Smith, Jack" , MCPS of Education
Cc: "Harris, Darlene M" , "Napoli, Sandra L" , "Gray, Martha M" , "Turner, Derek G" , Donna Hollingshead ,

Dr. Smith and County School Board Members,  

Please be aware over the past year,  despite numerous contacts with MCPS (in the form of  personal conversations with Dr. Smith, emails to Dr. Smith and email exchanges with MCPS staff, radio appearances with MCPS staff) MCPS has yet to correct the flaws, loopholes and shoddy implementation of the policy and regulations regarding child abuse and neglect. 

Two recent examples are presented here.   First, the Personal Body Safety Lessons are still not being implemented correctly in schools. One example is last week at Cloverly elementary school the counselor ran a parent meeting to discuss the PBSL.   The counselor  stated numerous times she only had to teach one lesson to each grade.  When a parent read the information below (supplied by your staff),  the counselor continued to assert she had the discretion to change the lessons as she sees fit.

It should be obvious to those who stay informed on this issue, if there is any school in the entire county who should be embracing teaching this program correctly, it should be Cloverly.   John Vigna was only caught due to a brave child reporting her abuse after taking this program.   As you know, MCPS did an internal investigation of his abusive behaviors in 2008, another internal investigation in 2013 and must have reviewed all the information again in 2015 after Dr. Starr's December memo to review all files for suspicious / abusive behaviors.  Yet, despite all that, Vigna was left in the classroom.   

In a school where victim blaming and shaming was rampant in meetings and court, it becomes even more critical for the PBSL and parent meetings to be run with compassion and with fidelity.  

I have asked you before, and I will ask you again, will you please immediately issue a directive to all school staff with specific instructions this program must be taught at all grade levels, every year?    The program itself has serious flaws (for example: at some levels it is a "one and done" which is not best practice, and it is not taught every year to every student as you state) but never the less, you do have clear proof it is keeping children safe.

A second glaring example of the way MCPS is handling abuse is this month alone, two MCPS staff members have been arrested for sexually abusing students.   One of them worked at Carderock Springs elementary school for over a year.   A letter went home to Carderock parents stating parents should share information they have with police.   No such letter went home to parents at Pyle Middle school where former Carderock Springs students are enrolled.  Don't parents of former students deserve to have this information so they may act? 

I have been asking since 2012 for these issues to be addressed appropriately and thoroughly.   I will continue advocating for the flaws, error, loopholes and mismanagement of this to be corrected.   Children are currently being left at risk and will suffer as a result of both your action & inaction.   

I welcome the opportunity to speak to you all further about these concerns. 

Sincerely, 

Jennifer Alvaro 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Hollingshead, Donna"

To: jennifer alvaro 

Cc: "Napoli, Sandra L" ; "Harris, Darlene M" ; "Gray, Martha M" ; "Turner, Derek G"

Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 5:17 PM

Subject: RE: Follow-up to your Message to Dr. Smith

 

Good Evening Ms. Alvaro:

 

This message is in response to your email to Dr. Smith, in which you requested clarification regarding our personal body safety lessons (PBSL) at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).   As you are aware, in our effort to play an active role in preventing child abuse and neglect, MCPS staff members, in conjunction with partners, developed PBSLs to complement the Comprehensive Health Education curriculum.

 

As noted in the May 31, 2017 response letter to your Maryland Public Information Act request, counselors work under the direction of principals and in coordination with the Office of Student and Family Support and Engagement. They are provided with lessons that they are expected to use in their schools. However, as the December 8 memorandum titled “Action: Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Personal Body Safety Lessons for Students” indicates, counselors in Grades 6-10 have the option of where to implement the lesson.  These options include during Health classes, other classes or in small groups.  I have spoken to Mr. Turner and he regrets if he misspoke during the phone conversation with the students.

 

Additionally, I would like to take this opportunity to provide a clarification to your reference of “the full 3 session curriculum.”  Included for your reference below is a chart of the PBSL lessons requirements by grade for the 2016-2017 school year.

Police Left Counselor in Einstein HS for 6 Months After First Complaint

MCPS UNAWARE OF INVESTIGATION PRIOR TO HS COUNSELOR’S ARREST FOR SEX CRIMES 

Officials from Montgomery County Public Schools said they were unaware police had been conducting an investigation of a local high school guidance counselor for sexual assault allegations until the man was arrested this week. The investigation began nearly seven months ago, according to Montgomery County Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Rebecca Innocenti.

"We just learned of the investigation and arrest yesterday," Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala said.

Colin S. Black, 33, a guidance counselor at Albert Einstein High School, was arrested Thursday morning on charges of second-degree sexual offense and second-degree assault, according to an Oct. 19 MCPD press release...

http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/news/local/item/5954-mcps-unaware-of-investigation-prior-to-hs-counselor-s-arrest-for-sex-crimes