S/O Silver Creek letter announcing new AP who was placed on leave after ESS police incident

[Anonymous]

Below is the letter from the Silver Creek principal referenced in other threads. I am glad they are communicating about this, but I don't understand why someone who exercised such poor judgment is going to be working with children again.

From this article, it sounds like central office previously placed her at a school and then parents rallied in opposition, so they. moved her to central office: https://moco360.media/2021/07/23/after-being-placed-on-leave-and-switching-schools-administrator-moving-again/

From the letter, it sounds like this is David Chia's decision from the Office of School Support and Improvement and not Dr. Awkard's decision. He is the Director who oversees the principals in the B-CC cluster. Those who are concerned should consider writing to him and Dr. Awkard and show up at next week's meeting. This will definitely move forward without parents rallying against it.

July 1, 2024

Dear Silver Creek Families,

We are excited to begin preparing for the next school year and eagerly await the first day of school on Monday, August 26. As your principal, I am always filled with great optimism for each new school year and what we can achieve together as a community of students, staff, and families. I am excited about the possibilities that this year holds and look forward to our collective efforts to make it a successful one.
As a school community, we have made great strides in building essential connections between home and school. Your trust and partnership have been invaluable, and I am deeply grateful for your support.

As you know, Mr. David O’Shell, assistant principal, is leaving to pursue his interest in being a high school assistant principal. The MCPS Office of School Support and Improvement has determined his replacement and has chosen Ms. Justine Pfeiffer. Ms. Pfeiffer comes to us with qualifications as an educational leader. She spent 19 years as a teacher and holds a Master of Science in Educational Leadership. She holds a certificate in Administration and Supervision and has five years of administrative experience including two years as an assistant principal.

Ms. Pfeiffer also brings a wealth of experience to our school, having served as an elementary school assistant principal, district tutoring and summer services coordinator, and classroom teacher. Her 19 years of experience in education has focused on planning school improvement, assessing programmatic needs and changes, and ensuring student success.

In her most recent role as coordinator of summer programs and tutoring in Montgomery County Public Schools, she facilitated local summer programs for over 30,000 students, aiming to narrow the achievement gap and provide extra support for all students due to the impact of the pandemic.

As an assistant principal in MCPS, Ms. Pfeiffer managed organizational systems to ensure safety, communication, and efficient operations. Her strong instructional leadership led to tailored professional development to improve the teaching and learning for both students and staff.

I am committed to transparent and open communication, as this is the foundation of the relationships we have built together in support of the success of Silver Creek Middle School. You may remember an unfortunate police incident from January 2020, at Ms. Pfeiffer’s previous school, East Silver Spring Elementary School. Ms. Pfeiffer was present when two Montgomery County police officers interacted with a 5-year-old student who had walked away from the school. The officers' behavior towards the student led to an investigation, and subsequently, Montgomery County government reached a settlement with the student's family following a court
case.

As a result of this incident, there were questions about how the incident was handled by all those involved. Following this incident, school leaders in MCPS received further training and information about how to manage and de-escalate such conflicts if they occur again. This has been a significant moment of reflection for Ms. Pfeiffer in her journey towards growth and development following this incident. This experience has strengthened her resolve to advocate
for and support all students.

It is important to understand that we all improve through our experiences and the lessons we learn from them. Ms. Pfeiffer is eager to bring her enhanced skills and dedication to our school community. We believe that her passion, experience and strong instructional leadership will serve our school community well. We ask for your support in welcoming Ms. Pfeiffer to Silver Creek Middle School.

I understand that you may have questions, which is why we are open and transparent in this message. In addition, there will be several opportunities for you to get to know Ms. Pfeiffer and the Silver Creek administrative team. We will be providing several meet and greet opportunities throughout the summer.

The first meet and greet will be on Monday, July 8 at 6 PM in the media center. The Director of School Support and Improvement, Mr. David Chia, will be in attendance on Monday. We will also have three other opportunities to meet the administrative staff on Wednesday, July 10, Monday, July 22, and Tuesday, August 6. The times are at 9:15 am or 12:15 PM on all three days. These times correspond with the dates for our optional 6th grade and new student orientation.

If you plan to attend any of the meet and greet sessions above, please indicate your interest on the Google form.

As a school and school system, it is our role and commitment to foster an environment that prioritizes student performance, recognizing the potential in each individual and providing the necessary support for their success. We are dedicated to creating an environment where every student can thrive. We look forward to our continued partnership as we embark on a new school year.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school at 240 740 2200 or email me directly at [e-mail].

Sincerely,
Dr. Tiffany N. Awkard
Principal
Silver Creek Middle School

[Anonymous]

4 paragraphs about that AP's quals
3 about her making the news several years ago and how she has learned and grown
??

[Anonymous]

Either AP is

friends with Principal or someone at CO
CO wanted this Principal to deal with new AP
CO had no other place to put this AP
School needed "diversity" - a non black person in Administration (assumimg outgoing AP was white)
New AP has worked with families of special needs before
Hired an AP who can deal with any incoming complaining-rising-6th grade-parent/s
Other reason
All of the above

[Anonymous]

What is the point of posting a letter from the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Either AP is

friends with Principal or someone at CO
CO wanted this Principal to deal with new AP
CO had no other place to put this AP
School needed "diversity" - a non black person in Administration (assumimg outgoing AP was white)
New AP has worked with families of special needs before
Hired an AP who can deal with any incoming complaining-rising-6th grade-parent/s
Other reason
All of the above

Potentially a little bit of all of the above, but also she might just be good at her job.

I've seen the video of what happened at ESSES, and it was horrifying, but I also think the situation is more complicated than folks are portraying it. As someone whose job sometimes happens inside MCPS schools, I've attended a lot of trainings about how I can't project my white supremacist colonialist parenting norms onto communities of color. So, the fact that the child's mom was in the room, and that the police and the mom and the child were all Black and the administrator was white, makes this situation more fraught and complicated than it would be otherwise, for a white educator/administrator.

Add the lack of training that most of us receive on de-escalating cops in particular? I'm not saying the AP was right to let that situation go on, but I'm saying I believe she may have learned from the experience and be an asset to Silver Creek.

I'm also just kind of intrigued at while folks are so intent on going after the AP but not the police officers who did the actual yelling. There's something there, but I can't quite figure out what it is.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate the principal being transparent about the history here. And I understand that human beings can make poor decisions and then learn and change and move forward.

[Anonymous]

MCPS cheerleader or Justine herself -
People have questioned police officers' actions after learning or watching the video from 2020. You may have chosen to overlook those comments. Carry on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Either AP is

friends with Principal or someone at CO
CO wanted this Principal to deal with new AP
CO had no other place to put this AP
School needed "diversity" - a non black person in Administration (assumimg outgoing AP was white)
New AP has worked with families of special needs before
Hired an AP who can deal with any incoming complaining-rising-6th grade-parent/s
Other reason
All of the above

An AP who needs to work with teachers to deal with phones in classrooms and keep bathrooms open.

[Anonymous]

Having experienced MCPS "pass the deadweight" before, I think this is a refreshingly honest communication that explains Ms. Pfeiffer's past actions and how she has learned from the experience.

From what I have heard from people who worked at ESS, she was beloved as an AP and caught up in a stressful and charged situation and didn't intervene.

[Anonymous]

Outgoing SCMS AP is going to Wootton HS as an AP, the same HS from where current SCMS Principal came from. Moving people around. Is Nelson still Principal at Wootton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outgoing SCMS AP is going to Wootton HS as an AP, the same HS from where current SCMS Principal came from. Moving people around. Is Nelson still Principal at Wootton?

So what? And yes, Nelson is still principal at Wootton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outgoing SCMS AP is going to Wootton HS as an AP, the same HS from where current SCMS Principal came from. Moving people around. Is Nelson still Principal at Wootton?

So what? And yes, Nelson is still principal at Wootton.

Good for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outgoing SCMS AP is going to Wootton HS as an AP, the same HS from where current SCMS Principal came from. Moving people around. Is Nelson still Principal at Wootton?

Awkard left Wootton in 2020. Nelson started there in 2022. Not sure why you're trying to suggest something inappropriate. It's normal for APs to move around every year.

[Anonymous]

The police officers yelled repeatedly at the 5 year old when they found him, told him his mother should spank him and briefly handcuffed him.

This is not Ms. Pfeiffer's responsibility at all!!! She is responsible for the security lapse when the student left the school grounds. Not the same thing, and unfortunately this occurs in every school, all over the world.

I would definitely give this principal the benefit of the doubt here... but not the police officers who abused that poor kid.

I think the letter, with its vagueness, throws the newly appointed assistant principal under the bus. Parents are going to imagine all kinds of horrors if they don't know the facts.

[Anonymous]

As a relative outsider to MCPS (my child is about to start K in MCPS) this letter strikes the right tone to me. I think it is good to acknowledge people are going to be concerned about this, let's be honest. MCPS has a history of shuffling bad apples around.

Let's also be honest that everyone makes mistakes and cancel culture as applied to situations like this is a little toxic. If this was this AP's only major mistake, it is appropriate to treat this as a learning experience. Expecting everyone to be perfect and never make mistakes does little but incentivize covering up bad things.