Questions emerge as to why MCPS hired drug-dealing Drew elementary teacher given prior criminal history

[Anonymous]

For those who aren't in the know, a first grade teacher, Sarah Magid, at MCPS's Charles Drew Elementary School in Silver Spring, MD was arrested recently after she was charged for selling fentanyl to a DC man who died as a result of overdosing on the drug.

SOURCE: https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2024/08/montgomery-co-first-grade-teacher-charged-with-selling-fentanyl-after-fatal-overdose/

A Montgomery County Public Schools first grade teacher has been arrested and charged with selling fentanyl.

Police began looking into Sarah Katherine Magid, who teaches at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland, after a man fatally overdosed on fentanyl in March at a drug recovery housing facility in D.C.

During the investigation into the man’s death, police received his phone from his family and found an exchange of messages between Magid and the man, setting up numerous drug deals, according to charging documents.

The texts show the man asking Magid for pills on numerous occasions, specifically “Xans,” slang for the benzodiazepine Xanax, charging documents show. There was also evidence of benzodiazepines in the man’s system when he overdosed.

Just two days before the man was found dead, message transcripts in charging documents show he was texting with Magid throughout the day to arrange the delivery of 30 pills. When the man had picked up 30 pills for Magid, she responded saying, “I’ll give you 1 (one) I guess,” followed by a message reading, “As long as it’s 30.”

More interestingly, as more facts emerge about Magid in terms who knew what and when, it's clear that prior to Magid being hired by MCPS in 2022, she had a criminal background. MoCo 360 explores this angle in its piece on the story.

SOURCE: https://moco360.media/2024/08/23/mcps-teacher-charged-in-fentanyl-death/

According to court records, Magid also has other criminal charges on her record. They include a 2010 charge for driving/attempting to drive while impaired by alcohol and a 2020 charge for driving while impaired by a controlled dangerous substance. Magid pleaded guilty to both charges.

When asked why Magid was hired while having a criminal record, López did not specifically address the nature of Magid’s convictions, but referred to the laws the district follows when hiring. Since Magid is on leave, López said the district is prohibited from discussing personnel matters due to privacy law.

According to López, all MCPS employees complete a pre-hire criminal background check and are also subject to the background check process outlined in state law, which mandates employees to disclose information about investigations of child sexual abuse and sexual misconduct.

This smacks of more HR malfeasance and incompetence, similar to the Beidleman scandal, where people who put Beidleman forth for promotion knew he was under investigation for harassment but played dumb until things hit the fan in the Washington Post. Unlike Beidleman, it's hard to presume that Magid got the teaching job because of some connection, but then again, she is the daughter of a notable University of Maryland basketball player and Montgomery Blair High School Alumni, Brian Magid: https://mocoshow.com/2023/07/02/blairs-all-time-leading-scorer-brian-magid-has-high-praise-for-moco-native-nbas-josh-hart/

It's possible that someone knew someone in the hiring process at MCPS and did Brian's daughter a favor and got her hired at MCPS, despite her sketchy criminal background.

Or, it could just be that MCPS's HR department is sloppy and incompetent in its function and someone just failed to do a thorough enough background check.

The fact that either scenario is equally plausible says a lot about the state of MCPS these days.

[Anonymous]

Relative is also a teacher.

[Anonymous]

The Washington Post points out that Magid was dealing on or near school grounds:

According to the charging documents, police an received an anonymous tip on July 28 saying that Magid had “come out of her classroom to sell drugs to other people outside her work.” The tip included photos, Magid’s social media accounts, email address, phone number and home address. The complainant also included that Magid had been purchasing fentanyl pills and Xanax pills to sale for more than four years.

I hope MCPS and MCPD will be looking into how many other victims, who likely were either students of nearby MCPS schools, staff or community members, were also victims of Magid's drug trafficking.

[Anonymous]

You think this was the only teacher with a DUI?

[Anonymous]

They should be doing yearly background checks on all employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Relative is also a teacher.

Well! A more direct connection to MCPS than via her father.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should be doing yearly background checks on all employees.

What do you think that would accomplish? Do you think teachers are being arrested with the school never finding out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should be doing yearly background checks on all employees.

What do you think that would accomplish? Do you think teachers are being arrested with the school never finding out?

Apparently, they’re hiring them without realizing they have an arrest record, as was the case with Magid.

[Anonymous]

Wow. That's terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should be doing yearly background checks on all employees.

What do you think that would accomplish? Do you think teachers are being arrested with the school never finding out?

Apparently, they’re hiring them without realizing they have an arrest record, as was the case with Magid.

Do you a DUI/attempted DUI should disqualify someone from ever teaching?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should be doing yearly background checks on all employees.

What do you think that would accomplish? Do you think teachers are being arrested with the school never finding out?

Apparently, they’re hiring them without realizing they have an arrest record, as was the case with Magid.

Do you a DUI/attempted DUI should disqualify someone from ever teaching?

What is MCPS’s policy on that?

[Anonymous]

Misdemeanor DUIs 10 years apart may not be a disqualifying factor in the hiring process. MCPS is most concerned with violent acts, acts against children, ect. More serious - probably all if not most felonies.

If they have the 360/continuous background checks done now, then anything new that pops up on their record should be sent to active employers. But I do not know how they process checks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Misdemeanor DUIs 10 years apart may not be a disqualifying factor in the hiring process. MCPS is most concerned with violent acts, acts against children, ect. More serious - probably all if not most felonies.

If they have the 360/continuous background checks done now, then anything new that pops up on their record should be sent to active employers. But I do not know how they process checks.

Even if you want to hand wave the 2010 DUI, it’s hard to justify MCPS hiring someone for driving while under the influence of “a controlled dangerous substance” two years before she was hired. Especially since schools are legally mandated to be drug-free zones.

[Anonymous]

Teacher shortage. But anyone can be a teacher, sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should be doing yearly background checks on all employees.

What do you think that would accomplish? Do you think teachers are being arrested with the school never finding out?

Apparently, they’re hiring them without realizing they have an arrest record, as was the case with Magid.

Do you a DUI/attempted DUI should disqualify someone from ever teaching?

What is MCPS’s policy on that?

DP. MCPS policy requires self-reporting of the crimes that disqualify one from teaching under Maryland law (here). DUI isn't one of those.

Teaching is a job where there's a fair amount of substance abuse, so plenty of teachers have DUIs. We can either hire teachers with DUIs or have an even worse teacher shortage, and I choose the former.