Should MCPS loose funding for failure to protect children from sexual abuse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does losing funding help MCPS stop this OP? If they lose funding what will they cut? Background checks on employees? Maybe Chicago has two arrests per month because they have more abusers on their payroll? Their school system is larger than our's, so it makes sense that they have a higher number of abusers in their system.

Money is the only power the Federal Government has over public schools. Losing millions of dollars is the price MCPS should pay if children are not protected from child abuse and neglect while at school.

What should MCPS cut if they lose the funding? How about cutting the salaries and positions at the Central Office for failing to protect students? How about getting rid of the MCPS office that investigates reports and have the Attorney General investigate reports of abuse and neglect?

[Anonymous]

Employees reported is not the same thing as employees convicted.

[Anonymous]

OP, why would you advocate against your own interests? If MCPS lost federal funding do you know how much harder it would be to catch these people? LOsing millions would Result in MCPS being cash strapped, less funding for Special Magnet and Gifted programs, less funding for special education programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, why would you advocate against your own interests? If MCPS lost federal funding do you know how much harder it would be to catch these people? LOsing millions would Result in MCPS being cash strapped, less funding for Special Magnet and Gifted programs, less funding for special education programs.

I agree with OP. You can also say if federal doesn't step in, what incentive does MCPS have to fix their terrible track record. I bet it wasn't one of your kids who was abused. So no big deal, right?

How about we get rid of all the gifted programs and the expensive bus program to get them all around this traffic-filled county, until ALL the kids are safe.

I would 100% agree with cut funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, why would you advocate against your own interests? If MCPS lost federal funding do you know how much harder it would be to catch these people? LOsing millions would Result in MCPS being cash strapped, less funding for Special Magnet and Gifted programs, less funding for special education programs.

I agree with OP. You can also say if federal doesn't step in, what incentive does MCPS have to fix their terrible track record. I bet it wasn't one of your kids who was abused. So no big deal, right?

How about we get rid of all the gifted programs and the expensive bus program to get them all around this traffic-filled county, until ALL the kids are safe.

I would 100% agree with cut funding.

I did not know that B. DeVos also posts here.

Very well...in the same vein...Also cut FARMS, ESOL, Special ED programs - unless ALL kids are safe.

We should also remove any free meals that the schools are providing - unless ALL kids are safe.

Remove all the police resource officers in the school - unless ALL kids are safe.

Remove IB and AP education - unless ALL kids are safe.

Finally, we should also remove Outdoor Ed in 6th grade and cancel all field trips - unless ALL kids are safe.

I absolutely would 100% agree with funding cuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, why would you advocate against your own interests? If MCPS lost federal funding do you know how much harder it would be to catch these people? LOsing millions would Result in MCPS being cash strapped, less funding for Special Magnet and Gifted programs, less funding for special education programs.

I agree with OP. You can also say if federal doesn't step in, what incentive does MCPS have to fix their terrible track record. I bet it wasn't one of your kids who was abused. So no big deal, right?

How about we get rid of all the gifted programs and the expensive bus program to get them all around this traffic-filled county, until ALL the kids are safe.

I would 100% agree with cut funding.

I did not know that B. DeVos also posts here.

Very well...in the same vein...Also cut FARMS, ESOL, Special ED programs - unless ALL kids are safe.

We should also remove any free meals that the schools are providing - unless ALL kids are safe.

Remove all the police resource officers in the school - unless ALL kids are safe.

Remove IB and AP education - unless ALL kids are safe.

Finally, we should also remove Outdoor Ed in 6th grade and cancel all field trips - unless ALL kids are safe.

I absolutely would 100% agree with funding cuts.

It is illegal to cut out ESOL and special ED.
FARMS is a different set of funding
Police resource officers keep the schools safe

but yes, I agree with the rest. Cut out field trips, the overnight trips for sure, and all IB and AP. Luxuries that aren't needed to educate kids. Use that money to get a better system in place to hire people that won't touch the kids of the county.

[Anonymous]

Are you forking kidding me?

All these reports of abuse has proved that we need to demand more funding for -
1) Better screening of employees
2) More oversight
3) More cameras and CCTV
4) More training for employees, students and parents
5) More security personnel in the school
6) More police officers
7) Metal detectors in the school entrance.

MCPS is doing a great job of being more transparent about these abuses in recent years and I am grateful for that. I would rather hear the bad news and be vigilant than hide my head in the sand and pretend that everything is fine like it happened in the past.

I am very ardent critic of a lot of MCPS policies but on this issue I have actually seen some progress. As parents we need to make sure that our schools are funded adequately so that they can be made safe for everybody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, why would you advocate against your own interests? If MCPS lost federal funding do you know how much harder it would be to catch these people? LOsing millions would Result in MCPS being cash strapped, less funding for Special Magnet and Gifted programs, less funding for special education programs.

I agree with OP. You can also say if federal doesn't step in, what incentive does MCPS have to fix their terrible track record. I bet it wasn't one of your kids who was abused. So no big deal, right?

How about we get rid of all the gifted programs and the expensive bus program to get them all around this traffic-filled county, until ALL the kids are safe.

I would 100% agree with cut funding.

I did not know that B. DeVos also posts here.

Very well...in the same vein...Also cut FARMS, ESOL, Special ED programs - unless ALL kids are safe.

We should also remove any free meals that the schools are providing - unless ALL kids are safe.

Remove all the police resource officers in the school - unless ALL kids are safe.

Remove IB and AP education - unless ALL kids are safe.

Finally, we should also remove Outdoor Ed in 6th grade and cancel all field trips - unless ALL kids are safe.

I absolutely would 100% agree with funding cuts.

It is illegal to cut out ESOL and special ED.
FARMS is a different set of funding
Police resource officers keep the schools safe

but yes, I agree with the rest. Cut out field trips, the overnight trips for sure, and all IB and AP. Luxuries that aren't needed to educate kids. Use that money to get a better system in place to hire people that won't touch the kids of the county.

Ha ha. These programs are only luxuries if you have very low achieving students. I am sorry but most children I know do well with field trips, special programs, accelerated curriculum of AP and IB. So I think what you call luxuries in not that at all.

I am however all for removing all bussing and all food in school. Transportation and meals have nothing to do with education. Parents can pack lunch and drive their kids to school. These are true luxuries. Maybe if we remove busing then people will stick to their neighborhood schools. How about that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Are you forking kidding me?

All these reports of abuse has proved that we need to demand more funding for -
1) Better screening of employees
2) More oversight
3) More cameras and CCTV
4) More training for employees, students and parents
5) More security personnel in the school
6) More police officers
7) Metal detectors in the school entrance.

MCPS is doing a great job of being more transparent about these abuses in recent years and I am grateful for that. I would rather hear the bad news and be vigilant than hide my head in the sand and pretend that everything is fine like it happened in the past.

I am very ardent critic of a lot of MCPS policies but on this issue I have actually seen some progress. As parents we need to make sure that our schools are funded adequately so that they can be made safe for everybody.

If you think the county will actually use extra funding to decrease sexual predators, you are insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Are you forking kidding me?

All these reports of abuse has proved that we need to demand more funding for -
1) Better screening of employees
2) More oversight
3) More cameras and CCTV
4) More training for employees, students and parents
5) More security personnel in the school
6) More police officers
7) Metal detectors in the school entrance.

MCPS is doing a great job of being more transparent about these abuses in recent years and I am grateful for that. I would rather hear the bad news and be vigilant than hide my head in the sand and pretend that everything is fine like it happened in the past.

I am very ardent critic of a lot of MCPS policies but on this issue I have actually seen some progress. As parents we need to make sure that our schools are funded adequately so that they can be made safe for everybody.

If you think the county will actually use extra funding to decrease sexual predators, you are insane.

If you don't think that everyone in MCPS will suffer if funding is decrease, then you are insane. There are bigger issues in MCPS than sexual predators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Are you forking kidding me?

All these reports of abuse has proved that we need to demand more funding for -
1) Better screening of employees
2) More oversight
3) More cameras and CCTV
4) More training for employees, students and parents
5) More security personnel in the school
6) More police officers
7) Metal detectors in the school entrance.

MCPS is doing a great job of being more transparent about these abuses in recent years and I am grateful for that. I would rather hear the bad news and be vigilant than hide my head in the sand and pretend that everything is fine like it happened in the past.

I am very ardent critic of a lot of MCPS policies but on this issue I have actually seen some progress. As parents we need to make sure that our schools are funded adequately so that they can be made safe for everybody.

I agree with the bolded with the following additions:

1) A Maryland law that makes it a criminal offense with jail time for mandatory reporters who fail to report child abuse and neglect just like 48 other states have on their books.

2) More funding for Child Welfare Services so they hire more staff to have the ability to investigate every report of child abuse and neglect they receive on their call line. How many predators slip through the cracks because there is not enough manpower at Child Welfare Services for them to investigate every report they receive about a MCPS employee.

3) Proactively protect children by enforcing the MCPS Employee Code of Conduct. When you have an employee who is violating your rules even after being retrained, MCPS should treat that as a red flag and fire those employees. The Code of Conduct was written an passed by the Board of Education to recognize dangerous employees who are demonstrating grooming behaviors of a child predator.

4) Prohibit staff from putting students in their cars without another adult being present. This is not only a safety issue for a child but also a liability issue for the employee and school district. Ex. One of the September 2018 arrests had a staff member give a 16 year old a ride in his car and he used the opportunity to rape her.

5) Child abuse (verbal and sexual), child neglect, sexual harassment, and bullying should all be under one umbrella for reporting and compliance. These are all child safety issues which is impossible for parents to navigate right now. There is a form for parents to report sexual harassment and bullying but none for child abuse and child neglect. Sometimes a perpetrator may hit all of these offenses so why isn't there one form for parents to report violations of the MCPS Employee Code of Conduct and/or employee misconduct that hurts a child?

6) Fix the Compliance Unit. Right now, they are better at vocalizing spin then actually doing their job to enforce compliance. If you call them today to report something that happened to your child, would they be able to direct you to the process for an investigation and resolution? Nope.

7) Improve safety practices in MCPS Athletics. About 30% of the arrests have been employees who were coaches (and one Athletic Director).

As far as MCPS transparency, that is a load of crap. MCPS knows of questionable staff members who are working with students today. Just like predators of the past - Google John Vigna - MCPS keeps an employee in place even after that employee is reported multiple times. Predators don't stop with retraining and warnings.

I would urge the State of Maryland and the US Department of Education to read the Employment Files for every convicted MCPS employee. How many warnings did MCPS give to that employee? How many times did MCPS fail to report child abuse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Are you forking kidding me?

All these reports of abuse has proved that we need to demand more funding for -
1) Better screening of employees
2) More oversight
3) More cameras and CCTV
4) More training for employees, students and parents
5) More security personnel in the school
6) More police officers
7) Metal detectors in the school entrance.

MCPS is doing a great job of being more transparent about these abuses in recent years and I am grateful for that. I would rather hear the bad news and be vigilant than hide my head in the sand and pretend that everything is fine like it happened in the past.

I am very ardent critic of a lot of MCPS policies but on this issue I have actually seen some progress. As parents we need to make sure that our schools are funded adequately so that they can be made safe for everybody.

This is a terrible idea.

[Anonymous]

Cutting funding would be demented. Have an investigation, if reports of abuse or background checks/other warning signs were ignored, make sure people are fired. Then replace them with people who can do the job. Simple.

Cutting funding is not any kind of solution and would only hurt our children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Ha ha. These programs are only luxuries if you have very low achieving students. I am sorry but most children I know do well with field trips, special programs, accelerated curriculum of AP and IB. So I think what you call luxuries in not that at all.

I am however all for removing all bussing and all food in school. Transportation and meals have nothing to do with education. Parents can pack lunch and drive their kids to school. These are true luxuries. Maybe if we remove busing then people will stick to their neighborhood schools. How about that?

You don't know anybody who doesn't have a car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If you don't think that everyone in MCPS will suffer if funding is decrease, then you are insane. There are bigger issues in MCPS than sexual predators.

The Montgomery County parents of children who were forever altered by sexual abuse don't think so.

I think we can do more than just pimp out Montgomery County children because MCPS may lose money if we acknowledge the problem.