Reported hazing incident involving Damascus High School JV Football team

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cancel Montgomery County High School football for one year, or at least until they can get all these assaults investigated and get the all perpetrators OUT.

All sport players should have to complete anonymous surveys regarding their safety, and if it has ever been threatened. And name the aggressors.

Yes, let's punish every single football player and coach in the entire MCPS system. Every team is responsible for this. That's how society works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there another assault?

Yes. MCPS is being tightlipped on what happened at Seneca Valley in September but multiple news outlets are reporting another possible hazing with a "physical altercation" in the locker room.

From what I heard, an idiot from the football team inappropriately touched another football player. Once other teammates found out about it, a few of them approached the perpetrator and that's when the physical altercation happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with MCPS??

My take as staff?
Here are a few reasons:
Too many superintendents in the last several years
Ineffective Board of Ed
Too top heavy—principals have been turned into puppets, mid level managers
All systems are designed to reward everything BUT ability
The background checks are lacking
They let people work who have no business being around kids, ie DUI and domestic violence issues, plus financial impropriety
The culture and climate within the schools is pretty bad because central people keep handing down ridiculous new tasks
Principals are mid level managers, not leaders

I agree with all of this. I’m just a parent but am very involved at our ES, and have gotten to know many of the teachers.

MCPS is a large, poorly run, inefficient, miserable bureaucracy. Teacher morale at our ES is low and turnover is high. I can see that the teachers do care about the kids and want to do what is best, but teachers are stuck in a hugely dysfunctional system.

I think it’s so hard to implement any changes in the system as a whole, because it is just too large. I went to school in a state that had town-based schools and it was much easier to change things based on the needs of the individual towns. MCPS is just too big and bulky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cancel Montgomery County High School football for one year, or at least until they can get all these assaults investigated and get the all perpetrators OUT.

All sport players should have to complete anonymous surveys regarding their safety, and if it has ever been threatened. And name the aggressors.

Hazing, bullying, abuse, and harassment occurs on other teams than just football. Mr. Sullivan has received complaints that he ignored. If MCPS conducted an anonymous survey, how are you so sure that they will fix problems? They haven't in the past until the police and/or media get involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cancel Montgomery County High School football for one year, or at least until they can get all these assaults investigated and get the all perpetrators OUT.

All sport players should have to complete anonymous surveys regarding their safety, and if it has ever been threatened. And name the aggressors.

Hazing, bullying, abuse, and harassment occurs on other teams than just football. Mr. Sullivan has received complaints that he ignored. If MCPS conducted an anonymous survey, how are you so sure that they will fix problems? They haven't in the past until the police and/or media get involved.

Perpetrators sometimes include coaches. MCPS will kick a child off a team but they keep rehiring the coaches. I would agree the whole MCPS System-Wide Athletic Program needs a complete overhaul starting with new leadership that has child safety as a priority, not an afterthought.

[Anonymous]

Words matter. MCPS is intentionally avoiding the word rape by continuing to classify the Damascus incident as hazing.

This is More than Hazing. It’s Rape. http://goodschoolhunting.org/2018/11/this-is-more-than-hazing-its-rape.html

[Anonymous]

I thought the follow up to the community (that there was no proof beyond the one incident and that police were looking into it, etc) was inappropriate. I get the innocent until proven guilty, but when kids health and well being is at stake, I wouldn't be waiting for proof from the police. ALL Damascus football should be suspended a MINIMUM of one year. All coaches (Varsity and JV) terminated and not allowed back in MCPS ever. And Jeff Sullivan needs to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with MCPS??

My take as staff?
Here are a few reasons:
Too many superintendents in the last several years
Ineffective Board of Ed
Too top heavy—principals have been turned into puppets, mid level managers
All systems are designed to reward everything BUT ability
The background checks are lacking
They let people work who have no business being around kids, ie DUI and domestic violence issues, plus financial impropriety
The culture and climate within the schools is pretty bad because central people keep handing down ridiculous new tasks
Principals are mid level managers, not leaders

I agree with all of this. I’m just a parent but am very involved at our ES, and have gotten to know many of the teachers.

MCPS is a large, poorly run, inefficient, miserable bureaucracy. Teacher morale at our ES is low and turnover is high. I can see that the teachers do care about the kids and want to do what is best, but teachers are stuck in a hugely dysfunctional system.

I think it’s so hard to implement any changes in the system as a whole, because it is just too large. I went to school in a state that had town-based schools and it was much easier to change things based on the needs of the individual towns. MCPS is just too big and bulky.

How dare you criticize our progressive, inclusive, equality-seeking, etc etc etc public scrule system! I know their teachers are so terribly underpaid, but the system CARES so MUCH.
I think the problem is that they dont have enough administrators at the HQ building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the follow up to the community (that there was no proof beyond the one incident and that police were looking into it, etc) was inappropriate. I get the innocent until proven guilty, but when kids health and well being is at stake, I wouldn't be waiting for proof from the police. ALL Damascus football should be suspended a MINIMUM of one year. All coaches (Varsity and JV) terminated and not allowed back in MCPS ever. And Jeff Sullivan needs to go.

I agree.

MCPS handled this terribly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Words matter. MCPS is intentionally avoiding the word rape by continuing to classify the Damascus incident as hazing.

This is More than Hazing. It’s Rape. http://goodschoolhunting.org/2018/11/this-is-more-than-hazing-its-rape.html

It's both. Not one or the other. Both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the follow up to the community (that there was no proof beyond the one incident and that police were looking into it, etc) was inappropriate. I get the innocent until proven guilty, but when kids health and well being is at stake, I wouldn't be waiting for proof from the police. ALL Damascus football should be suspended a MINIMUM of one year. All coaches (Varsity and JV) terminated and not allowed back in MCPS ever. And Jeff Sullivan needs to go.

The police have a job that is vastly different from MCPS. They have to gather evidence of a CRIME. Only if a prosecutor thinks there is enough evidence that a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt will criminal charges be pursued. This can come down to how strong a witness will be perceived on the witness stand and if a victim wants to testify at trial.

MCPS's job is to investigate to see if school rules and policies were violated. Their burden of proof is much lower than a criminal case, a preponderance of evidence. Basically, MCPS only had to have a 51% likelihood that rules or policies were broken for disciplinary proceedings. MCPS doesn't get a free pass to do nothing just because police do not make an arrest or criminal charges are not pursued. Many wrongs could have been committed that would fall under a Code of Conduct violation that should have repercussions for an individual.

[Anonymous]

The failure of the police to make an arrest is not a rubber stamp that a person is innocent. The reverse can also be true, an arrest doesn't always mean someone is guilty.

MCPS should be focussing on their responsibilities. Codes of Conduct were written for students and employees so the school system can act regardless of what an outside agency decide to do.

[Anonymous]

Montgomery County Public Schools are CORRUPT.

There. I said the obvious.

[Anonymous]

Have there been any punishments handed out to the coaches or administration? I'm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the follow up to the community (that there was no proof beyond the one incident and that police were looking into it, etc) was inappropriate. I get the innocent until proven guilty, but when kids health and well being is at stake, I wouldn't be waiting for proof from the police. ALL Damascus football should be suspended a MINIMUM of one year. All coaches (Varsity and JV) terminated and not allowed back in MCPS ever. And Jeff Sullivan needs to go.

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