Reported hazing incident involving Damascus High School JV Football team

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More victims discovered. This is just horrendous. I think there should be a pause for all winter teams that have had complaints and MCPS should reexamine the responsibility of leadership on those teams and in the schools. MCPS needs to clean house and stop bullying and hazing in all it's forms so another incident like Damascus never happens again.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/usatodayhss.com/2018/another-maryland-school-investigated-for-alleged-football-hazing/amp

There's already a thread on this plus it's been mentioned above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I worked as a principal in MCPS and was one of Sullivan’s buddies, I’d start distancing myself. No more tweeting out his raise tweets or his congratulatory emails about new fields or cheerleading championships. He’s got a total mark on his head after this Damascus stuff, and with reporters sniffing around, his days are numbered.

Good! I hope Bethesda Magazine, WaPo and others KEEP digging and reporting. Thank you!

Bethesda magazine ‘digging’? Hahahahahahaha... Good one.

[Anonymous]

Damascus lost in the state semi-finals last night and in the last two minutes had multiple personal fouls and players rushing the field to fight. This just goes to show the problems are not just relegated to the JV team and the culture of the entire Damascus program is a disgrace. The county really needs to step it up and do something about the coaching staff to fix this problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Damascus lost in the state semi-finals last night and in the last two minutes had multiple personal fouls and players rushing the field to fight. This just goes to show the problems are not just relegated to the JV team and the culture of the entire Damascus program is a disgrace. The county really needs to step it up and do something about the coaching staff to fix this problem.

To fix a problem, MCPS would have to admit there's a problem to fix. Right now, they are aiming all blame on the athletes arrested. They are predisposed to only look at the criminal offenders, not the back story of why so many athletes participated in a gang rape.

Unless there is pressure from the Damascus community including a willingness to not let children play football till the coaching staff is changed, the JV and Varsity coaching staff will remain the same for next year. The time is now for Damascus families to contact in writing the principal, the school athletic director, and the MCPS athletic director about your concerns. Contact your school PTA and the MCCPTA as well so you can get help advocating for a change. Unless you make noise and ask for the coaches to be removed, nothing will happen to them and you will have the same coaches next year.

Finally, and more important, if your child was a witnessed or has information about the culture on the JV team, even if it was years ago, contact the police if it was a criminal act and fill out the Bullying and Harassment form for your principal. The more information that is collected, the stronger the case will be to get children the help that they need and to fix a broken athletic program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Damascus lost in the state semi-finals last night and in the last two minutes had multiple personal fouls and players rushing the field to fight. This just goes to show the problems are not just relegated to the JV team and the culture of the entire Damascus program is a disgrace. The county really needs to step it up and do something about the coaching staff to fix this problem.

To fix a problem, MCPS would have to admit there's a problem to fix. Right now, they are aiming all blame on the athletes arrested. They are predisposed to only look at the criminal offenders, not the back story of why so many athletes participated in a gang rape.

Unless there is pressure from the Damascus community including a willingness to not let children play football till the coaching staff is changed, the JV and Varsity coaching staff will remain the same for next year. The time is now for Damascus families to contact in writing the principal, the school athletic director, and the MCPS athletic director about your concerns. Contact your school PTA and the MCCPTA as well so you can get help advocating for a change. Unless you make noise and ask for the coaches to be removed, nothing will happen to them and you will have the same coaches next year.

Finally, and more important, if your child was a witnessed or has information about the culture on the JV team, even if it was years ago, contact the police if it was a criminal act and fill out the Bullying and Harassment form for your principal. The more information that is collected, the stronger the case will be to get children the help that they need and to fix a broken athletic program.

I would also encourage parents at other schools where Crouse was an administrator to provide information about the type of environment she fosters and her responses in terms of sexual assault and sexual harassment at other schools. She was principal at Eastern Middle School when male students carried out "Slap Ass Week" (2011-2012 school year) which was so pervasive that girls walked form class to class with binders covering their butts. Her initial response in 2011 was to treat it as a "joke" that some students didn't find "funny". She seemed entirely unaware that touching the private parts of another person without consent fell somewhere in the range of sexual harassment to sexual assault and was a crime not a joke. None of these incidents were reported on the "school safety and security at a glance" forms.

That is a reflection, not only on her, but also on the overall of the extremely poor training MCPS administrators and staff get regarding sexual assault and harassment issues and legal obligations in general.

[Anonymous]

Boys on the team were brought in and interviewed by the principal the day after the rapes.

1) Why were children interviewed by the Principal BEFORE the police? Didn't the Superintendent say MCPS is supposed to wait till the police investigation is concluded?

2) Why didn't the Principal call parents so they could witness the interview? Does a child have a right to have a parent present if the SCHOOL is accusing them?

3) Why was there an assumption that everyone was guilty when many of the boys either weren't in the locker room when the rapes occurred or they were victims?

On this, the Principal deserves to be fired for failure to report, interfering with a police investigation, and traumatizing victims and innocent boys.

[Anonymous]

Wow. Just wow. Freggin unbelievable.
Something horrific going on in MCPC schools.

[Anonymous]

I just saw Jack Smith being questioned about this on Chan 4 news. He seriously believes that the kids just need more education about what constitutes "hazing".

No worries, folks. Stay tuned for continued rapes and other assaults at MCPS where the perpetrators are protected.

[Anonymous]

Difficult to find the link to watch a recording of the MCPS News Conference, but I found it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmkS6oXXxsc

You will have to fast forward through the first 30 minutes till someone comes to the podium. The first part is about Damascus, then blah blah blah about some sort of state report card, then an open question session with questions about Damascus.

Warning: Dr. Smith seems pretty angry at the social media "justice" (even using that term for the official media) than actually placing his anger on where it is deserved, the coaches for failing to supervise students, the principal for interfering with what later became a criminal investigation, and the students who are now reported to have raped at least 10 victims.

If it wasn't for the media and DCUM, would parents even know what the heck was happening in our schools? The Damascus principal had no problem accusing children of rape but is being tight lipped to parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Difficult to find the link to watch a recording of the MCPS News Conference, but I found it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmkS6oXXxsc

You will have to fast forward through the first 30 minutes till someone comes to the podium. The first part is about Damascus, then blah blah blah about some sort of state report card, then an open question session with questions about Damascus.

Warning: Dr. Smith seems pretty angry at the social media "justice" (even using that term for the official media) than actually placing his anger on where it is deserved, the coaches for failing to supervise students, the principal for interfering with what later became a criminal investigation, and the students who are now reported to have raped at least 10 victims.

If it wasn't for the media and DCUM, would parents even know what the heck was happening in our schools? The Damascus principal had no problem accusing children of rape but is being tight lipped to parents.

Just wow at 1:05. Hazing is bad because (roughly) “you could ruin your own life and hurt someone else.” Not “It’s wrong and a horrible way to treat another human being.”

Smith has to go. He’s already missed his chance to call thie alleged behavior out as wrong in no uncertain terms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Difficult to find the link to watch a recording of the MCPS News Conference, but I found it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmkS6oXXxsc

You will have to fast forward through the first 30 minutes till someone comes to the podium. The first part is about Damascus, then blah blah blah about some sort of state report card, then an open question session with questions about Damascus.

Warning: Dr. Smith seems pretty angry at the social media "justice" (even using that term for the official media) than actually placing his anger on where it is deserved, the coaches for failing to supervise students, the principal for interfering with what later became a criminal investigation, and the students who are now reported to have raped at least 10 victims.

If it wasn't for the media and DCUM, would parents even know what the heck was happening in our schools? The Damascus principal had no problem accusing children of rape but is being tight lipped to parents.

Just wow at 1:05. Hazing is bad because (roughly) “you could ruin your own life and hurt someone else.” Not “It’s wrong and a horrible way to treat another human being.”

Smith has to go. He’s already missed his chance to call thie alleged behavior out as wrong in no uncertain terms.

Many of the Superintendent's responses to Damascus and other sexual abuse cases come across as narcissistic. He seems to lack the capacity of empathy for victims. He seems to lack understanding of why parents are concerned. He had the audacity to chastise the media for actually reporting information to families, especially the information that came from a "leaked police report". Leaked or not, isn't the police report a credible source.

[Anonymous]

That sorry ass Smith needs to get the hell away from kids! He's an enabler at the very least, and possibly worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Difficult to find the link to watch a recording of the MCPS News Conference, but I found it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmkS6oXXxsc

You will have to fast forward through the first 30 minutes till someone comes to the podium. The first part is about Damascus, then blah blah blah about some sort of state report card, then an open question session with questions about Damascus.

Warning: Dr. Smith seems pretty angry at the social media "justice" (even using that term for the official media) than actually placing his anger on where it is deserved, the coaches for failing to supervise students, the principal for interfering with what later became a criminal investigation, and the students who are now reported to have raped at least 10 victims.

If it wasn't for the media and DCUM, would parents even know what the heck was happening in our schools? The Damascus principal had no problem accusing children of rape but is being tight lipped to parents.

Just wow at 1:05. Hazing is bad because (roughly) “you could ruin your own life and hurt someone else.” Not “It’s wrong and a horrible way to treat another human being.”

Smith has to go. He’s already missed his chance to call thie alleged behavior out as wrong in no uncertain terms.

Many of the Superintendent's responses to Damascus and other sexual abuse cases come across as narcissistic. He seems to lack the capacity of empathy for victims. He seems to lack understanding of why parents are concerned. He had the audacity to chastise the media for actually reporting information to families, especially the information that came from a "leaked police report". Leaked or not, isn't the police report a credible source.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Difficult to find the link to watch a recording of the MCPS News Conference, but I found it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmkS6oXXxsc

You will have to fast forward through the first 30 minutes till someone comes to the podium. The first part is about Damascus, then blah blah blah about some sort of state report card, then an open question session with questions about Damascus.

Warning: Dr. Smith seems pretty angry at the social media "justice" (even using that term for the official media) than actually placing his anger on where it is deserved, the coaches for failing to supervise students, the principal for interfering with what later became a criminal investigation, and the students who are now reported to have raped at least 10 victims.

If it wasn't for the media and DCUM, would parents even know what the heck was happening in our schools? The Damascus principal had no problem accusing children of rape but is being tight lipped to parents.

Just wow at 1:05. Hazing is bad because (roughly) “you could ruin your own life and hurt someone else.” Not “It’s wrong and a horrible way to treat another human being.”

Smith has to go. He’s already missed his chance to call thie alleged behavior out as wrong in no uncertain terms.

Many of the Superintendent's responses to Damascus and other sexual abuse cases come across as narcissistic. He seems to lack the capacity of empathy for victims. He seems to lack understanding of why parents are concerned. He had the audacity to chastise the media for actually reporting information to families, especially the information that came from a "leaked police report". Leaked or not, isn't the police report a credible source.

Exactly.

Agree completely. And this behavior from Smith is consistent with other issues of sexual assault that have occurred in MCPS. Like a PP said - at the very least, he is an enabler for sexual abusers in MCPS. As a parent, his responses to sexual abuse have been completely inadequate.

[Anonymous]

Serious question. Why wouldn't he want to be seen cleaning house at Damascus with regard to the coaches? Doesn't he make himself more vulnerable by leaving them in place? They're at-will employees and no one is disputing some awful stuff happened in that locker room.