Washington Post article about Former Farquhar Administrator

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

Are you suggesting that parents should be able to rectify the corrupt and ineffective public school system in Montgomery County?

Please do tell us how!

Actually, I think the PP is correct. People should take action beyond complaining on this board.

One thing would be to email/call your BoE representative and tell them you want to see a hearing on this topic. They have the ability to call McKnight in front of them and ask what she knew and when.

Another would be to lean on Jawando in particular and let him know that he should be calling for an impartial and independent investigation by a firm/organization unaffiliated with MCPS.

Jawando is running for Senate. This is a chance for him to grandstand if he thinks the political winds are blowing against MCPS

There should be a protest in front of the central office on 8/24 during the next BOE meeting. Invite the media and the public officials. Let advocates give speeches... Do this at every BOE meeting. This will put pressure on the BOE.

Where are the union and the PTA, who are supposed to represent the teachers?

They are USELESS! Neither are there when they are needed the most.

Where are the women's groups in Montgomery County? Many female teachers have been sexually harassed for years, and MCPS have protected and promoted the perpetrators. Will there be one women's group who will lead a demonstration in front of the BOE?

The groups, like most MCPS families, are armchair activists. Central Office knows this full well and will wait it out. There will be no change in Joel’s employment status nor in central office policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

Are you suggesting that parents should be able to rectify the corrupt and ineffective public school system in Montgomery County?

Please do tell us how!

Actually, I think the PP is correct. People should take action beyond complaining on this board.

One thing would be to email/call your BoE representative and tell them you want to see a hearing on this topic. They have the ability to call McKnight in front of them and ask what she knew and when.

Another would be to lean on Jawando in particular and let him know that he should be calling for an impartial and independent investigation by a firm/organization unaffiliated with MCPS.

Jawando is running for Senate. This is a chance for him to grandstand if he thinks the political winds are blowing against MCPS

There should be a protest in front of the central office on 8/24 during the next BOE meeting. Invite the media and the public officials. Let advocates give speeches... Do this at every BOE meeting. This will put pressure on the BOE.

Where are the union and the PTA, who are supposed to represent the teachers?

They are USELESS! Neither are there when they are needed the most.

Where are the women's groups in Montgomery County? Many female teachers have been sexually harassed for years, and MCPS have protected and promoted the perpetrators. Will there be one women's group who will lead a demonstration in front of the BOE?

You do realize that sexual harassment and bullying is not limited by gender, right? Victims can be men and perpetrators can be women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

Are you suggesting that parents should be able to rectify the corrupt and ineffective public school system in Montgomery County?

Please do tell us how!

Actually, I think the PP is correct. People should take action beyond complaining on this board.

One thing would be to email/call your BoE representative and tell them you want to see a hearing on this topic. They have the ability to call McKnight in front of them and ask what she knew and when.

Another would be to lean on Jawando in particular and let him know that he should be calling for an impartial and independent investigation by a firm/organization unaffiliated with MCPS.

Jawando is running for Senate. This is a chance for him to grandstand if he thinks the political winds are blowing against MCPS

There should be a protest in front of the central office on 8/24 during the next BOE meeting. Invite the media and the public officials. Let advocates give speeches... Do this at every BOE meeting. This will put pressure on the BOE.

Where are the union and the PTA, who are supposed to represent the teachers?

They are USELESS! Neither are there when they are needed the most.

Where are the women's groups in Montgomery County? Many female teachers have been sexually harassed for years, and MCPS have protected and promoted the perpetrators. Will there be one women's group who will lead a demonstration in front of the BOE?

You do realize that sexual harassment and bullying is not limited by gender, right? Victims can be men and perpetrators can be women.

And many men have been sexually harassed in mcps including the man in question. What was done about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

I’ve actually utilized the complaint process for an employee at a different school. Same result as the teachers in the Washington Post article. I was ignored and faced harsh retaliation.

Alexandra Robbins here. Teachers, admins, staff, parents: I'm interested in hearing more about experiences like these. You can reach me at [e-mail] or through the contact form on my website at alexandrarobbins.com - or if you're concerned it's not really me, you can also send an email to my attention via [e-mail]

It seems like the MCCPTA knows of similar cases - https://www.thesentinel.com/communities/statement-regarding-the-board-of-education-oversight-responsibilities-relating-to-allegations-of-sexual-harassment-and/article_3a9b8b38-3d57-11ee-a756-1b538eccf70b.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One question that I have is did the 18 teachers know collectively about the other complaints? Were these complaints treated solely as individual complaints or were they collectively considered as multiple victims reporting similar misconduct?

I would think that employee records should have a collective record of all complaints made. At some point, Central Officials should have seen the pattern. Why were the victims ignored? What were they told and by whom after the initial MCPS investigation.

Maybe because they were really victims and maybe because they didn’t report all that they decided to report to the washington post. If you’re going to submit a complaint why not tell the whole truth. What is being hidden?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One question that I have is did the 18 teachers know collectively about the other complaints? Were these complaints treated solely as individual complaints or were they collectively considered as multiple victims reporting similar misconduct?

I would think that employee records should have a collective record of all complaints made. At some point, Central Officials should have seen the pattern. Why were the victims ignored? What were they told and by whom after the initial MCPS investigation.

Maybe because they were really victims and maybe because they didn’t report all that they decided to report to the washington post. If you’re going to submit a complaint why not tell the whole truth. What is being hidden?

Correction- maybe they were NOT really victims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

Are you suggesting that parents should be able to rectify the corrupt and ineffective public school system in Montgomery County?

Please do tell us how!

Actually, I think the PP is correct. People should take action beyond complaining on this board.

One thing would be to email/call your BoE representative and tell them you want to see a hearing on this topic. They have the ability to call McKnight in front of them and ask what she knew and when.

Another would be to lean on Jawando in particular and let him know that he should be calling for an impartial and independent investigation by a firm/organization unaffiliated with MCPS.

Jawando is running for Senate. This is a chance for him to grandstand if he thinks the political winds are blowing against MCPS

There should be a protest in front of the central office on 8/24 during the next BOE meeting. Invite the media and the public officials. Let advocates give speeches... Do this at every BOE meeting. This will put pressure on the BOE.

Where are the union and the PTA, who are supposed to represent the teachers?

They are USELESS! Neither are there when they are needed the most.

Where are the women's groups in Montgomery County? Many female teachers have been sexually harassed for years, and MCPS have protected and promoted the perpetrators. Will there be one women's group who will lead a demonstration in front of the BOE?

The groups, like most MCPS families, are armchair activists. Central Office knows this full well and will wait it out. There will be no change in Joel’s employment status nor in central office policy.

Has anyone contacted the Montgomery County Commission for Women?
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfw/aboutus.html

"The Commission was established under law in 1972. The mandate of the Commission is to advise the County Executive, the County Council, the public, and agencies of the county, state and federal governments on issues concerning women in Montgomery County."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

Are you suggesting that parents should be able to rectify the corrupt and ineffective public school system in Montgomery County?

Please do tell us how!

Actually, I think the PP is correct. People should take action beyond complaining on this board.

One thing would be to email/call your BoE representative and tell them you want to see a hearing on this topic. They have the ability to call McKnight in front of them and ask what she knew and when.

Another would be to lean on Jawando in particular and let him know that he should be calling for an impartial and independent investigation by a firm/organization unaffiliated with MCPS.

Jawando is running for Senate. This is a chance for him to grandstand if he thinks the political winds are blowing against MCPS

There should be a protest in front of the central office on 8/24 during the next BOE meeting. Invite the media and the public officials. Let advocates give speeches... Do this at every BOE meeting. This will put pressure on the BOE.

Where are the union and the PTA, who are supposed to represent the teachers?

They are USELESS! Neither are there when they are needed the most.

Where are the women's groups in Montgomery County? Many female teachers have been sexually harassed for years, and MCPS have protected and promoted the perpetrators. Will there be one women's group who will lead a demonstration in front of the BOE?

The groups, like most MCPS families, are armchair activists. Central Office knows this full well and will wait it out. There will be no change in Joel’s employment status nor in central office policy.

100 percent. They’ve already moved on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

I’ve actually utilized the complaint process for an employee at a different school. Same result as the teachers in the Washington Post article. I was ignored and faced harsh retaliation.

Alexandra Robbins here. Teachers, admins, staff, parents: I'm interested in hearing more about experiences like these. You can reach me at [e-mail] or through the contact form on my website at alexandrarobbins.com - or if you're concerned it's not really me, you can also send an email to my attention via [e-mail]

Start with the steaming turd in front of you. How effectively you handle it will determine if you are really trustworthy or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One question that I have is did the 18 teachers know collectively about the other complaints? Were these complaints treated solely as individual complaints or were they collectively considered as multiple victims reporting similar misconduct?

I would think that employee records should have a collective record of all complaints made. At some point, Central Officials should have seen the pattern. Why were the victims ignored? What were they told and by whom after the initial MCPS investigation.

Maybe because they were really victims and maybe because they didn’t report all that they decided to report to the washington post. If you’re going to submit a complaint why not tell the whole truth. What is being hidden?

I find it hard to believe that there’s no victims with 18 complaints. It took a lot of courage for those victims to report so I find it odd you are proposing that they withheld information.

Written complaints have a record created by a victim that documents what they reported. Of course, the MCPS documentation of their interviews can be an inaccurate representation of what was shared. For future victims, record your interviews with MCPS so there is an unbiased record. Better yet, if you can afford to do so, retain a lawyer before filing the complaint and to protect you during the process including MCPS interviews.

An employee making a complaint is not on equal footing with their employer. Montgomery County should create a complaint process that is directed outside of the school system so there is an impartial investigation of all complaints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

I’ve actually utilized the complaint process for an employee at a different school. Same result as the teachers in the Washington Post article. I was ignored and faced harsh retaliation.

Alexandra Robbins here. Teachers, admins, staff, parents: I'm interested in hearing more about experiences like these. You can reach me at [e-mail] or through the contact form on my website at alexandrarobbins.com - or if you're concerned it's not really me, you can also send an email to my attention via [e-mail]

It seems like the MCCPTA knows of similar cases - https://www.thesentinel.com/communities/statement-regarding-the-board-of-education-oversight-responsibilities-relating-to-allegations-of-sexual-harassment-and/article_3a9b8b38-3d57-11ee-a756-1b538eccf70b.html

Lynne Harris has experience as a 3 term president of the MCCPTA and she has been on the Board of Education since November 2020. She also has 14 years of experience as an attorney at the US Department of Justice. What is she saying about how MCPS handles these types of complaints? Does she know of systemic problems with how these cases are handled? Surely she must have knowledge of other cases with similar patterns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

I’ve actually utilized the complaint process for an employee at a different school. Same result as the teachers in the Washington Post article. I was ignored and faced harsh retaliation.

Alexandra Robbins here. Teachers, admins, staff, parents: I'm interested in hearing more about experiences like these. You can reach me at [e-mail] or through the contact form on my website at alexandrarobbins.com - or if you're concerned it's not really me, you can also send an email to my attention via [e-mail]

Start with the steaming turd in front of you. How effectively you handle it will determine if you are really trustworthy or not.

I for one applaud Alexandra Robbins for doing the thorough investigative journalism required to get such a story published by the Washington Post. Other journalists may have been contacted by similar victims but weren’t interested in the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

I’ve actually utilized the complaint process for an employee at a different school. Same result as the teachers in the Washington Post article. I was ignored and faced harsh retaliation.

Alexandra Robbins here. Teachers, admins, staff, parents: I'm interested in hearing more about experiences like these. You can reach me at [e-mail] or through the contact form on my website at alexandrarobbins.com - or if you're concerned it's not really me, you can also send an email to my attention via [e-mail]

It seems like the MCCPTA knows of similar cases - https://www.thesentinel.com/communities/statement-regarding-the-board-of-education-oversight-responsibilities-relating-to-allegations-of-sexual-harassment-and/article_3a9b8b38-3d57-11ee-a756-1b538eccf70b.html

Lynne Harris has experience as a 3 term president of the MCCPTA and she has been on the Board of Education since November 2020. She also has 14 years of experience as an attorney at the US Department of Justice. What is she saying about how MCPS handles these types of complaints? Does she know of systemic problems with how these cases are handled? Surely she must have knowledge of other cases with similar patterns.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/08/14/mcps-joel-beidleman-investigation-firm/

When elected members of the county school board reviewed materials submitted to approve Beidleman’s appointment as Paint Branch principal earlier this year, no complaints about him were mentioned, member Lynne Harris (At Large) said. She did not recall reading an email sent anonymously on May 3, 2022, by a Farquhar teacher to the board that alleged Beidleman sexually harassed and emotionally abused staff. She looked through her inbox to try to find it but could not, she said. She said the goal for the school board is to “move forward with transparency” and “get the full story.”

“I want to know what happened — who said what, when, where, how. What was the response after that?” Harris said. “That’s what Jackson Lewis is supposed to do for us.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What steps have you taken to rectify this situation other than complaining here? Discuss

I’ve actually utilized the complaint process for an employee at a different school. Same result as the teachers in the Washington Post article. I was ignored and faced harsh retaliation.

Alexandra Robbins here. Teachers, admins, staff, parents: I'm interested in hearing more about experiences like these. You can reach me at [e-mail] or through the contact form on my website at alexandrarobbins.com - or if you're concerned it's not really me, you can also send an email to my attention via [e-mail]

Start with the steaming turd in front of you. How effectively you handle it will determine if you are really trustworthy or not.

I for one applaud Alexandra Robbins for doing the thorough investigative journalism required to get such a story published by the Washington Post. Other journalists may have been contacted by similar victims but weren’t interested in the issue.

We the taxpayers paid a lot of money to the MCPS employees to investigate the complaints. They did not do their job. Alexandra Robbins did their job for them.

[Anonymous]

Why not get everyone together for a restorative justice circle? It works for the kids!