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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]New to this thread but I almost can't believe that some comments are about the same school that my kids go to.

1.   How can anyone say that the traffic pattern is worse this year?      In the mornings we now have three ways for cars to enter the school to dropoff kids (1) Gainsborough entrance (2) right turn from Victory Land and (3) Left turn from Victory Lane.      Last year we only had the right turn from Victory lane.      I know that traffic is still slow (unavoidable) but can you imagine what it would be like if the only entrance were the right turn from Victory Lane again?       There also seem to be more people directing traffic this year.

2.   My daughter is looking forward to another year of Winter amd Spring track.     She had great fun last year and we haven't heard any complaints.      ([b]Well, I do wish they were more communicative about the coach suspended for a couple of months last year[/b])[/quote]

Parents should ask their children the following questions while letting them know you will love them no matter what they tell you:

Has a coach ever offered to drive her/him [u]alone[/u] in his car? (I would highly recommend you do not give coaches written permission to drive your child under any circumstances)

Has a coach ever commented on her/his appearance or if he liked what she/he wearing to practice?

Has a coach ever used vulgar language (ex. calling girls on the team b*tches or degrade children by cursing at them)?

Do any of the coaches give hugs or touch them in any way?

Do any of the coaches make her/him feel uncomfortable?  If so, why?

Does your child have a safe adult at school that she could ask questions to or go to if something happens at a practice or a meet?

Do any of the coaches privately text or email your child?  (If yes, you may want to check the text and/or email messages and ask for the coach to cc you in the future.)

Has a coach given your child a gift that none of the other athletes received?

Was your child ever pulled out of class last year for a meeting with Dr. Benz and other staff?  What happened during that meeting?

Does your child know more than what the school has explained publicly?[/quote]

Let's not limit this to coaches. This can occur in any area where the teachers develop a personal relationship that continues from year to year so they can build trust. This can happen where a school has only one teacher who teaches a particular subject so a child who is interested in the subject has a class with the teacher for several years in a row.  The child might be interested in the area and want to please the teacher.  The teacher may respond out of a desire to teach an interested student, but other times there is something scarier at play.  There have been reports of grooming and abuse by music and technology teachers at other schools.  Some of it has gone on for years.  [b]Even when the principal wants to do something, unless there are criminal charges, it is hard to fire a teacher. [/b]  [/quote]

WRONG - The Board of Education wrote a MCPS Employee Code of Conduct for a reason.  It lists behaviors, many listed above, that are known grooming traits of a child predator.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/staff/staff-home-page/2018-2019_EmployeeCodeofConduct.pdf

If a staff member violates standards of conduct listed in the MCPS Employee Code of Conduct, that employee can be disciplined including termination.  The failure of MCPS is that they are not enforcing the code of conduct.  For coaches, MCPS's actions are even more ridiculous because coaching contracts are non-tenure positions.  They are issued on a season by season basis.  MCPS doesn't need a reason to fire a coach.  They also don't need a reason to not rehire a coach, especially if the coach is not a certified teacher and a qualified certified teacher is willing to step in as coach.  Teachers actually have hiring preference under Maryland law for public school coaching positions.

Protecting your child from abuse begins with knowing the signs of a predator, reading the employee Code of Conduct, and talking with your child to make sure your child knows the standards of conduct for adults and to report to you if any actions of an adult from school depart from the norm.  If your discover a violation, email the employee and cc the Principal asking for the behavior to stop.

ALL STAFF - teachers, administrators, coaches, counselors, janitorial staff, etc. - were retrained last year and retained this year on the Employee Code of Conduct.  Violations are serious and MCPS should know it has a real problem if employees were told not to do these things but still are.  That is how school system weeds out child predators.  They will continue to violate the rules no matter how many times they are told what the rules are.

A child is extra vulnerable with a coach because there are cameras in the school building and more staff and students around in the day than in after school hours.  The ability to peel a child away from the group for an opportunity to be alone with a child is endless.  The opportunity is all a child predator needs to hurt your child.[/quote]

There are policies, but the union contract makes it hard to fire anyone.  If you have any doubts, take a look at the 165-page union contract for MCPS teachers. If that isn't enough, there are state law and regulations, which also give teachers due process rights. This article is about PG County Public Schools, but you get the idea.

https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2018/11/prince-georges-co-schools-says-it-cant-fire-employee-in-racial-slur-video/

[/quote]

Coaches are part-time, contract, non-union positions.  They are hired on a season by season basis.  If a coach violates the MCPS Employee Code of Conduct, MCPS has grounds to immediate terminate the employment. A principal or an athletic director can decide for any reason to not rehire a coach simply by not renewing the contract.

As far as getting rid of predatory teachers - yes, real difficult because of the union.  However, MCPS could transfer the teacher to another assignment away from children while the Due Process procedures are carried out.[/quote]

That's only a short-term solution if a teacher is a predator.  At a different school, there was a teacher accused of molesting a child. The teacher had a long reputation for inappropriate behavior but no criminal charges were filed. He was suspended for several months while he went through due diligence. Eventually he "expressed remorse" and was put back in the classroom. The child moved to another school. Strong union for teachers. No union for kids.[/quote]

At some point does MCPS ever wonder about what it does to a victim to put the child back in the classroom or athletic field with the man who is the abuser?  How can a child have equal access to educational opportunities when the child is scared and traumatized? What liability is the school risking when future victims discover their abuse could have been prevented if only MCPS had acted when the first victim came forward?[/quote]

The school's liability is OUR liability. The taxpayers pay for any lawsuits. Until there are consequences for the decision-makers and the union's iron fist on MCPS is loosened, this will continue to happen.  The children get moved away from their abusers -- not the other way around. #metoo [/quote]

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