Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a parent and I’m enraged. When will MCPS acknowledge that there is something seriously wrong at BCC? The number of incidents we’ve had this year is not normal, and MCPS needs to take action.

Go to ELRICH right now

You mean the guy that campaigned on lowering police presence in our county?

Let him look you in the eye and tell you what he is thinking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having been a PTA president, the I know principals must submit their communication to MCPS BEFORE it goes out. Dr. Mooney isn’t perfect by any stretch, but blaming him for everything and Monday morning quarterbacking is ridiculous. Also what could they actually have done different today? As a PP said once MCPD is called in they call the shots. The school was swatted…what would be the right response?

BECAUSE MCPS SCHOOLS HAVE HAD CALLS FOR BOMB THREATS, AND THEY'VE PRACTICALLY NEVER LED TO LOCKDOWNS.

Strange, don't you think, that when it comes to BCC, under the helm of Mooney, somehow it all devolves into chaos EVERY time?

- Beginning of the year: armed carjacking with BCC student involvement. They carjacked in Silver Spring and drove the car all the way back to the BCC campus. Not apprehended except a 15 year old girl who was released.

- The fight with WJ kids at the Bethesda Metro with the video that went viral.

- The fight inside BCC after winter break when a security person and Mooney were injured.

- Monday's gun at school - first comm sent out that doesn't reveal "weapon" is actually a "gun", leading to second comm at 10pm confirming it was a gun, because outraged parents demanded confirmation of what they heard on the news.

- Bomb threat and lockdown.

Every time, Mooney fails to communicate properly, and perhaps to act properly. It can't just always be Central Office issues, people!

This is a good summary of the BCC school year. Hope nothing else is added!

Anonymous wrote:Apparently is the same person from Monday. They’re negotiating with him on the office or so my students relay to me.

What does alleged student have against an AP Spanish exam?

My BCC student is reporting that there was a man in the school today with a firearm. There is a recording that is circulating among students. They are all really shaken up.

Anonymous wrote:Having been a PTA president, the I know principals must submit their communication to MCPS BEFORE it goes out. Dr. Mooney isn’t perfect by any stretch, but blaming him for everything and Monday morning quarterbacking is ridiculous. Also what could they actually have done different today? As a PP said once MCPD is called in they call the shots. The school was swatted…what would be the right response?

BECAUSE MCPS SCHOOLS HAVE HAD CALLS FOR BOMB THREATS, AND THEY'VE PRACTICALLY NEVER LED TO LOCKDOWNS.

Strange, don't you think, that when it comes to BCC, under the helm of Mooney, somehow it all devolves into chaos EVERY time?

- Beginning of the year: armed carjacking with BCC student involvement. They carjacked in Silver Spring and drove the car all the way back to the BCC campus. Not apprehended except a 15 year old girl who was released.

- The fight with WJ kids at the Bethesda Metro with the video that went viral.

- The fight inside BCC after winter break when a security person and Mooney were injured.

- Monday's gun at school - first comm sent out that doesn't reveal "weapon" is actually a "gun", leading to second comm at 10pm confirming it was a gun, because outraged parents demanded confirmation of what they heard on the news.

- Bomb threat and lockdown.

Every time, Mooney fails to communicate properly, and perhaps to act properly. It can't just always be Central Office issues, people!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There were supposed to be AP and IB exams this afternoon. I would bet that has a lot to do with the threat being called in.

If a kid did this to get out of AP/IB exams, they need to make an example out of them. Name and shame and fine the hell out of their parents.

Agreed.
But but but kid is JUST a minor, and but but but FERPA.
Same crap.

Anonymous wrote:Do they typically do a lockdown instead of shelter for call in threats? Or is this a bigger response than usual? Any existing threats that may have caused that?

It's a bigger response than usual, because Principal Mooney and Central Office got reamed this week for Monday's incident involving a student with a gun inside the BCC building. There have been multiple bomb threats at various MCPS high schools in recent years, and usually those are deemed non credible before it gets to a lockdown. I actually cannot recall a lockdown situation for a bomb threat in recent years in MCPS - correct me if I'm wrong. Since this threat was called in from a certain distance, just like the others were, I really don't see why BCC went into lockdown.

For those who are defending Mooney, come off it. He's just as responsible as Central Office. Other MCPS Principals managed to not get their schools locked down for non-credible bomb threats. Clearly he's incompetent, cowardly, and relies on Central to tell him what to do. Then he can claim "his hands are tied, because Central dictates his every move" to irate parents. Yeah, right.

After so many incidents with safety in the past couple of years, this Principal has got to go. He just doesn't have the community's trust anymore. No one expects him to do the right thing now, so he's not going to get the benefit of the doubt ever again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can hear a helicopter circling in downtown Bethesda.

Me again. Now hearing sirens.

I'm prepared to bet that following Monday's "weapon" in the school building (Principal chose to hide the fact that it was a gun and we heard it from the media), Mooney chose to go into lockdown over today's bomb threat so he wouldn't be hauled over the coals by BCC parents twice in the same week.

And now parents will only be talking about today? Nah, BCC and MCPS, we haven't forgotten 'bout Monday!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is swatting?

I’m a dispatcher. I had one a couple of weeks ago, it’s when someone calls in and makes a fake threat to get a huge police response. Mine pretended he had killed family members at his residence. It was a legitimate address and Police went. The poor homeowners had no idea what was going in.
They call from an untraceable number.

That is truly disgusting.

Having been a PTA president, the I know principals must submit their communication to MCPS BEFORE it goes out. Dr. Mooney isn’t perfect by any stretch, but blaming him for everything and Monday morning quarterbacking is ridiculous. Also what could they actually have done different today? As a PP said once MCPD is called in they call the shots. The school was swatted…what would be the right response?

Anonymous wrote:People. MCPD calls the shots once police are called in. Mooney has to follow their directions.

The police doesn't write the letter to the community after the fact.

Anonymous wrote:People. MCPD calls the shots once police are called in. Mooney has to follow their directions.

Exactly.

People. MCPD calls the shots once police are called in. Mooney has to follow their directions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently is the same person from Monday. They’re negotiating with him on the office or so my students relay to me.

So you can bring a gun to school on Monday and return on Thursday with a bomb?!?! MCPS must immediately implement strict consequences for any behavior that puts students and staff in harms way. We are failing our kids and teachers.

Maybe we should hold back on the rumors for now? All of this will be clear eventually, and for right now the focus should be on the kids currently in the school. If it was the same kid as Monday (huge if), we can crucify MCPS then for lack of consequences, but we don't even know that's true.

This!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can hear a helicopter circling in downtown Bethesda.

Me again. Now hearing sirens.

I'm prepared to bet that following Monday's "weapon" in the school building (Principal chose to hide the fact that it was a gun and we heard it from the media), Mooney chose to go into lockdown over today's bomb threat so he wouldn't be hauled over the coals by BCC parents twice in the same week.

This isn't about Mooney. MCPS and MCPD call the shots on this stuff. It is absurd to blame him for this stuff. His communication is lacking because MCPS ties his hands about what he can and cannot say. It is ridiculous. He ends up being a fall guy

No, don't give us that crap again. Principals have enormous leeway in how they run their school, and most bomb threats are considered not credible. If Mooney doesn't manage communications and safety correctly, he will push towards a lockdown, and MCPD will say "OK, it's your school".

That is not how any of this works. I wish Dr. Mooney did have more control. MCPS Central Office insists on handling most of this and they do an absolutely horrible job. They are slow, they are incomplete, they are evasive and most importantly - they never prioritize students and staff who are often scared because they have no information.

As parents, we are the ones who must handle communication. Through cell phones in school (not in locked pockets) we can get messages from our kids and we can inform them of what is going on. Remember - BCC will not give students and staff information very efficiently. In 2022, kids and a teacher hid in a kiln for a very long time. Others were stuck in a gym with no intercom. Nobody told them even after it was clear they were safe.

Yes MCPS should do better. YES - BCC and Mooney probably could do better. But let's be real - they don't have the tools, skills or motivation to do so. Make sure you keep your phone with you while your kids are at school and have a good network of other parents who can help you get your kid if you can't get there in an emergency.

Rubbish. Principals have taken comms into their own hands at some high schools, including Walter Johnson. In MCPS, Principals can be dumb and do as they’re told, or be smart and figure out ways to do better than Central Office. Mooney is a dud and needs to be replaced by someone who can go round the system, if need be.

Correct, principals have more say than people here make it seem.