Anonymous wrote:

Many MCPS high schools have club crew teams - Whitman, WJ, BCC, Blair - it is the only way for a high school to have a crew team. There are other club sports set up the same way at MCPS high schools - ice hockey and volleyball, for example. My understanding is that while these clubs get no funding from MCPS and have parent boards, they are still school “clubs” in the same way that robotics, debate, etc are and are only open to students at the specific high school. Versus private soccer and lacrosse clubs, for example.

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Anonymous wrote:I wonder what the Blair crew team is like. Is it also not affiliated with Blair the school- just uses its name? Why does MCPS allow this? Are there other sports like this? Springbrook Bowling? Poolesville Ping Pong? What’s the history son these clubs?

Many MCPS high schools have club crew teams - Whitman, WJ, BCC, Blair - it is the only way for a high school to have a crew team. There are other club sports set up the same way at MCPS high schools - ice hockey and volleyball, for example. My understanding is that while these clubs get no funding from MCPS and have parent boards, they are still school “clubs” in the same way that robotics, debate, etc are and are only open to students at the specific high school. Versus private soccer and lacrosse clubs, for example.

Blair crew welcomes all high schoolers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what the Blair crew team is like. Is it also not affiliated with Blair the school- just uses its name? Why does MCPS allow this? Are there other sports like this? Springbrook Bowling? Poolesville Ping Pong? What’s the history son these clubs?

Many MCPS high schools have club crew teams - Whitman, WJ, BCC, Blair - it is the only way for a high school to have a crew team. There are other club sports set up the same way at MCPS high schools - ice hockey and volleyball, for example. My understanding is that while these clubs get no funding from MCPS and have parent boards, they are still school “clubs” in the same way that robotics, debate, etc are and are only open to students at the specific high school. Versus private soccer and lacrosse clubs, for example.

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what the Blair crew team is like. Is it also not affiliated with Blair the school- just uses its name? Why does MCPS allow this? Are there other sports like this? Springbrook Bowling? Poolesville Ping Pong? What’s the history son these clubs?

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, just realized I posted the same link twice. The 2nd should be: https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2018/education/division-ii/title-6/subtitle-1/section-6-113.1/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He was an MCPS teacher grooming and ultimately violating MCPS students. This is a crime.

The fact that he also coached crew is almost irrelevant. The crew team environment just made this all easier for him. But at the end of the day - whether the crew team was a club or a Whitman team DOES NOT MATTER.

He was a teacher. He had illegal contact with students. THE END.

I am not a lawyer (but deal extensively in legalese) is this illegal in Maryland or Montgomery County? The District of Columbia criminal code clearly states in 22-3009.03 that it is illegal there but is there a similar statue in the Montgomery County or Maryland code? I know there are MCPS guidelines and rules but those are different than the code.

https://code.dccouncil.us/us/dc/council/code/sections/22-3009.03#

The DC code makes clear that it doesnt matter if the person is of the age of majority or not. I wonder what it is in Maryland?

I am curious to know what went on in the classroom and at Whitman. Who knew what when and how much burying the head in sand went on.

What I can say as a former student is that there were what I now recognize as grooming behaviors.

Anonymous wrote:He violated MCPS policy. It was reported to MCPS officials by the principal and a few others. This is on central office. They chose not to investigate and pursue. That is their MO. Unless MPD and child protective services launch an investigation, they save their energy and ignore complaints. If you groom kids, hey, you're okay. Nothing to see here! But now there are a few good reporters sniffing around, which is a problem for MCPS and child molesters, but gives me a little hope that this will put pressure on mcps to remove the remaining predators. Fire them when they're grooming, not after they've sexually abused children.

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Anonymous wrote:^^one other point: the Whitman crew parent's defense of "we just couldn't imagine it" is like what Joe Paterno said in defending his continued support of Jerry Sandusky well after he knew about the allegations. That is, he just couldn't conceive as possible. And again: if you are a parent with oversight of children, *it is your job* to educate yourself and to force yourself to consider these kinds of scenarios. Mandated reporters don't get to say they just couldn't believe something could happen, so they ignored the signs. Ignorance is a poor defense.

I am the Whitman crew parent, and I think you are over-spinning what I said.
But I take your point.

Know that one is trying to get off the hook here.

Meantime, the board has offered free counseling services to current and former rowers (and maybe their families--I'm not positive about that).
The counseling is being paid for with donations.
Maybe you have suggestions for what else the team could do.

The board that provided protection for an abuser... do I have a suggestion? Yes! I have a suggestion, fire every.single.person.on.the.board.

Hire and investigator to find out what they knew and when.

Report the HR person who "cleared" the coach and find out what type of relationship they had with the board/coach.


I wouldn't waste the money to hire an investigator was lets be real, no one is going to hold anyone accountable but the board and everyone involved or who had knowledge should be fired.

I think our team is being held held to account.

We have been largely closed since early summer.

The Post article certainly cast us in a stark, if skewed, light.

I only hope the publicity will make it harder for Shipley and his reportedly very skilled lawyer to beat the charges.

Anyone can see that we face a likely lawsuit(s) by the victims who reported Shipley to the police.

We've all been held to account by angry parents of a graduated rower in a post-arrest team meeting. Seventy-plus people, including kids on the line, listened to them at length.

But at some point, those who decry bullying risk crossing the line into self-aggrandizing rancor.

Some of the crew kids have experienced this online and in real life. (Fortunately, they have taken it in stride.)

At an all-Whitman zoom call on child sexual abuse prevention, a social worker--not on the panel-- chimed in only to castigate the Whitman crew team in front of the entire group.

Her demeanor and approach contrasted sharply with that of the professionals on the panel, and the moderators moved quickly to shut things down.

Sorry to hear that. I think most people are worried about how to prevent this type of stuff from happening again. It is easy to miss red flags. The crew board clearly messed up. Why did they repeatedly hire that crappy consultant and many of them were too cozy with the coach. Not sure there is blame towards anyone else really. Too bad Whitman HS never figured anything out given he was a long time teacher. There may have been a few complaints about him that were never followed up on.

I don't think you can really prevent it without fundamental changes that I don't see happening, maybe I am jaded.

1. There is a certain contingent of people from Bethesda who seek out elite college admissions using any means possible. You know, they would sell grandma or sabotage a rival if it meant they could get into a certain school. In that vein they will overlook crappy behavior from a coach or teacher like him because well, that's someone else's kid and they are collateral damage. It is sad but true and is the reason he kept getting coaching contracts. I don't know for sure but I also think he brought home 4s and 5s on the AP test.
2. He is a predator and he is smart. Dumb predators don't get away with it for long, the man probably has been doing it for decades at this point. He knew his limits and probably got away with it enough times that he kept on going.
3. I am a member of a public sector union and know that it takes a lot to get in trouble, it requires proof. The teachers union requires a lot of direct documentation in order to do anything--piggybacking on the point above, he is smart and knows not to rock the boat at work. Or if he does, to cover his tracks, while I don't know the intricacies of the MCEA, I do know that he probably knew where the line was.

My hope is that something changes. We have telling women to speak up and everything will be right.