MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A former principal in Montgomery County was promoted amid sexual harassment and bullying allegations, and now, after the school board investigated, another set of investigations into the claims are underway.
On Wednesday, the Office of the Montgomery County Inspector General announced that it would open two investigations related to allegations against Farquhar Middle School Principal Dr. Joel Beidleman and Montgomery County Public Schools' (MCPS) handling of misconduct complaints. Officials say he was unanimously promoted during a June meeting to become the principal at Paint Branch High School – all while being under investigation for sexual harassment.
The first of the two investigations will review MCPS's process for receiving and responding to allegations of misconduct against school system employees. The review will look into whether MCPS has effective procedures for the receipt, assignment, investigation, referral, resolution, documentation, and retention of allegations of misconduct by its employees.
The second investigation will assess the allegations of misconduct by Beidleman that have been received since July 2023 as well as any previous allegations that were not yet investigated.
"In conducting these engagements, we will inspect relevant records, interview pertinent staff, and review applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures," the inspector general said in a letter to Karla Silvestre, the Montgomery County School Board president.
This comes after the school board released its findings from an independent investigation into the allegations. Thirty current and former employees were identified and interviewed during the process.
The report claims multiple members of the administration, who were part of the promotion process, knew that Beidleman was under an active investigation at the time of his promotion. It also claims that appropriate action was not taken by MCPS leaders after they learned further details about the allegations. Through the school board investigation, it was discovered that there has been a long-standing practice of not formally investigating anonymous and informal complaints.
Beidleman has since had his promotion revoked and been placed on administrative leave.