ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) is responding to a report released on Wednesday on how Montgomery County Public Schools mishandled complaints. The report released by the Office of the Inspector General was prompted by the promotion of Dr. Joel Beidleman who was under investigation for sexual harassment.
"We are continually disheartened and disgusted by the continuing revelations of corruption, malfeasance, and unsafe working conditions in MCPS," said Danillya Wilson, MCEA Secretary and Vice President-Elect, “At a time when we should be working together to demand a budget that meets the actual needs of our students, we are constantly sidetracked with additional stories of MCPS’s mismanagement.”
MCEA officials say Wednesday's release of the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) report on MCPS complaint processing makes clear that "the superintendent and other top executives, either due to incompetence or willful avoidance of duty, allowed credible allegations of sexual harassment and bullying to go unaddressed."
Adding, "that the failure to put systems in place and follow them, even after receiving multiple warnings about shoddy processes, indicates a callous disregard for the safety and wellbeing of staff and further erodes our confidence in senior leaders entrusted with oversight of this work."
Officials say changes in top leadership is needed to restore trust in the system.
President Jennifer Martin says, “Every day that the current controversy continues, the system is failing to support the 14,000 educators who strive to give our students the excellent learning opportunities they need and deserve. MCEA calls on the board to choose leaders who can restore trust in the system and who will support the critical work we do with students each day.”
For the full report and its findings, click here.
RELATED: Report finds years-long issues in the way Montgomery County Schools handled employee complaints
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