An investigation by Montgomery County’s inspector general found that a former middle school principal violated the system’s sexual harassment and bullying policies, including making repeated comments about the appearance of female subordinates and having a sexual relationship with someone he supervised.
Joel Beidleman, former principal of Farquhar Middle School, was placed on administrative leave in August after an investigation by The Washington Post found Montgomery County Public Schools had received at least 18 reports alleging misconduct by him dating back to 2016. After the report, the school system — Maryland’s largest — hired the Baltimore-based law firm Jackson Lewis to investigate The Post’s findings. The law firm identified additional complaints, making the total 25.
Investigators found that Beidleman’s conduct appeared to violate the school system’s sexual harassment policy by subjecting employees to “verbal comments of a sexual nature that unreasonably affected their work performance and created an offensive work environment.”
Beidleman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. He previously has denied allegations of misconduct to The Post. He was originally set to become the principal of Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville this school year, but a Montgomery schools spokesman confirmed Friday that Beidleman remains on leave.
Beidleman participated in the inspector general’s investigation. Investigators also did a forensic examination of his school system-issued computers. At one point, the report said, Beidleman described an interaction with a school system employee as “sexting,” though the individual told him repeatedly she wasn’t interested in a sexual relationship.
The report released Friday by Montgomery County Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi focused solely on allegations of misconduct by Beidleman. A second investigation by the office is scrutinizing the school district’s handling of misconduct complaints against system employees; it is unclear when it will be complete. The school system has faced questions about how Beidleman was promoted despite complaints against him.
In the new report, the inspector general’s office said it interviewed 31 people with direct information related to Beidleman’s misconduct as a part of its investigation. Fifteen people claimed to be victims of bullying, sexual harassment, retaliation and other violations of Montgomery County schools’ policies.
The office found that Beidleman was “a divisive figure” among school system staff. Some of his subordinates described him as a mentor and leader, while others characterized him as abusive, according to the report. Many provided examples where Beidleman “yelled, screamed, and berated them, or otherwise behaved in an unprofessional manner, to include retaliating against them.” One employee told investigators that she “learned real quick to lay low or risk public shaming.”
The report also detailed times that Beidleman made “remarks of a sexual nature” to women who were subordinates and pursued employees for sex. The inspector general wrote that the principal’s conduct appeared to violate the school system’s code of conduct to “conduct private life activities … in a manner that is not prejudicial to your effectiveness as a MCPS employee.”
In one example, a female employee recalled a time she saw Beidleman at Farquhar Middle School. He said, “Wow girl, you lost weight. Look at you. Give it a turn, let me check out the backside.” She recounted that she told him “NO!” and Beidleman “appeared to think it was funny,” according to the report. She further reported to investigators that Beidleman frequently “talked to our breasts.” She also changed her appearance to avoid his attention by dying her hair brown since she believed he had a preference for blond hair.
On Friday, the Montgomery County Board of Education said in a statement that it was committed to using the report “as a catalyst for thorough systemic reform and enhanced accountability.” Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando (D-At Large), who chairs the Education and Culture Committee, said in a statement that he will follow up on the report with oversight hearings in the coming months.
In a statement, Superintendent Monifa B. McKnight said that she is “moving forward without delay to ensure that wrongdoing is held to full account.” She added that the report “clearly and professionally documents years of disturbing and egregious behavior.”
“It is crucial that every MCPS employee, student, and parent know that any type of abusive behavior will not be tolerated,” she said.
Montgomery watchdog finds evidence of misconduct by MCPS principal Joel Beidleman - The Washington Post
Read More
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar