Maryland principal no longer with district after sexual harassment, bullying allegations - The Washington Post

A former Montgomery County schools principal accused of sexual harassment and bullying is “no longer an employee” of the school system, effective this week, a schools spokesman said Wednesday.

The former principal, Joel Beidleman, has been on administrative leave since August when The Washington Post reported that the school system received at least 18 complaints alleging misconduct dating back to 2016. He has denied many of the allegations.

Montgomery schools spokesman Chris Cram declined to say Wednesday whether Beidleman was dismissed, saying it’s a personnel matter. He referred further questions to Beidleman, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

News of Beidleman’s departure comes as the Montgomery district — Maryland’s largest school system — has faced criticisms and investigations into its handling of misconduct reports.

Beidleman was promoted last year to principal of Paint Branch High School. He had most recently served as principal of Farquhar Middle in Olney.

But the district placed him on leave after The Post sent questions to the school system this summer asking about its handling of the complaints. He stopped receiving his pay on Dec. 18, Cram previously said.

Montgomery County’s inspector general released a report in December that found that Beidleman violated the school system’s sexual harassment and workplace bullying policies. A report on a second inquiry released Wednesday found that the school system was repeatedly warned of shortfalls within a unit that investigates misconduct complaints involving employees but did little to fix the problems.

The announcement came amid uncertainty over the school system’s leadership. Earlier this week, schools Superintendent Monifa B. McKnight released a statement that the school board indicated that it wants her to step away from her role. In an interview alongside her attorney, McKnight said she intends to defend her reputation.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Maryland principal no longer with district after sexual harassment, bullying allegations - The Washington Post
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