By Adam Pagnucco.
On the same day that two county council members called for an inspector general takeover of MCPS’s investigation of allegations of sexual harassment, MCPS Board of Education President Karla Silvestre replied that MCPS is instead staying the course. In her letter to the council, the county executive, the MCPS unions and two state legislators, Silvestre wrote that MCPS will be employing Jackson Lewis, a firm that it has hired before, as part of a two-phase investigation. Silvestre did not mention allegations of conflicts of interest with the firm or its union avoidance work. Her letter is reprinted below.
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Dear Mr. Kramer, Ms. Palakovich Carr, Mr. Elrich, Mr. Glass, Dr. Handy, Ms. Martin and Ms. Morrison:
The Montgomery County Board of Education wants to update you, our partners, on the status of the investigation we have initiated in response to the sexual harassment and bullying allegations reported in the August 11, 2023, Washington Post article. We, like you and our community, have been appalled by the allegations and the Board is resolute in our determination to answer the myriad of questions that have been raised by the allegations. Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 22, 2023, Montgomery County Public Schools has a long-scheduled press conference on the opening of schools and attendance. The Board will use that opportunity to speak to the press and the community about the investigation, the timeline and expected deliverables.
At the press conference the Board will share that the investigation is structured in two-phases. The first phase of the investigation is focused on the questions surrounding Joel Beidleman’s promotion. This phase of the investigation is fairly straight forward, who knew, or should have known, what and when. It is anticipated that this phase of the investigation should be complete by September 8, 2023.
The second phase of the investigation will be conducted simultaneously and will be an investigation into any potential Title IX violations by Joel Beidleman. The findings from that phase of the investigation will take more time due to strict statutory due process requirements pursuant to Title IX. The Board has provided explicit expectations about both investigations, delineating the breath and scope of the inquiry. Jackson Lewis, the firm conducting the external investigation, will give progress updates and issue reports to the Board.
In addition to any culminating report, the Board expects recommendations for organizational process improvements, including but not limited to the employee appointments process, and a thorough corrective action including organizational changes and disciplinary actions that will be taken as a result of these incidents. The corrective action plan must contain a comprehensive overhaul of the sexual harassment complaint response process.
The Board will oversee these investigations and we will ensure that there is both accountability and systemic improvements. We will do this without taking our eyes off our core mission and purpose: teaching and learning.
We know that there is considerable concern in our community about both the allegations and the investigation of those allegations. The Board has heard these concerns and is committed to a thorough, fair and transparent process that leads to a better, stronger school system. We thank you for your partnership.
Sincerely,
Karla Silvestre , President
Montgomery County Board of Education
KS:LCW:jfro
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Councilmembers
