By Adam Pagnucco.
MCPS Superintendent Monifa McKnight has declared her intention to resist an effort by the school board to oust her according to reporting by MoCo360 and the Washington Post. Additionally, MoCo360 has run an article heavily based on anonymous sources speculating about what McKnight knew and when she knew it concerning a principal promoted while under investigation for sexual harassment.
I will have an article up tomorrow morning about how any removal process by the school board would work. In the meantime, the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) has released a statement in support of the apparent position of the school board. MCEA’s statement is reprinted below.
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Subject: MCEA Says Board of Ed Appears Justified in Seeking Superintendent’s Resignation
January 22, 2024
Contact: Kate Hardwicke, mceapress@mceanea.org
For Immediate Release
Rockville, MD – We’ve learned today that the Montgomery County Board of Education has called for the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight. We understand that Dr. McKnight is claiming the board is offering no reasons for this decision. However, we – like the rest of the public — are aware of serious problems with her leadership.
In the wake of the Washington Post exposé of sexual harassment and bullying by an MCPS principal, new revelations increasingly indicate that the superintendent has been more concerned with protecting herself and her close associates than with doing right by front-line staff and students.
The superintendent’s overseeing body, the board, is no doubt aware of confidential information that caused them to determine this drastic step is necessary. In declaring open war with the board, Dr. McKnight threatens to further damage not only her own future, but also the board’s efforts to restore the public’s trust in Montgomery County Public Schools.
Right now, educators and the students we serve are the ones bearing the brunt of this disturbing chaos. We need to put out this fire and get back to the work of educating our young people.