A former Farquhar Middle School teacher has filed a lawsuit against former Paint Branch High School Principal Joel Beidleman and the Montgomery County Board of Education, accusing both parties of creating a discriminatory and hostile work environment on the basis of sex.
The victim, listed only as “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit, was a William Farquhar Middle School teacher when the alleged harassment occurred. She later moved schools, the lawsuit said, to protect her mental and physical health after years of mistreatment. Beidleman was the principal at Farquhar Middle School during her employment at the school.
Jane Doe’s story is not unique. The lawsuit claimed that many female teachers who have worked under Beidleman have also been a victims of discrimination.
The anonymous teacher accused Beidleman of attempting to pursue a sexual relationship with her, routinely making sexualized comments towards her and creating an environment in which she believed her job was at risk.
“Dr. Beidleman wanted a sexual and romantic relationship with her and became hostile and discriminatory when she refused,” the lawsuit said.
Beidleman made consistent threats to the plaintiff, the lawsuit alleges, that if she did not tolerate and stay silent about his “sexual comments, requests for sex and romantic advances,” her employment would have been in jeopardy.
In February of 2023, the teacher had a physical and mental breakdown, according to the lawsuit, after she had been beaten down by Beidleman’s intimidation, harassment and and manipulation. She was placed on medical leave.
She has suffered from anxiety, humiliation, fear, weight loss and other physical ailments as a result of her hostile work environment, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit further accuses Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and the Montgomery County Board of Education of ignoring several complaints of Beidleman’s misconduct.
There were at least 25 verbal or written reports submitted to the school district about Beidleman since 2016, the lawsuit claims. The reports detail the alleged patterns of sexual harassment, threats, retaliation and workplace bullying by the principal. The inappropriate conduct occurred throughout at least 12 years of Beidleman’s career across Farquhar Middle School, Roberto Clemente Middle School and Lakelands Park Middle School, according to the lawsuit.
The reports include the plaintiff’s story and other female teachers, but the lawsuit claims no investigation or disciplinary action was taken by MCPS.
The lawsuit accused MCPS of tampering with the Beidleman investigation and not performing an objective investigation. MCPS had first concluded that Beidleman had harassed and intimidated the plaintiff, on the same day he was interviewed to be the next principal of Paint Branch High School. The school district then changed their conclusion to the report, citing that there was not enough evidence to prove the plaintiff’s claims.
“MCPS chose to cover-up Beidleman’s conduct so they could reward him,” the lawsuit said.
Beidleman was promoted to become the Principal of Paint Branch High School. MCPS did not investigate claims about the principal before the promotion, according to a report by the law firm Jackson Lewis. Beidleman was subsequently placed on extended leave after an investigation by The Washington Post into the accusations.
