On Oct. 12, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) released the redacted report about the investigation into the promotion of Joel Beidleman, despite several accusations of sexual harassment and bullying.
MCM obtained a copy of a letter the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) sent to its union members in response to the more far-ranging report. Here are some excerpts:
“Even though we already knew the basic outline of events in handling the Beidleman case, we on the front lines are further outraged to learn the details of the malfeasance uncovered by Jackson Lewis,” wrote MCEA President Jennifer Martin. “Although the report has been redacted to the point that it looks like a bureaucrat’s “mad lib” game, it’s clear that scores of complaints – including from union representatives—were routinely and summarily disregarded.
Finally, facts in the Jackson Lewis redacted report imply that there was deliberate falsification of records with the intent to mislead, changing the dates in the Beidleman investigation timeline to show the case to have been decided in his favor before his promotion rather than afterward, as was the actual case. Despite all the blank spaces in the redacted report, it’s appalling apparent that MCPS’s central office culture is corrupt and corrosive.”
Martin also recognized the Board of Education and Superintendent McKnight’s move to replace leadership negligent in their duties to protect employees from abuse. But she considered it only the first step.
“We’ve continued to ask MCPS’s top leadership to include us as they develop new policies and processes regarding harassment, bullying, and other complaints. So far, they have failed to do so. The following changes are needed:
1. The union should have the right to grieve decisions made through the administrative complaint process or any other processes that are designed to address concerns about workplace climate or working conditions.
2. The union should also have the right to grieve when any such complaints are ignored or dismissed without investigation.
3. MCEA should be able to grieve any breach of policy or procedure affecting our members’ working conditions or workplace climate.”
Established in 2009, MCEA represents 14 thousand teachers and other educators in the county. It is one of the country’s largest local affiliates of the National Education Association (NEA).
