An online petition urging the University of Maryland to reconsider appointing former Montgomery County superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight to a leadership position within the College of Education has gathered over 1,900 signatures in one week. On July 8, the University named Dr. McKnight as the inaugural Dean’s Fellow and Superintendent in Residence for the College of Education.
The petition calls Dr. McKnight’s hiring “unacceptable and immoral” and says the University must “reverse course.”
In Feburary, Dr. McKnight stepped away from her position as superintendent after facing scruntiny for how the district handled sexual harrassment and bullying allegations against former Farquhar Middle School principal Joel Beidleman. Beidleman was promoted despite formal complaints against him.
In a statement provided to MCM, the University’s College of Education reaffirmed its committment to “build new and strengthen existing partnerships with school leaders, elected officials and other members of the education community.”
“Through this one-year appointment, we believe our collaboration and consultation with Dr. McKnight will help us better align our work with the needs of schools and educators. Our continued focus remains on building safe learning environments that best serve our community,” the College of Education stated.
