In a taped statement, Montgomery County Superintendent Monifa McKnight pledged, “If there is any rot, we will root it out.”
McKnight was referring to how the school system handled complaints of bullying and sexual harassment made against principal Joel Beidleman, now on administrative leave.
Despite numerous complaints made about Beidleman’s alleged conduct going back years, he was promoted in June to serve as Paint Branch High School’s principal.
McKnight said in her statement on Thursday, “The independent investigation that’s underway will help us get an objective look into how the system may have failed, and who may have failed it.”
Almost as soon as Montgomery County Public Schools announced that it had hired the law firm of Jackson Lewis, there were questions about how independent and objective the new probe would be. The school system has been represented by Jackson Lewis in the past.
On Tuesday, worried members of the Montgomery County Education Association contacted their union representatives after they were sent emails asking them to undergo new interviews about Beidleman’s case.
Susan Carle, a professor at the American University Washington College of Law, told WTOP in an interview that’s not an unusual practice in cases like this, but that, “It’s very important for all of the employees who are doing the interviews to understand that those lawyers in no way represent them.”
“Those lawyers represent the school district,” Carle added.
Carle also said that doesn’t mean the objective of the investigation is aimed at the staff members who made the complaints. Referring to MCPS, Carle said, “Something went very wrong with their internal procedures and I’m very sure the law firm’s trying to work out what that was too.”
She still added that the Jackson Lewis firm “is well known as a very aggressive management side firm.”
WTOP contacted MCPS to ask about the selection of Jackson Lewis. MCPS spokesperson Christopher Cram told WTOP that, “The firm Jackson Lewis was identified because of their expertise in education and employment law.”
Carle said in cases of sexual harassment, a law firm will want to look into the processes and procedures that were in place by an employer. In the MCPS case, she said, “Obviously they did not handle it properly. If things were handled well, somebody with as many complaints against him as this principal had — that would be a real career stopper.”
McKnight said that once the investigation is complete, “We’ll take all necessary actions to ensure accountability that reflects the core values of MCPS.”
The allegations against Beidleman were first reported by the Washington Post.
