Montgomery County Public Schools saw a more than 500% increase in legal fees this fiscal year compared to last, according to a December report from the district.
The school system spent $487,735 on legal fees during FY24, the report showed — a 548% spike from the previous fiscal year, when the district reported spending a total of $75,191 on such costs.
In the report, the district attributed the increase to “substantial litigation on two separate matters pending in federal court.”
The school system paid more than $195,000 each to two law firms, the report said.
One firm, WilmerHale, is representing the district in a lawsuit filed by three parents against the Montgomery County Board of Education and Superintendent Monifa McKnight.
The suit alleges the district fails to notify parents when students read books containing LGBTQ+ subject matter, including topics such as gender identity and sexual orientation.
The parents behind the suit, which was filed in May 2023, said these books are inconsistent with their religious beliefs. The school system responded that Maryland law prohibits families from opting children out of such content.
The other firm, Baltimore-based Jackson Lewis, is representing the district in a lawsuit alleging that it promoted former Farquhar Middle School principal Joel Beidleman, despite 18 sexual harassment claims documented against him over a span of seven years.
That suit was filed in October by a female teacher in the district, who said she endured a “work environment so hostile it debilitated her mental and physical health” while employed at Farquhar.
A December investigation by the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General found “substantiated allegations” that Beidleman repeatedly made comments about female subordinates’ appearances, directed jokes of a sexual nature at subordinates, bullied subordinates and had a sexual relationship with a subordinate.
In response to the investigation’s findings, McKnight said in a statement she is “moving forward without delay to ensure that wrongdoing is held to full account.”
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