The plan, said Seneca Valley High School principal Marc Cohen, was to retire at the end of the year from the Maryland school.
But that’s not how the Montgomery County educator will be wrapping up his 30-year career in education.
In a recent letter, Cohen announced to the school community that his last day will be Nov. 30.
In an interview with WTOP, Cohen explained that he has found “a match” in a firm where he’ll be working as an education consultant, visiting school leaders across the country. The decision to leave at the end of November was prompted by the firm hope that Cohen could start sooner than the end of June.
“It’s always a little messy when you leave in the middle of the year,” said Cohen. “But it happens all the time.”
In Montgomery County, Cohen is the second of two principals to announce their departure before the end of the school year.
Clarksburg High School’s Principal Edward Owusu is retiring effective Jan. 1.
Midyear departures for teachers and administrators can raise eyebrows, and Cohen was asked whether the two departures so close together signal an issue in the school system.
“Some people think this is some weird aberration, but it’s not,” said Cohen. “We retire when it’s best for our family and when it’s best for ourselves.”
With 30 years in education, nearly 14 of those as principal at Seneca Valley, Cohen said he knew he was ready to go, but he is certain that the programs he started will continue.
One of those is “Dads On Duty,” where fathers volunteer to spend time in the schools, offering support and guidance to students.
It’s modeled after a program that originated in Louisiana. Cohen said all he had to do was ask, and the fathers jumped in with both feet.
“We started with about a half dozen dads and this year we’ve got 13 or 14 dads who come twice a week,” Cohen said.
Many of the students at Seneca Valley don’t have both parents at home, Cohen said; and the students have embraced the program.
Cohen said one volunteer mentioned how a student he’d never met or had contact with sought him out as he sat with other students, reviewing grades on report card day.
“This young person identified this man as a dad, and he wanted a dad to show him love for the success he had in the classroom. That was a powerful experience that young person will probably never forget, and I know the dad won’t,” said Cohen.
In his 14 years as principal, he has dealt with the impact of growing crime and violence in the community.
In the 2021-2022 school year SROs, or school resource officers, were removed from the schools. The move came after the nationwide debate over policing following the murder of George Floyd in police custody.
Cohen said of having police in schools, “I have seen the direct benefit of having an officer that the kids know” in the building.
Cohen said the removal of the SRO program, when it happened, was needed because “we had a community that told us very clearly they felt unsafe, and we have a responsibility to respond to that.” But he said, “I think we lost something in doing that.”
Now, with crime and violence in the community on the rise, “We have also seen cries for a greater presence,” Cohen said.
Currently, police work as Community Engagement Officers, visiting schools, but not stationed in them full-time. Cohen said the Seneca Valley CEO has established solid connections with the students at his school, and they often seek him out.
“And they’ll often speak with him before they speak with us,” Cohen said. “Because they see him, they know him from the community, and I think there’s power in that.”
On whether SROs should return to schools, Cohen said, “I appreciate any opportunity for local police who live and patrol the community to be able to develop relationships with our kids.” But he said he does not know whether that means inside the school every day or not.
Cohen said he is grateful for this time serving the community.
“I’m very fortunate to have found myself in a district as supportive as Montgomery County,” Cohen said, referring to professional and development opportunities.
And as for the school leaders across the county, Cohen said, “We’ve got amazing principals. We’ve got amazing leaders and they’re going to do everything they can, I’m confident, to take care of all of our kids.”
