MCPS has sent a message to the community recognizing information concerning online threats to safety by a former leader of Hamas calling for a “day of rage” on Friday, October 13th. The full message can be seen below:
“Dear MCPS Families and Staff,
“I applaud the Board of Education for taking this important step forward in accountability and transparency for the families, students and staff within the school system. It has been two months since the allegations of employee misconduct by an MCPS principal were revealed through the press. At the EC Committee session held on Sept. 28, I called for the full release of a redacted report and my colleagues echoed that sentiment. It is only through transparency that we are able to have effective accountability and facilitate improvement in processes that protect our school community.
The release of the redacted report does not impact the ongoing investigations. The investigation through the Montgomery County Office of Inspector General (OIG) continues. Once the OIG releases its investigation findings, I will work with my colleagues to schedule a public meeting to discuss the findings and any recommended actions.”
The Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) released a statement regarding the release of the redacted Jackson-Lewis Investigation Report. In a Thursday afternoon tweet, the Board of Education stated that the redacted report can be found on the Board’s website. As of press time at 3:30pm, we have been unable to find it on the website, but it can be accessed at this link. The (BOE) statement can be seen below:
“We believe that restoring trust with our staff and community is of utmost importance and it is our hope that by releasing this report, which is redacted to protect the right of our employees, will be a step toward a renewed belief in the integrity of our public-school system.
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight sent a message to MCPS staff on Wednesday, October 11, announcing that deputy superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy was no longer employed by the district. The message, provided to us by MCPS Communications Director Chris Cram, also states that two members of the MCPS Office of School Support and Well-Being (OSSWB), Dr. Donna Redmond Jones and Dr. Eugenia (Jeanie) Dawson are currently on leave.
Dr. Patrick Murphy was appointed as the MCPS deputy superintendent in 2022, a position previously held by Dr. McKnight. He was recently superintendent of Berkeley County Schools in West Virginia until 2022 and previously superintendent of Arlington Public Schools and in various instructional leadership positions in Fairfax County Public Schools. The message sent to staff can be seen below (note: We have been told by several MCPS staff members that they have not received this message):
Let us know in the comments for any missing scores.
The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Washington and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Washington D.C. released a joint statement on Wednesday afternoon, recognizing Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) for the acknowledgement of the attack on Israel and expressing anger and disappointment towards Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) for its response. The full statement can be seen below:
“Over the last 72 hours, JCRC and ADL DC staff have worked tirelessly to communicate to local school systems the importance of acknowledging the horrific attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists and the profound trauma being experienced by Jewish students, parents, and employees. We thank the several school districts that have released some public statement. We wish to especially recognize Dr. Michelle Reid, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest school system in our region, for speaking with JCRC staff several times and for responding personally to parents as she can.
Community message sent to MCPS families by Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight:
“Dear Families, Students and Staff,
The curtain is rising on fall theater productions throughout the school system, at middle and high schools. Plan now to see these great performances, which run into early 2023. From “Shrek” and “Mamma Mia” to “Radium Girls” and “Lavender,” an original work by a 2023 Albert Einstein High School graduate, there’s something for everyone. Full list below, courtesy of MCPS:
Middle Schools
Applications for the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) for the 2024-2025 school are now open and due Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Applications for the waitlist for Semester 2 of the Virtual Academy’s 2023-2024 year are also due on Nov. 3. Applications submitted after Nov. 3, 2023, but by Feb. 9, 2024, will be added to the 2024-2025 waitlist. Rising Grades 2-12 students can apply in ParentVUE. Current MVA families MUST also reapply in ParentVUE.
The MVA is a comprehensive online instructional program. Students will engage virtually and synchronously five days a week during the traditional school day. The MVA provides a high quality engaging and innovative instructional program for students who thrive in virtual learning. The primary focus of the MVA is to foster a safe, inclusive online learning environment that meets the individual needs of all students. For questions about the MVA admission process, contact Cassandra Heifetz, dean of the lower school, or Jackie DeLucia, dean of the upper school.
Col. Zadok Magruder High School (5939 Muncaster Mill Road) is hosting this year’s Marching Band Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 21, starting at 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Twelve high school bands will be participating: Clarksburg, Damascus, James Hubert Blake, Paint Branch, Seneca Valley, Rockville, Springbrook, Montgomery Blair, John F. Kennedy, Watkins Mill, Albert Einstein and Magruder.
Each band will perform separately on the football field. The grand finale piece will include members of all 12 bands, performing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” This final performance will be entered into a contest that Metallica is sponsoring for marching bands. This year’s event will kick off with a middle school mass band performing the national anthem.
Northwest (6-0) at Churchill (5-1): Huge seeding battle in the 4A West and the teams involved should also pay mind to the Gburg-SV game. If Gaithersburg wins, the Trojans should be favored to win out the rest of the season finishing 8-1. Thus, assuming NW loses to QO next week, the loser of this game has a very real shot of falling down to the 4 seed and likely meeting QO Week 11. If Churchill pulls this off, suddenly the path to returning to the state reseeding just got a lot easier (obviously them beating NW would mean they have a clear path to advancing no matter what, but never bank on beating the Jags twice). Northwest hasn’t quite looked like their dominant selves the last couple weeks, they did start well against PB but cooled off and PB made it too close for comfort before the Jags got an insurance score. But Churchill hasn’t exactly fully played their best ball either the last couple weeks, and will need to come out swinging to pull this one off. This doesn’t look like a great matchup for the Dawgs as NW’s D-Line should limit Avit and Churchill’s pass defense is not great. Churchill will need to execute near-flawless in the passing game. Overall we think the Bulldogs keep it very close, but the Jags stay one step ahead in a classic. Prediction: Northwest by 8
Paint Branch (3-3) at Blake (6-0): Once Blake beat Sherwood, without a whole lot of quality opponents on the Bengals’ schedule many immediately turned their eyes to this matchup. Blake has only beaten PB 3 times in the last 20 years, and are on a 10-year losing streak. If there was any time to get back in the win column, it’s now as PB is reeling having not been able to put it all together against their quality foes. However, our gut doesn’t like Blake in this one. Chalk it up to the Panthers being more battle tested and showing signs of improvement against Northwest. Prediction: Paint Branch by 6