Education

Per MCPS: Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Throughout the month, MCPS schools will be celebrating the unique culture and traditions of students, teachers, staff and community members who trace their roots to Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Hispanics and Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in MCPS, with 34 percent of the student population. MCPS resources to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month are available here.  Instead of starting celebrations on the first day of the month, Hispanic Heritage Month begins the third week of September each year.

Jennifer Martin, President of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), has responded to the summary of the investigation of MCPS principal Joel Beidleman by the Jackson Mewis law firm released by the Montgomery County Board of Education on Thursday. The full response can be seen below:

“MCEA is confident in the overall accuracy of the report by Jackson Lewis summarizing the problems uncovered through their investigation. The investigators echoed our concerns that MCPS brazenly ignored our members urgent pleas. There were systemic failures at every level within MCPS. We are outraged to lear how extensive the cover-ups, negligence, and abuses of power were.

Per Montgomery County Public Schools: “As new cases of COVID-19 increase locally, we have seen outbreaks occurring in multiple schools across the county. Temporary outbreak precautions for individual classrooms where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly helps prevent spread to vulnerable individuals and to the rest of school.” Check out the FAQ below, per MCPS:

What guidance does MCPS follow to determine health and safety procedures for COVID-19? MCPS follows CDC COVID-19 recommendations for K-12 schools, per joint guidance from the Maryland State Department of Education and Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and MDH’s school guide for Communicable Diseases. Community health strategies are planned in coordination with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

On Thursday evening, the Montgomery County Board of Education provided an update to county leaders on the independent investigation of MCPS principal Joel Beidleman following alleged conduct reported by the Washington Post. Below you will see the letter from the Board of Education to county leaders and a summary of the report provided to the Board of Education by the Jackson Lewis law firm:

Letter from board of education to county leaders: “Dear: Mr. Kramer, Ms. Palakovich Carr, Mr. Elrich, Mr. Glass, Mr. Jawando, Dr. Handy, Ms. Martin, and Ms. Morrison,