This story, originally published at 5:57 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2024, was updated at 10:05 a.m. on Jan. 25, 2024, to add that Crump told MoCo360 that he no longer represents Beidleman.
Former Farquhar Middle School Principal Joel Beidleman “is no longer an employee” of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) as of Wednesday, MCPS spokesperson Chris Cram told MoCo360 in an email.
Beidleman had been on administrative leave since Aug. 4. Montgomery County’s inspector general determined on Dec. 1 that he had engaged in bullying and harassment and violated MCPS’ Code of Conduct.
As of Dec. 18, he was no longer receiving a salary, according to Cram.
Cram did not disclose the terms of the separation or whether Beidleman received any financial incentive to leave. “Personnel privacy law prohibits me from providing any more information,” he wrote in response to MoCo360’s questions.
Beidleman did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Jay Crump, who was previously Beidleman’s attorney, told MoCo360 in an email early Thursday that he no longer represents him.
Between 2016 and March 2023, educators submitted at least 18 complaints to MCPS accusing Beidleman of sexual harassment and workplace bullying, according to Washington Post reporting. Combined with complaints unearthed during official inquiries, at least 25 complaints had been made against Beidleman.
The district’s handling of these complaints appears to be a factor in the Board of Education’s current attempt to oust MCPS Superintendent Monifa McKnight.
In 2023, MCPS Department of Compliance and Investigations coordinator Khalid Walker undertook an investigation of sexual harassment allegations leveled against Beidleman by a social studies teacher at Farquhar Middle School. He told MoCo360 earlier this month that his investigation of Beidleman was completed on June 12 and found that Beidleman violated district sexual harassment policy.
On McKnight’s recommendation, the school board promoted Beidleman on June 27 to be the principal of Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville. Walker said he was later instructed to change the result of the internal investigation to say that the allegations were not substantiated.
MCPS did not place Beidleman on leave until Aug. 4, after receiving a media inquiry. The Post’s airing of the claims prompted the school board to commission an investigation by a Baltimore law firm that found that an administrator had tampered with the report and that MCPS was plagued with problematic record-keeping promotion and systems. The Post originally reported on Beidleman’s departure.
It was followed by two investigations by Montgomery County’s inspector general. The first reported that Beidleman had engaged in misconduct and bullying and violated MCPS’ Code of Conduct. The second, released Wednesday, documented years of disarray within the department overseeing investigations and repeated failures by MCPS to fix the dysfunction.
McKnight revealed in a statement this week that the school board has asked her to resign, but she intends to fight the ouster.
MoCo360 contributor Alexandra Robbins contributed to this article. This article will be updated with more information.