Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) said Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) need to submit an unredacted or “less redacted” version of the October 2023 investigative report into allegations of sexual misconduct by MCPS principal, Joel Beidleman, which was managed by the Jackson Lewis law firm.
“Unless there’s a specific legal reason not to do it, we would like to see the unredacted report,” Friedson said during a media briefing on Monday morning.
Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large) also called for the release of the unredacted report in an interview on Fox 5 on Sunday.
The council will meet in a joint session between the Education and Culture Committee and the Audit Committee on Feb. 8 to discuss the Jan. 23 report from the Office of the Inspector General that found that MCPS does not have “comprehensive protocol” for addressing allegations of sexual misconduct, but did not delve into specifics pertaining to the Beidleman case.
The report conducted by Jackson Lewis came under intense scrutiny because of how heavily it was redacted, with at least two pages and some paragraphs entirely blacked out. Friedson said he understands that some parts may need to remain redacted for personnel privacy reasons, but that the council should be able to view a more transparent report prior to the Feb. 8 meeting.
“We’ll be asking tough questions. We’ll be following up on what happened, what is happening and what will happen in response to the findings of [the OIG] report and the prior reports and the issues,” Friedson said. “We’ll continue to push for increased accountability and transparency. We know that that’s what our educators and our families and our staff members deserve.”
Friedson said he expects members of the Board of Education and MCPS leadership to attend the meeting, but does not have confirmation as to whether Superintendent Monifa McKnight will be there. He responded to speculation about whether the council would use its power to remove members of the Board of Education, saying he didn’t think it was an appropriate action.
“I think it’s important to remember these are duly elected officials. To overturn the will of the voters is an unprecedented action – first of all, I don’t think we’re there. And I think it would cause a tremendous amount of instability in an environment where we need more stability,” Friedson said. “It’s important to remember that the voters will have an opportunity to weigh in on school board members in just a few months.”
Board of Education seats representing District 2, District 4 and at-large positions are up for election on Nov. 5.
Friedson also said the council does not have the authority to remove a sitting superintendent, and would not say whether he thought McKnight should resign.
“I’m calling on the board and the superintendent to resolve the dispute,” Friedson said. “She is an employee of the Board of Education, and we have a limited role when it comes to the Board of Education.”
Following the hearing, Friedson said there are several next steps. The Office of the Inspector General will follow up with the school system to ensure it implements the recommendations made in the report. The council will also continue to hold work sessions to follow up on the implementation of new procedures.
Friedson said the role the council has over the school system primarily pertains to the budget. However, he said he would not support making budget cuts as a penalty for how the Beidleman situation was handled, saying that would ultimately hurt educators and students. He did say, however, that how funding is allocated will come up in impending budget discussions.
“[Our] budgetary authority I think should be focused on outcomes. What are taxpayers getting? What are students and educators getting for the investments that we are making?” Friedson said. “We have some limitations under state law of how specific we can be related to that funding. But obviously, we’ll be addressing some of the outcomes in the budget conversations.”