Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson calls for policy changes and greater transparency following the recent Office of Inspector General report slamming Montgomery County Public Schools for its handling of employee misconduct complaints.
“We will be asking tough questions,” he said. “We will be following up on what happened and what is happening and what will happen in response to the findings of that report and the prior reports and the issues that we know exist and that need to be addressed.”
The OIG examined more than three years of complaints and investigations, spanning July 2020 to September 2023 and found "numerous issues with the manner in which MCPS and its Department of Compliance and Investigations investigate complaints of employee misconduct.”
The report found many of the same deficiencies were "previously identified" by others and reported to MCPS, yet “MCPS failed to implement appropriate corrective actions.”
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Superintendent Monifa McKnight says she will not resign as some on the School Board call for her to step down.
Friedson didn’t offer an opinion, saying the County Council doesn’t have the authority to fire McKnight – that’s up to the School Board – but he wants to see a quick resolution.
“I will say that the issue needs to be resolved and needs to be resolved as quickly as possible because the school system needs stability,” he said.
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“I am hopeful and I am urging that that decision is made as soon as possible, because the longer it goes, the more challenging it is,” Friedson said.
The OIG report will be discussed during a joint County Council oversight meeting Feb. 8. The inspector general and others will talk. It’s unclear if McKnight will speak.
News4 reached out to McKnight’s office and attorney but has not heard back.
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