10/12/2023
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.
We are bound by the Maryland Public Information Act, which while being a law intended to ensure public access to documents, explicitly excepts personnel records. That we will comply with what is expected of under this law is a given, but we have also heard from our staff and our community that access to a copy of the Jackson-Lewis report outlining the facts surrounding the promotion and appointment of the principal is essential in restoring trust in our school system. We have tried to balance these interests by releasing the redacted report that complies with the Maryland Public Information Act.
We will not be releasing a redacted version of the exhibits as that information contains personally identifiable information of staff and personnel. Releasing that information would result in a document with blacked out pages because of the amount of personally identifiable information found within those exhibits.
This is an update on the Board of Education’s progress in addressing the conduct reported by the Washington Post regarding the promotion of Dr. Joel Beidleman to principal of Paint Branch High School.
The Board engaged the firm of Jackson Lewis to conduct an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dr. Beidleman’s promotion. Jackson Lewis conducted a thorough, careful and comprehensive investigation that found significant and troubling failures by senior management in MCPS.
While the Maryland Public Information Act prevents the Board from releasing the confidential personnel information contained in the report, we have tasked the investigators with summarizing their findings in a manner that can be shared. That summary is provided here. We have also forwarded the full report to the Montgomery County Inspector General and the Maryland Inspector General for Education for their review.
The Board is committed to addressing the failures outlined in the report and conducting a full and clear-eyed review of the promotion process within MCPS. The Board has tasked the superintendent with developing a comprehensive corrective action plan to ensure accountability and will use that as the basis for systemic improvements.
To view the report, please see our Tweet or download the PDF file here.
