According to a study published by the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General, MCPS’s background screening procedure has significant flaws, such as missing Child Protective Services checks for almost 5,000 people and a lack of continuous monitoring for more than 12,000 employees. In response, Vice President Will Jawando and Council President Kate Stewart convened an oversight hearing for September 26 and demanded quick corrective action, expressing profound concern over systemic failings.
This message was issued by MCPS in reaction to today’s report. The Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released Report 26-01, Review of MCPS Background Screening Office, today, according to the Montgomery County news release. In response to the findings, Council President Kate Stewart and Vice President Will Jawando issued the following statement, which calls for prompt action and sets up an oversight meeting in the Council’s Audit Committee for September 26.
The Council and Montgomery County Public Schools place a high premium on the security and well-being of students, teachers, and staff. The most recent OIG report, which revealed that 4,900 people who might have access to students have not had Child Protective Services checks and that the criminal histories of over 12,000 MCPS employees are not being tracked, deeply alarms and worries us. Some volunteers and contractors also started working before completing the necessary screenings. This is unacceptable, and it is impossible to exaggerate how urgently these problems need to be fixed.
Enforcing background checks on contractors and school personnel is a crucial measure to safeguard staff and student safety and uphold public confidence in our educational system. MCPS is in charge of taking all necessary steps to protect our school community’s teachers, administrators, support personnel, and children. Although the leadership is dedicated to this objective, compliance must be ensured by the implementation of explicit policies and procedures.
It is quite annoying that pertinent local and state entities don’t seem to be working together. Instead of the expertise and coordination that our children and their families deserve, the study exposes a culture of fragmented effort. We need to address the apparent lack of collaboration between the County’s Child Welfare Services and the Maryland Department of Health and Human Services, which resulted in screening gaps that potentially endanger our personnel and students. Since this was a systemic failure, everyone must take responsibility.
We value the efforts of Inspector General Megan Limarzi and her staff in raising awareness of this significant problem and offering the public an unbiased assessment of the MCPS Background Screening Office. The report’s suggestions give our educational system a roadmap and quick actions to successfully solve the serious flaws in the background screening procedure.
Beginning on September 26, the Council’s Audit Committee will hold oversight hearings with Superintendent Thomas Taylor, members of the Montgomery County Board of Education, and other pertinent parties to examine the actions MCPS is taking to address the problems mentioned in the OIG report. In the fall, there will be further Education and Culture meetings planned.
Before the school year begins, we will also ask Superintendent Taylor to provide us with a written update on the immediate corrective action that has been implemented and the future benchmarks. We will keep collaborating with MCPS leadership during this process to make sure that any shortcomings are promptly and thoroughly fixed. In order to close this concerning and frightening gap and ensure that our schools are safe learning environments, our MCPS students, staff, and their families deserve nothing less than prompt action.
