'Unacceptable and immoral:' Petition criticizes UMD's hiring of former MCPS superintendent

WASHINGTON - A former superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools who resigned earlier this year will take a new role with the University of Maryland, officials confirmed this week.

Dr. Monifa McKnight will serve in the inaugural position of "Dean’s Fellow and Superintendent in Residence" with the University of Maryland’s College of Education. The role is expected to support the development of and implementation of special projects within the college and "strengthen partnerships between the college and PK-12 schools across the state," according to UMD.

McKnight stepped down as MCPS superintendent in February, agreeing to a $1.3 million separation deal amid scrutiny over the school system’s handling of sexual harassment and bullying allegations against now-former Farquhar Middle School principal Joel Beidleman. For this reason, an online petition with more than 500 signatures Friday is criticizing the university for its hire.

"There is no place in higher education for a woman like her. Hiring her teaches the wrong lesson to students at the School of Education. It teaches them that if they're bullied and or sexually harassed by administration or a fellow teacher, they won't have any recourse. It teaches that bad actors get rewarded with large payouts and cushy academia jobs," the petition states in part. "The hiring of Dr. McKnight by the University of Maryland is unacceptable and immoral. She has no place near our future educators and the University must reverse course."

Dawn Iannaco-Hahn, a parent of two MCPS students, is not an organizer of the petition, but she said she’s not surprised at this action. Iannaco-Hahn said she also does not agree with the university’s hire.

"I’m not saying I want her to be unemployed but come on, now. She went from one publicly funded position to another. So, the taxpayers are still paying for her to be in a position she does not deserve," she said. "I’m not even saying I want anything bad to happen to her. What I’m saying is, we paid her an exorbitant amount of money when teachers can’t even buy pencils, or copy paper, and special education students aren’t getting their needed services, because there’s a shortage. We paid her an exorbitant amount of money, and now she’s landed in another publicly funded institution going to be making major money and is still going to have her hands in the K-12 schools in Maryland. I just don’t understand how that’s happening."

The University of Maryland College of Education emailed the following statement to FOX 5 on Friday:

"In order to become more impactful in our work, the College of Education strives to build stronger and sustained partnerships with school leaders, elected officials and other members of the education community. We believe our collaboration and consultation with Dr. McKnight will help us better align our work with the needs of schools and educators. Our continued focus remains on building safe learning environments that best serve our community."

Neither the university nor McKnight directly addressed the petition. McKnight released her own statement to FOX 5:

"As a proud University of Maryland alumna, my experience, dedication to education, and proven leadership have always driven my commitment to making a positive impact in the communities I serve. I look forward to the change we can achieve together."

Her position is effective August 23.