Missing Einstein Staff Members Cause Fracture In Public Trust

By Luke Womack

Over the past few months of the school year, Einstein has seen a number of staff and security members disappear without notice from the school. While personal reasons like paternal or maternal leave are a common and understandable reason for staff to take a long absence, those reasons are usually shared with the community. However, the unexplained absences seen by multiple Einstein staff members are causing concern, especially with regard to the severity of the rumors that are running rampant.

When asked about the reasons behind the absences and whether we could or would ever see some of the staff return, Administrative Secretary Sara Rivera said Principal Mark Brown wouldn’t and couldn’t comment on either the rumors or whether we would see the staff return.

Many see the lack of information as a dangerous threat to school security and safety, especially as Einstein was missing multiple security members, only weeks after the shooting that took place at Thomas S. Wootton High School, just a few miles away. Students and fellow staff are now left without knowing whether the staff will return in time for the end of the school year, and what the school will do in the meantime to maintain a safe and secure learning environment.

These absences have also raised questions about community transparency. Einstein has become more open in their community updates in recent years, thanks to implementations of systems like Remind and their weekly newsletter. Yet, these rumors have caused many to criticize Einstein administrators and push for more transparency towards staff, students, and the community.

As per MCPS policy, no staff member is allowed to discuss any information regarding confidential employee information, leaving many staff who know about the rumors quiet, fearing retaliation from both school and county levels. However, when asked, one staff member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that multiple rumors were true, explaining that multiple staff members were put on administrative leave until MCPS and Einstein could conclude their investigations. 

The lack of transparency, especially regarding serious school events, is a threat to public trust in a school system that is already angering its community. Issues like the recent boundary studies and Capital Investment Plans have caused long-standing members of the MCPS community to feel betrayed by the school system that they are both funding and supposed to trust.

Even on the local level, Einstein, which has seen an increase in its goal to become more open in its community updates in recent years, is beginning to lose its community's trust. Other events, like the big police activity that delayed lunch on Feb. 6, saw no explanation on whether students were at risk or in an unsafe environment. Einstein and MCPS need to become more transparent with their communities, especially in a time when the world is becoming increasingly closed off to the public.