Chilling effect seen on parents

"One of the worst incidents to come out of" the Kendale scandal "occurred when three top MCPS officials signed detailed affidavits last month stating that at a specific meeting in January 2004, a cluster coordinator indicated support for the Kendale Road site," writes Wayne Goldstein, a Montgomery County Civic Federation leader in the Washington Post.

"This extraordinary effort to point the finger at one solitary volunteer parent came in response to the third finding in the inspector general's report: 'Evidence does not support MCPS statements to the [school board] that the [Seven Locks] community proposed or supported a Kendale replacement school option.' This no-holds-barred action will surely chill parental involvement in the future if apologies and promises by MCPS to never do this again are not made."