Henry Sanchez, 18, had an "active alien removal" case pending against him - but was allowed to enroll as a freshman(!!) at Rockville High School, where he is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl |
But beyond the always-controversial immigration issue, the rape incident has exposed two additional security flaws at Montgomery County Public Schools. First is the question people across America have been asking on social media since the rape story went viral Friday: How did a 17 and 18 year old manage to get enrolled as "freshmen" at Rockville High School? And, second, how could Rockville High School and MCPS not have a home address on-file for one of its students?
So far, MCPS is not revealing the details of how adults can enroll in regular 9th grade classes. Most illegal immigrants are working during school hours, so clearly neither of these gentlemen came here to work. Stunningly, MCPS and its bumbling superintendent were completely silent on a gang rape that occurred in their school four days ago until yesterday. But don't expect any answers, according to said-bumbling superintendent Jack Smith, who arrogantly wrote that "I know community members have many questions about this serious incident. To ensure we do not unintentionally prejudice an ongoing investigation, MCPS cannot provide any additional details about this specific case at this time." And we pay this guy's salary? There is no reference to the bathroom assault on the system's Twitter feed, even as parents have pressed for answers on social media all weekend.
Equally troubling is the fact that Rockville High School and MCPS could not provide Montgomery County police detectives with the home address of Jose Montano. The official police press release described Montano's residence as an "unconfirmed address." Yet a home address was readily available for Henry Sanchez, the 18-year-old illegal immigrant who has only been in the country for seven months.
How can you enroll at MCPS without a home address? How would they have confirmed Montano's identity? How would they know he lived in the Rockville High School cluster?
How many other students does MCPS not have a home address for? How many students are illegally attending schools outside of their actual school cluster, because MCPS is not verifying their home address? Is this part of an exceptional process that applies to undocumented immigrant students? Because I have a hard time believing that an actual legal resident living in Aspen Hill would be able to enroll at Walt Whitman High School without proof of a current address in the Whitman cluster area.
So many questions, for a school system already found to have extremely-lax cybersecurity (including personal student information), and - as we found during recent vandalism incidents - a lack of security cameras on its campuses.
So many questions about how this devastating crime was allowed to happen, yet none of them are being asked by the elected officials whose policies actually did allow this rape to occur - the Montgomery County Council. Constituents took County and Rockville City Council members to task for their silence, which was deafening this past weekend.
Just this morning, the Washington Post is reporting that MS-13 gang kingpins in El Salvador are sending additional gang members north, specifically to Montgomery County, with orders to increase the gang's power in our county. This is serious business, especially in a county where our political leaders have so far claimed we don't have a gang problem. And Montgomery County has now earned the dubious distinction of being the only jurisdiction in our area where two underage girls have been gang-raped by illegal immigrants in a single year. Last April, two illegal immigrants living at taxpayer expense in Montgomery County public housing in Wheaton were arrested for kidnapping and gang-raping a 12-year-old girl.
Both of these girls were let down by our elected officials, and our school system. It's a disgrace. Silence is not the answer.
I have never seen Dyer ever stick up so much for an alleged rape victim before. Bravo. I wonder what spurred his sudden interest in doing so in this case?
ReplyDeleteHe was able to get in cheap shots against the Council.
Delete12:28: You do realize neither alleged rapist would have been in the County were it not for the County Council's sanctuary policy? Criticizing the Council is totally legitimate in this case.
DeleteHow many tens of thousands of votes did you lose to Reimer by?
DeleteMCPS needs to answer all of these questions and detail what will be put into place to prevent these predators from enrolling as freshman in schools.
ReplyDeleteI hope our elected officials will respond as quickly and appropriately as if this was their daughter in that stall.
A Guat and Salvadorian, color me surprised.. Build the Wall.. Our county is a freaking joke, 18yo in 9th grade? What could go wrong.. oh wait never mind.. What is really sad is when I was in HS, we would have taken care of these scum before the police were even notified.. Nothing but immigrant animals now enrolled in MCPS with a few unfortunate victims sprinkled in.
ReplyDeleteCopypasta from RockvilleNutz... three days later?
ReplyDeleteLooks like Dyer is putting his B.S. in Latin American Studies to good use, at long last!
ReplyDelete6:31: Sorry, punk, but this is a completely new article about the security flaws exposed at MCPS through this horrifying incident, and the silence by the County Council and MCPS. RockvilleNights.com was the first to report the gang rape Friday, and is the leading source for breaking news in Rockville.
ReplyDeleteWas on the deport list. And some want more to just come on into our country. Trump will be vindicated. Wall proposals being sought and it will happen. Enjoy hell boys.
ReplyDelete5:32 AM LMFAO! Sheer political ambition on the part of a wannabe super hero. Need you ask? Dyer the (S)Adam Ant that he his is itching to run for office again. LOSER!
ReplyDeleteI want safe schools!
ReplyDelete6:54: Good to know that a self-proclaimed supporter of Hans Riemer and the Council endorses rape. The voters will be quite interested to know that in 2018, along with why the Council isn't speaking out on this abomination.
ReplyDeleteWhat does Journalism 101 have to say about taking a comment out of context, attributing claims that are not there, and defaming all at the same time?
ReplyDelete"Most illegal immigrants are working during school hours, so clearly neither of these gentlemen came here to work."
ReplyDeleteThat statement is so idiotic in so many different ways.
Thanks for reporting on this. Both WaPo and "the other website" closed their articles on this to commenters.
ReplyDeleteThe "build the wall" commenter doesn't realize that most illegals don't arrive that way. They come as legal visitors (student or tourist visa), then overstay their visa. The wall will do nothing to help that.
The bigger problem I see here is MCPS security. I don't care if the perpetrators are illegal or not. It could have been an 18 year old native-born 12th grader instead. The point is that the school was not ensuring the security and safety of students. If they can't do it there, what about at other schools in MCPS? This could occur at Whitman, WJ, or BCC also.
Meanwhile, our leaders are doing nothing. No statements from MoCo Council, Leggett, or Board of Ed. All we get is a rushed-out statement from MCPS Superintendent on Sunday night, after the story started to make national news:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=5040
His excuse is they can't talk due to "pending investigation" but that's BS. They can surely talk about security at MCPS schools in general. Talking about how secure schools are in Bethesda will not hinder the investigation.
I heard a rumor that the bathroom where this occurred in Rockville HS was secluded, and the only one in the building where you could lock the entry door. Why was this even available?
7:38: All good points. There are a lot of legitimate-sounding "rumors" surrounding this case - such as the past criminal records of these two bright young freshmen MCPS was eager to enroll. And that the reason the 18-year-old was supposed to be deported, was for a previous sexual assault. That's what's so disturbing about the MCPS and Council reaction so far - they're insulting our intelligence by withholding critical information for purely political reasons. If their policies are righteous, how will it hurt for every taxpayer and MCPS parent to have the full, unadulterated facts in this case?
Delete7:35: No, it's actually a common sense statement. Two grown men like these just arriving in America - they should be working in the daytime, and going to night school for a GED. Not preying on children at taxpayer expense. If found guilty, these fellas need a life sentence.
7:22: If you're not outraged about this incident, you logically must condone rape and the cowardly, calculated silence of MCPS and the Council. Disgusting.
"the elected officials whose policies actually did allow this rape to occur - the Montgomery County Council"
ReplyDeleteMore delusional drivel. Dyer is just as sick and racist as his hero Donald J.
Future Dyer articles:
"County Council wiretapped my 'office' during my nearly-successful election run."
"I would have won a Council Seat if it wasn't for the illegals who voted"
8:12: How is it "delusional?" It's a fact that neither of these exemplary scholars MCPS was so eager to sign to their academic All-star team would have been in Montgomery County were it not for the sanctuary policy of the County Council.
DeleteSimply stating the facts doesn't make one Donald Trump.
The Democratic Party said Russia hacked the election, so apparently it is possible to control the results. So, yeah, that will bring every future election result into question. Be careful what you wish for. For now, we do know that the cemetery precincts come in strong for the Council incumbents.
Wake up! You think Rockville HS is the only school in the county that has 18-19 year old freshmen. The state policy changed allowing students to stay in school through their 21st birthday year. There are 19-20 year old students walking the halls of other "Rockville" high schools. This is nothing new. These guys disgusting crime just shed light on a problem that has been here for years.
ReplyDelete8:21: I think a lot of people are going to be asking who specifically rammed that change through, and who voted for it. That's one policy that's gonna change real fast.
Delete@8:21 The 21 year old thing is a Federal law as a result of a lawsuit decades ago, but it applies to special education students (mentally disabled). I don't think it applies to typical ESOL students, but I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteMCPS is making teachers submit another background check this year. Yet, it lets students enroll without an address or ID?
ReplyDeleteWhat is going on? Some big changes need to happen!!!!!
Robert: Just announced PTA meeting at 7pm tomorrow in Rockville HS auditorium. MCPD will be there. Would be great if you can cover it too.
ReplyDeleteHints to Dyer:
ReplyDelete1) This is not your "Watergate".
2) When Nixon was forced to resign, he was not replaced by Bob Woodward or Carl Bernstein. He was replaced by Gerald Ford.
21 year old thing applies to all students. All students have the right to stay in MCPS schools through the year of their 21st birthday. Legal age to drop out is now 18 as well, not 16 anymore.
ReplyDelete11:47: Can they enroll as "freshmen" at age 21?
DeleteYou know what's terrifying? Someone who reasons this way:
ReplyDeleteQ: What does Journalism 101 have to say about taking a comment out of context, attributing claims that are not there, and defaming all at the same time? -@7:22 AM by anonymous
A: 7:22: If you're not outraged about this incident, you logically must condone rape and the cowardly, calculated silence of MCPS and the Council. Disgusting. -@8:26AM by Dyer
12:54: You're not outraged about this gang rape, and the official policies and actions that led to it? Wow. Here's the kind of amoral people the County Council has working for them online, folks! Absolutely disgusting.
DeleteThe Council is fostering lawlessness with their recent statements.
ReplyDeleteI am enrolling my son in Whitman H.S. and they require a birth certificate, passport and tax bill/utility bill. We have lived in the same house since 1998 and could not figure out how these two illegals could get enrolled in MCPS without even a legal address. Why would anyone with even 1/2 a brain let an adult into the 9th grade. It must have been terrifying for the other children to have to walk the halls and sit in class with these two.
ReplyDeleteMonty, from what I've heard in the last 24 hours, there are apparently many more of these adults roaming the halls of MoCo high schools as "freshmen." As I've just published minutes ago, the County Council President has come out in favor of this, saying allowing adults to become 9th graders is the appropriate educational strategy for non-English speakers.
ReplyDeleteIt's ridiculous.
This has been a real wakeup call for parents countywide, I believe. Our elected officials don't seem to understand the real fear parents are feeling right now.
5:45: How many tens of thousands of dollars from Mitt Romney's Bain Capital and Danaher Corporation, and other Wall Street banks, outsourcers and out-of-state lobbyists did Hans Riemer use to win?
ReplyDelete[mic drop]
Obviously enough to whoop your butt. You're mic dropping on a blog while Councilman Reimer has a staff, office, and real work to do for his constituents. What was that again? Was it mic drop?
Delete8:20: Apparently that "real work" of his staff consists of posting troll comments on my blog all day. No wonder Helpless Hans has zero legislative accomplishments in seven years. By the way, did you pick up his drycleaning yet?
Delete[Mic drop]
"[mic drop]"
ReplyDeleteAspies desperately memorize pop-culture quotes in an attempt to look like one of the "cool kids", but typically refer to them in ridiculously inappropriate contexts, and wind up looking like even bigger losers.
What a vulgar attempt at deception for Dyer @ 3:33.
ReplyDeleteYou'll say anything to anyone no matter how off topic, untruthful or defamatory.
Someone asks about journalism ethics rules and you reply by breaking every one of them.
The only one looking bad here is you
Montgomery county is totally out of control with its policies of protecting violent illegal immigrants.MS-13 is recruiting throughout the Maryland, DC and Virginia area and Rockville wants to become an official Sanctuary City?Montgomery County has serious problems.
ReplyDelete6:01: The rapists, should they be found guilty, do deserve the death penalty. Unortunately, the Obama administration assisted Mr. Sanchez in finding his way to our non-death-penalty jurisdiction.
ReplyDeleteBlame, blame, blame. It's a shame Dyer's first instinct is to insult and fight.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't want discussion, just those pesky atta-boys he's always mentions that others get, but not him.
If you don't agree, then you couldn't possibly be a county resident, you have to be a paid troll. And that's the nicest attack from Dyer. And if you don't agree with him then you condone and encourage, or work for someone, or promote violence.
Life's too short to waste more time on this guy's extremely narrow opinions and hate.