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The U.S. Department of Education concluded a sexual harassment investigation at the Takoma/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College in Maryland involving a professor who told female students to take their shirts off in class in 2019.
The investigation found that the professor required students to strip down to their sports bras to “show a medical assessment, despite the fact that the assessment did not require clothing removal or physical commentary,” according to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). ) of the department. wrote in one press release Wednesday. The professor also commented on the position of the students’ nipples and breasts and demanded they remove the lab coats some students donned out of modesty, according to the agency’s letter to the college.
A three-month investigation by the college concluded that the professor created a hostile environment based on sex. The educator was sent on leave the day after a report was filed and was later terminated, according to OCR.
A Google Maps view of the Takoma/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College in Maryland, which recently completed a US Department of Education study. (Google Maps)
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OCR launched its investigation after a student alleged that the school discriminated against her on the basis of gender by not responding “quickly and fairly” to her sexual harassment complaint. The agency concluded that the school followed Title IX guidelines, but failed to notify affected students of the investigation’s conclusion.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon praised Maryland College, located outside of Washington, D.C., for responding quickly to the situation and largely complying with Title IX.
“The embarrassing underlying facts in this investigation — of a college professor subjecting his entire class to sexual harassment as a condition of instruction — are abhorrent and absolutely unacceptable under Title IX,” she said. “I appreciate the additional commitment Montgomery College has made to meet its remaining obligation under Title IX to ensure that the discriminatory effects end for all of its students.”
Many of the affected students received support services such as counseling, academic help and tuition reimbursement.
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The Office for Civil Rights is demanding that all students in a class where the professor required students to take their shirts off be notified of the end of the Montgomery College investigation. (Elina Shirazi)
One student who emailed a researcher said she believed she had failed to come to the classroom because of the harassment. The college paid her to re-enroll in the course.
Although the student who filed the initial complaint was notified of the conclusion of the university’s investigation, OCR determined that more needed to be done to comply with Title IX.
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OCR has issued a resolution agreement requiring the school to notify all students in the class in writing that the investigation has been completed and outline steps taken to “end a hostile environment.”
“This lack of notification raises concerns that the college may not have taken the necessary steps to ensure that a hostile environment does not continue for the affected students,” the release said.
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The United States Department of Education building is shown in Washington, DC, July 21, 2007. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
The resolution also requires the school to share the OCR documentation of a 2022 on-campus climate study and take the necessary steps to respond to the information from it.
“We appreciate the thorough investigation conducted by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights regarding this matter,” top Montgomery College spokesman Marcus Rosano told Fox News in a statement. “The Board fully supports the findings and resolutions set out in the final report, which was made public this week.”
Rosano declined to identify the professor, citing the university’s policies regarding personnel matters.
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Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, chair of the Council’s Education Committee, said FOX 5 DC that he was surprised to learn about the incident years after it happened.
“I think the most important thing that happened when this horrible sexual harassment happened was that the person was immediately removed when the complaint came in and they were fired shortly after,” he said. “I think we succeeded.”
