A high-ranking official for Prince George's County Public Schools has been forced to resign in connection to the fallout from a federal investigation that reported allegations of abuse in the county's Head Start program, sources tell News4.
Prince George's County Public Schools CEO Kevin Maxwell asked his chief of staff, George Margolies, to step down after emails surfaced showing Margolies arguing with a school board member to keep Head Start issues off the board's agenda, sources said.
In a leaked email, Margolies described the back and forth with the board's vice chair, Carolyn Boston, by saying, "I have scars on my back from yesterday to prove it."
"Today I have asked my colleague and friend George Margolies to step down as my Chief of Staff. I thank him for nearly 40 years of service in public education," Maxwell said in a statement.
Boston gave the following statement to News4 regarding Margolies' resignation:
"I'm not shocked because we've gotten to that point on other occasions and I've stood my ground. We sometimes differ on what the board should and should not know."
The news of Margolies' resignation comes as Maryland State Sen. Anthony Muse is calling for Maxwell to step down.
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"That’s too much power in one hand," Muse told News4.
Muse said he also wants to change the county's school board back to a fully elected board.
"There's a difference between controlling a school board and politiczing a school board and actually being about the business of education," Muse said.
Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker fought to appoint the school CEO and some members of the school board, including the chair and vice chair. Now, the board is a hybrid of elected and appointed members.
"I didn’t vote for this and I was against this. In fact, I'm the only senator who voted against this legislation when they reconfigured the school board," Muse said.
Baker has released a statement that he is not calling for Maxwell's resignation.
In August, the county lost a $6.5 million federal grant after complaints of abuse and poor teacher training surfaced during an investigation.
According to the report, one teacher forced a 3-year-old boy to mop up his own urine and children at another school were made to hold objects over their head for an extended period of time as a punishment for their behavior.
Stay with News4 and NBCWashington for more on this developing story.
