Editor’s note: This story, originally published at 11:45 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2025, was updated at 9:35 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2025, to add statements from MCPS and Rachel Schiffenbauer.
Andrew Winter, the former principal of Ritchie Park Elementary School in Rockville who was acquitted of assaulting a student in 2024, is set to serve as the assistant principal of Rock Creek Valley Elementary in Rockville, according to a Friday letter sent to Rock Creek Valley families.
Winter, 54, will serve as the assistant principal until June 30, Rock Creek Valley Principal Jae Lee said in the letter.
Winter was charged in June with second-degree assault in connection with a Feb. 9 incident caught on a surveillance camera at the school, in which Winter grabbed a kindergartener by his hoodie to make him sit down in the cafeteria and then appeared to stomp on the student’s foot.
During a roughly five-hour bench trial in November, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Sharon Burrell found the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office didn’t provide enough evidence to convict Winter of second-degree assault.
According to the letter Lee sent to Rock Creek Valley families, “as part of due process and following strict adherence to established protocols by MCPS,” Winter is available to return to work.
“My goal is to ensure that Mr. Winter is prepared to support our students’ academic and personal growth and their physical and psychological safety,” Lee wrote. “As such, I will provide support to him that includes clear expectations about safety and security policies, open communication, and collaborative decision-making.”
In an emailed statement sent to Bethesda Today at 6:00 p.m. Monday, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) spokesperson Liliana López said MCPS “sincerely appreciate the concerns raised by members of the Rock Creek Valley Elementary School community” and that the decision to assign Winter as assistant principal was made with “careful consideration.”
López said Winter’s return to work follows “a thorough and comprehensive review process” and his new assignment “triggers an evaluation year” where he will be assessed on standards included in the professional growth system for administrators. MCPS administration isn’t aware of any unresolved allegations against Winter within MCPS or with external agencies like law enforcement, according to López.
Winter’s attorney for the November trial, David Martella, didn’t immediately respond to a phone call request for comment.
The assignment has raised concerns among some parents, including Rachel Schiffenbauer, who created a petition advocating that the district rescind the assignment. The petition currently has 434 signatures. According to the Rock Creek Valley PTA website, Schiffenbauer is the chairperson of the PTA’s reflections art program committee.
In a Monday night email to Bethesda Today, Schiffenbauer said the video of the incident at Ritchie Park raised concerns within the Rock Creek Valley community.
“While the behavior depicted in the video may not meet the threshold for criminal charges, it has understandably raised questions about Mr. Winter’s alignment with our school’s values,” Schiffenbauer said in the email.
Schiffenbauer wrote in the petition that Rock Creek Valley prides itself “on being a safe and caring community.” According to the Rock Creek Valley PTA website, Schiffenbauer is the chairperson of the PTA’s reflections art program committee.
“The recent appointment of Andrew Winter as Assistant Principal directly contradicts these core values,” Schiffenbauer wrote in the petition. “Mr. Winter’s concerning behavior and documented inability to manage student behavioral issues raise serious concerns about his suitability for this critical role.”
The petition demands that MCPS rescind Winter’s appointment, create a “transparent and inclusive” assistant principal selection process with community involvement and appoint an assistant principal “who embodies the values of our school and prioritizes the well-being of our children.”
Commenters on the petition also expressed concerns, including one comment that said it wasn’t OK to “jeopardize the well-being of children to prove an adult’s innocence. My children are not guinea pigs.”
In the statement from MCPS, López said a meeting organized by the Rock Creek Valley PTA is scheduled for Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m., during which Associate Superintendent Sean McGee and Area Director Christophe Turk will be available to answer questions.
