Baltimore County Public Schools investigate Pikesville High principal’s alleged ‘highly offensive’ recording
Baltimore County Public Schools said it launched an internal investigation Wednesday after an audio recording circulated online that claimed to capture the principal of Pikesville High School making offensive comments.
BCPS Superintendent Myriam Rogers said in a statement that the district has not confirmed the authenticity of the recording “allegedly of the principal of Pikesville High School.”
In the recording, a man is having a conversation in which he makes “highly offensive and inappropriate statements about African American students, Pikesville High School staff, and Pikesville’s Jewish community,” Rogers said.
Gboyinde Onijala, a school spokesperson, said the district is “aware of a recording” and conducting a personnel investigation. She declined to say whether Principal Eric Eiswert is suspended.
A request for comment to Eiswert’s email Wednesday automatically returned with a message saying he was “currently out of the office with no access to email” and to contact BCPS Executive Director Kyria Joseph.
Cindy Sexton, the president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, said she was “appalled by the content of the messages” and said the union had sent staff to Pikesville High to support teachers there.
“This is not what educators stand for; it’s not what our society should stand for,” Sexton said. “I hope it gets resolved quickly so we can move on and focus on educating students.”
The Council of Administrative and Supervisory Employees, a union that represents BCPS principals, assistant principals, supervisors and superintendents, did not respond to a request for comment.
The Pikesville community in northwestern Baltimore County has sizable Black and Jewish communities.
County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., a Dundalk Democrat, said hate, discrimination and prejudice have “no place” in the community or schools.
“The statements being circulated are abhorrent and my administration is providing our full support to BCPS as they conduct a thorough investigation,” he said in a statement. “Following the conclusion of this investigation, I know swift action will be taken to hold those involved accountable.”
Baltimore County Council Chair Izzy Patoka, a Pikesville Democrat, said he has listened to the recordings and called them “extremely disturbing.”
Patoka said he coaches recreational basketball at Pikesville High multiple times a week and called it a “very diverse school” that had a history of “everyone respecting each other.”
“Because it’s so serious, I want to be sure of its authenticity,” he said.
State Sen. Charles Sydnor III, a Catonsville Democrat, said in a statement that he contacted the district and that the comments warrant an extensive investigation.
“Like many Baltimore County residents, I entrust my children, two daughters in fact, to BCPS teachers and administrators for about seven hours a day for at leasd 180 days a year,” Sydnor said. “My expectations would be that, as the leader of a high school, a principal would respect his staff, promote patience for community concerns, and nurture achievement among his students.”
In a post on X, state Sen. Shelly Hettleman called the situation “very, very concerning” and said she was also in touch with BCPS.
