Evidence emerges showing a pattern of plagiarism by Superintendent Muñoz

Further evidence has come to light showing a pattern of plagiarism on the part of Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Michael Muñoz.

The newly-uncovered instances of Muñoz copying material without attribution are, perhaps, the most egregious yet. They include graduation speeches, letters to RPS families and students, even a tweet — all of which look to be plagiarized from other educators across the country.

In one blatant example, the superintendent lifted lines in a 2019 graduation speech (31:50), given to all three public high schools, from Superintendent John Doherty of Reading Public Schools in Massachusetts. From start to finish, entire paragraphs of Muñoz’s speech — minus a few minor tweaks — appear to have been copied directly from Doherty’s address.

Further demonstrating a pattern of copying the work of others, Muñoz sent out a letter in April 2020 to RPS parents and students that turns out to be a rehashing of language from superintendents in Langley, Washington and Hanburg, New York.

Here is an excerpt from Muñoz’s letter in April 2020:

We spent the eight days before Spring Break working hard, preparing for our new distance learning model. We are proud of the personal contact our staff provides to our students during the typical school year. Now, it is challenging for the staff to do this effectively online. As your teachers reach out, please know that they are offering support to parents and students. RPS teachers want to connect to give a semblance of normalcy for students. They want to provide the students with activities to keep their minds engaged during this closure.

Compare that to a letter written nearly a month earlier from Dr. Jo Moccia, superintendent at South Whidbey School District in Langley, Washington:

We spent the last week working hard to train our staff on the new remote learning model. We are proud of the personal contact our staff provides to our students during the normal school year. Now it is challenging for staff to do this effectively online. As your teachers reach out, please know that they are providing support to parents and students. Please email them your concerns. You are not expected to provide a homeschool curriculum for your child. South Whidbey teachers want to connect to provide a semblance of normalcy for students. They want to provide the students with activities to keep their minds engaged during this closure.

The revelations come in the wake of another plagiarism scandal involving Muñoz, first uncovered by Med City Beat in November. That incident, in which Muñoz plagiarized a thank-you note to district staff from as many as five sources, resulted in a five-day suspension from the School Board.

Since then, RPS staff and parents have been reviewing past communications from Muñoz to see whether the Thanksgiving letter was a one-time lapse in judgement, or the latest in a string of plagiarized materials. (When confronted with the first unearthed episode of plagiarism, Muñoz apologized, calling it a “bad choice.”)

“This needs to come to light,” wrote one parent, who requested to speak on the condition of anonymity. “Literally anything I get my hands on from him in the last two years has been plagiarized. The RPS parents, teachers and board as well as the tax payers of this city need to know the depth of his cheating. For someone of his position, the leader of students and teachers, to adopt such a corrupt practice is atrocious. As a parent, I am appalled.”

An ‘unacceptable behavior’

Due diligence on the part of educators and parents reveals that Muñoz has made a habit out of stealing language from his peers.

Take Muñoz’s 2020 graduation speech, for example. The address, a portion of which appears in a promotional film on the district’s YouTube channel, borrows the work of at least three other sources, without attribution.

At one point in the speech, Muñoz says:

There is no pandemic strong enough to silence you or dent the passion of your generation. Keep your head up and keep fighting. Our country needs you because you provide hope for our future. This year may not be what you envisioned, but I'm eager to see what you do with it.

While moving, that comment originally belongs to Chris Dier, a teacher at Chalmette High School in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Dier, the state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year, made the statement as part of an open letter to high school students. It was eventually picked up by a number of news publications, most notably the Washington Post.

It was not, however, Muñoz’s first instance plagiarizing a graduation speech. As we pointed out earlier, Muñoz also ripped off his 2019 speech to high schoolers from a superintendent in Massachusetts.

See if you can spot the similarities. Here is Muñoz in May 2019:

This year, all of your firsts became your last. Your last game, your last concert, your last performance, and your last day of high school. All of these moments, whether your first or your last, have provided you and your family with so many wonderful memories. Each of them, should demonstrate to you after years of hard work and after years of their support and guidance, have been worth the effort in time. They have coached you, supported you, challenged you and encouraged you to believe in yourself and your abilities. The role that they will now plan may change, but they will always be an important part of your lives as they step back a little but continue to provide the guidance and support that you will need.

And here is Superintendent Doherty of Reading Public Schools two years earlier:

Which brings us to this year, when all of the firsts became lasts: your last game, your last dance recital, your last concert, your last performance, and your last day of high school. All of these times, whether it was a first or a last, have provided both you and your parents with so many wonderful memories. Each of them should prove to you that your years of hard work and their years of support and guidance have been worth the effort and time. They have done their best to coach you, nurture you, challenge you, and encourage you to believe in yourself and in your abilities. The role they will now play in your lives may change, but they will always be an important part of your lives and as they step back a bit, but continue to provide the guidance and support you will need.

Neither Superintendent Muñoz nor his administration have responded directly to the most recent revelations of plagiarism.

In a statement released Tuesday, RPS spokesperson Heather Nessler said: “This was addressed by the School Board in December and there is no further comment from the District.”

Muñoz, who makes $228,000, is under contract through June 2022.

While it remains unclear what next steps the School Board may take in the aftermath of this latest evidence against the superintendent, the situation has clearly struck a nerve among district staff and parents.

Like in journalism, plagiarism is a cardinal sin for educators. The RPS handbook underscores the gravity of the misconduct, listing it among “unacceptable behaviors that may be subject to disciplinary action.”

Update: SChool Board chair responds

Late Tuesday afternoon, School Board Chair Jean Marvin issued a brief statement acknowledging the evidence against Muñoz.

Marvin said, “I am aware of the new allegations against Superintendent Muñoz, and I am confident the School Board will take them under review promptly. By law, the Board cannot meet either openly or in closed session unless it provides 72 hours prior notice, so at this time I can provide no further comment on behalf of the Board.”

It remains unclear whether the School Board will address the plagiarism saga before its next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, February 2.

The Board already has a packed agenda that night, including continued discussion — and potential action — on the next phase of learning models for both primary and secondary students.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.