A Glen Haven Elementary teacher on leave from Montgomery County Public Schools who allegedly pushed past the principal, slapped an assistant principal in front of students and triggered a school lockdown in June now faces a competency evaluation after a combative court appearance in Rockville.

District Court Judge John Moffett ordered the evaluation Friday, Aug. 7, after Nadine Akoko Sefako Dogbo, 27, of Gaithersburg, repeatedly insulted attorney Alex Leikus and argued she was not guilty during the hearing. Dogbo told the court she had been an educator with no prior charges and did not want a plea deal. She declared she was firing Leikus as she was led out of the courtroom, Bethesda Magazine reported.

Dogbo faces charges of trespassing, two counts of second-degree assault, disrupting the educational process, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct stemming from a June 17 incident at the Silver Spring school.

What happened at Glen Haven

According to charging documents, Dogbo entered Glen Haven Elementary at about 11:30 a.m. on June 17, bypassed all secure entry points, and pushed Principal Tara Strain out of the way before walking into a classroom where she made contact with students.

The school went on lockdown.

Assistant Principal Eric Soskil encountered Dogbo in the cafeteria while students were eating lunch. Charging documents state Dogbo pushed her body into Soskil, yelled "you're not going to hit me, you're not going to touch me," then open-hand slapped him as he tried to guide her out. She then allegedly tore posters off walls and knocked things over in the main entrance.

The lockdown lasted from 11:34 a.m. to 11:49 a.m., then the school shifted to a secure status until 12:29 p.m., according to a letter Principal Strain sent to families that day. When police arrived, Dogbo was walking outside the school, fled on foot and physically resisted officers near the front entrance, charging documents state.

Badge access and MCPS policy

At a June 18 bond hearing, Dogbo's public defender said her school badge still worked on June 17 and that Dogbo, recently diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety, had gone to visit former students and did not understand why she was being asked to leave.

"Their badges are collected when they are placed on leave, and if they are not collected, they are deactivated," MCPS spokesperson Liliana López told Bethesda Magazine on Aug. 10.

López declined to discuss the specifics of Dogbo's leave, citing personnel matters. MCPS Regulation ECB-RA, last revised Aug. 22, 2024, requires supervisors to notify the Office of Security and Compliance within 24 hours of an employee being placed on leave so the badge can be deactivated.

Whether Dogbo's badge was collected or deactivated before June 17 remains unclear.

Multiple charges, no bond

Dogbo was initially released on a $2,500 unsecured bond after the Glen Haven incident but has been held without bond since June 19, when she was charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest in a separate incident. She also faces disorderly conduct and failure-to-obey charges from an April 25 incident.

Leikus represents Dogbo in the June 19 and April 25 cases; the Montgomery County Public Defender's Office represents her in the Glen Haven case. Leikus and Dogbo's family declined to comment after the Aug. 7 hearing.

López confirmed Aug. 10 that Dogbo remains on leave from MCPS.

What's next

Dogbo is scheduled to appear in court again Aug. 14. The first day of school for all MCPS students is Aug. 25.