Denton, MARYLAND

MOTHER CHASES DOWN TEACHER IN HER CAR.

Feb 1, 2008 - Lee Holmes, Jr., 25, an eighth-grade math teacher at Lockerman Middle School, was arrested on child sex abuse charge for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old female student.
Full Name: Alexander Holmes, Jr.

Police say Holmes became a suspect Tuesday night after the girl was dropped off at her home in Marydel after leaving without permission. Her mother chased the driver at high speed, until the driver's car crashed in Queen Anne's County. The mother recognized Holmes as the driver of the wrecked car.

Holmes was treated for his injuries at Shock Trauma in Baltimore and was arrested Wednesday at his mother's residence in Prince George's County.

WMTD : Holmes is facing several charges, including sex abuse of a minor and possession of child porn.

Police are asking anyone who might have had negative contact with Holmes to contact the Sheriff's department at 410-479-2515.

May 11 - Pre-trial conferenced scheduled for May 20. Criminal trial scheduled Aug 11. cts

GUILTY PLEA October 15 - Holmes pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree sexual offense for having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl. Under his plea agreement, he will serve no more than nine years in prison. Sentencing was set for Oct. 30.

SENTENCED October 31 - Holmes was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Setting Standards

These are people you can admire.

October 31, 2008 - Despite pressure from educators and the media and their wrenching stories about English language learner students who might not get their diplomas, Maryland School Board member Kate Walsh said she would will not seek delays for those learning English, she said, because she believes they should become competent in the language before they receive a diploma.

The reporter, however, looks at it differently.

How educators view the plight of students is a highly emotional issue for some, such as Dunbar Brooks, a black state school board member, and Andres Alonso, a Latino who is Baltimore's school chief executive officer. The tests, they and others argue, have raised the standards for the most vulnerable students, giving them access to a more rigorous curriculum.

They frame the argument as a civil rights issue, and say they witnessed those groups being held back by a poor education. Students who fail this June, they say, can remain in high school until they do pass.

As opposed to,

On the other side are parents and teachers who view the test requirement as blatantly unfair after witnessing the heartbreaking struggles of their own children or students.

Read the whole thing.
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TT - It isn't parents who think the tests are unfair. It is the teachers unions who vigorously oppose standardized testing. There's a reason. Standardized tests let administrators know which teachers are not teaching the curriculum effectively. Or at all. A tool that unions and underperforming teachers would like to see eliminated.

Towson, MARYLAND

October 2, 2008 - Towson High School English teacher Berdard Wenker, 59, was arrested Oct. 2 and indicted Friday on charges of sexual abuse of a minor and second-degree assault.

According to court documents, Wenker abused the teen over a five-year period, starting when she was 5 years old. An arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 19.
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OTHER:
Google map of Towson via GreatSchools.net
Baltimore County
From school web site: "Located within the seat of Baltimore County Government, Towson High School Law and PublicPolicy is a diverse suburban high school that prepares students to become life-long learnersand productive global citizens. "

Wicomico County, MARYLAND

October 17, 2008 - Freddie Prince, 23, a substitute teacher, was sentenced to two years in prison, followed by two-and-a-half years of probation.

He pleaded guilty Thursday to sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl.

In May, a teenage girl contacted the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office and told a deputy she was having sex with Prince, according to court documents. The student also said she was communicating with him on MySpace.

Full Name: Freddie Lee Prince

TT - The location may change if we find out the name of the school where Prince was teaching at the time.

Clarksville, MARYLAND

Beier began to cry at the judge's decision. As he left the court, Beier shouted that he would end up dead.

September 5, 2008 - A judge ruled that Alan Beier, sentenced to four years in prison for undressing and photographing a 16-year-old male student, will not be released from prison while he appeals his sentence.

Beier claimed news coverage caused some inmates at the Baltimore City Correctional Center beat him last month. He was treated at a local hospital for a broken nose and facial cuts.

He faces two more trials.
TT entry for Beier.

Rockville, MARYLAND

"But honestly this comes at a total surprise."

September 3, 2008 - Theresa Duarte, 44, an English teacher at Thomas S. Wooten High School, was arrested Aug. 25 and charged with two counts of distribution of a controlled dangerous substance and two counts of contributing to conditions of a child.

Duarte resigned in mid-June. The investigation did not begin until after her resignation, police said. The investigation began on Aug. 19, after county Child Protective Services officials said they had received information that Duarte was providing illegal drugs to Wootton students

Police are continuing to investigate the accusations, and believe more students may have been involved.
Full Name: Theresa Cunningham Duarte

Leonardtown, MARYLAND

April 3, 2008 - David Guillemette, 54, a substitute teacher in St. Mary's county, was arrested Wednesday on charges of sexual abuse of a minor, third-degree sex offense and second-degree assault.

The arrest was a result of an investigation into an incident with a 15-year-old female visitor at Guillemette's home that occurred on January 1, 2008.
Full Name: David Emile Guillemette
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TT - A second school employee, Scott Strandberg Jr., 24, a Leonardtown High School drum line coach, was arrested April 10 after police learned of the coach having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female student. TT entry for Strandberg.
Standberg’s trial is set for late September.
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TRIAL SCHEDULED May 11 - Trial is scheduled for August. Source: Court search
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GUILTY PLEA and SENTENCING (Sorta) August 27 - Guillemette pleaded guilty to a third-degree sexual offense and was sentenced to five years in prison -- suspended to an 18-month jail sentence -- and four years of supervised probation. He will be required to register as a sex offender.

The victim’s family agreed to the plea deal. Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Stamm said the family’s wishes were “the only reason” he agreed to the plea deal.

If Guillemette has any contact with the victim going forward, Judge Stamm said he would do the remainder of his sentence from a state penitentiary.

“I’d have no qualms about sending you to the Department of Corrections,” Judge Stamm said. “You’ve done something she’ll never forget and I find that inexcusable. “You’re to have no contact whatsoever with the victim… if you see her walk into a store you leave by going out the back way.”

Cumberland, MARYLAND

Middle school teacher arrested for murder. How do you explain that to middle schoolers?

August 21, 2008 - Cory Yantz, 38, has been charged with first degree murder after his wife was found dead in the kitchen of their Fayette Street apartment. Yantz is a teacher at Washington Middle School.

Yantz is alleged to have stabbed Tonya Jean Yantz, 34, according to C3I. Cumberland Police responded to the home at 3:12 p.m. for a report of a woman who had been stabbed and found Tonya Yantz dead in the kitchen.
Full Name: Cory Francis Yantz
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C3I = Combined County Criminal Investigation Unit, a cooperative unit between several Allegany County law enforcement agencies. Second story of the day involving C3I. Mountain Leathers, 24, a teacher at Mountain Ridge High School was arrested in Frostburg. TT entry.

Cumberland and Frostburg are a little over 11 miles apart.

Frostburg, MARYLAND

August 21, 2008 -
Autumn Leathers, 24, a Mountain Ridge High School English teacher, was arrested late Wednesday, accused of having sexual relations with one of her students.

She was charged with sex abuse of a minor, second-degree custodial child abuse, fourth-degree sex offense, perverted practice and second-degree assault.

Officers say they were contacted by a resident, who noticed the student at Leathers’ home several times in the late evening. When questioned, the victim told police that he had engaged in sexual intercourse beginning in May when he was age 15.

A C3I (Combined County Criminal Investigation Unit, a cooperative unit between several Allegany County law enforcement agencies. ) spokesman said investigators believe there may be additional victims as the investigation is continuing.

Leathers has been placed on administrative leave without pay, pending recommendation from the superintendent of schools to the board.
-----------------------
Frostburg is located about 150 miles northwest of Baltimore.
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INDICTED September 20 - Leathers was indicted this week by a grand jury. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7.

Elkridge, MARYLAND

Request denied for sentence review.

August 14, 2008 - Uppercase Judge Howard County Circuit Court Judge Richard Bernhardt denied a request by Joseph Samuel Ellis to have his sentence reviewed and possibly modified.

Ellis was sentenced to five years in prison after a jury found him guilty of sexual abuse of a minor, indecent exposure and telephone misuse.

In a motion filed with the Howard County Circuit Court on July 24, Ellis' attorney, Andrew Levy, requested that the court hold a hearing one year after Ellis' conviction to allow Ellis "to make a showing as to his rehabilitation and why and how his sentence should be modified."

According to the motion, Ellis is currently in group therapy and tutors his fellow inmates who are working toward their GEDs.

TT entry for Ellis.

At his sentencing, a victim wrote, "Every girl looks forward to her senior year in high school," the victim wrote. "I would rather die than have to relive it."

Upper Marlboro, MARYLAND

"Parents in [Yonkers, NY] school district were not surprised to hear that former schools chief Andre Hornsby had been convicted Wednesday on corruption charges in Maryland."

Oct 11, 2007 - Jury selection for the federal trial of former Prince George’s County schools CEO André J. Hornsby, 53, is expected to begin Tuesday morning at U.S. District Court in Greenbelt.

Hornsby was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2006 for allegedly arranging to receive more than $100,000 in kickbacks while serving as school CEO. He pleaded not guilty in September 2006 to seven counts of wire fraud, five counts of mail fraud, one count of evidence tampering, two counts of witness tampering and one count of obstruction of justice.

Among the allegations, Hornsby is accused of receiving money in 2004 from a $1.3 million school system grant to computer software company LeapFrog Enterprises Inc., where his then-girlfriend, Sienna Owens, was a sales representative. Owens, 29, pleaded guilty in November to felony tax offense related to the LeapFrog deal and is cooperating with prosecutors. Owens admitted to giving Hornsby $10,000 in sales commissions after he arranged for the school contract to be awarded to the company.

In December 2004, Hornsby, then a Mitchellville resident, was allegedly caught by federal undercover surveillance putting $1,000 in his shirt pocket in a Bowie hotel room in what prosecutors described as a scheme to steer Prince George’s school contracts to private companies. In the video, Hornsby was meeting with a government informant, according to prosecutors.

The informant, who is not named in court documents, worked for Hornsby when he headed the Houston Unified School District in Texas from 1995 to 1998 and again when he was chief of the Yonkers, N.Y., public school system from 1998 to 2000, when he was fired after a tumultuous relationship with the city’s mayor and teacher union leaders.

Hornsby was the Prince George’s school CEO from April 2003 until his resignation in May 2005.
Other problems.

The county’s former elected school board had been disbanded by the state legislature in 2002 after years of infighting and allegations of misuse of county credit cards. In addition, former Prince George’s school board member Nathaniel B. Thomas, who was elected to an at-large seat in November, is scheduled to go to trial Oct. 23 on a third-degree sexual offense charge for an alleged relationship he had with a former county student who was 15 at the time.

TT - Link for Thomas

JURY DEADLOCKED Nov 22 - The jury for Hornsby was deadlocked. The judge ordered them to continue deliberations. Mistrial declared.

RETRIAL SCHEDULED Dec 15 - Federal prosecutors have announced that they will retry Hornsby On June 10.

VIDEO RELEASED Jan 2, 2008 - The FBI released a portion of the video survelliance tape of Hornsby accepting money from the education consultant.

GUILTY VERDICT July 25 - A jury in Maryland convicted Hornsby on six of 22 federal corruption charges. Jurors convicted Hornsby of wire fraud, attempted evidence tampering and obstruction of justice. They acquitted him of two charges and deadlocked on 14 others.

The Yonkers perspective where Hornsby used to be school chief before he was fired in 2000:

Though no charges were brought against Hornsby in Yonkers, parents and administrators had been concerned about his dealings here. Hornsby, 54, was the subject of three investigations by the city's inspector general during the time he oversaw city schools from July 1998 to June 2000.

There were no charges," Martha Hurban, a Yonkers resident and mother of two children, said, "but there were definitely findings of wrongdoing."

In 2000, the inspector general also criticized Hornsby for improper hiring practices. Information from the investigations was turned over to then-Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who later said there was insufficient evidence to proceed. Hornsby will be sentenced October 20.

TT - Be sure to read the story comments.

Ijamsville, MARYLAND

INDICTED March 2, 2008 - James Steel, 55, a long-time substitute at Windsor Knolls Middle School, was indicted on a charge of child sexual abuse.

Steel was arrested Jan 21 on an initial charge involving prurient intent. Both charges stem from an incident Oct. 22 in which he followed one of his 12-year-old students into the boys’ bathroom and watched him urinate. A trial is scheduled for the purient incident charge on March 26.
Full Name: James Richard Steel

March 5 - Documents reveal details about teacher accused of sexual abuse, including Steel telling investigators he stared at a pupil's private parts and said he would not trust himself to enter a boys bathroom again, according to charging documents.

Charging Documents PDF [VERY large file. 7.67 MB and slow loading.]
Letter sent home to parents PDF

May 11 - Trial scheduled for July 17.
CTS

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 17 - Moments after a long-term substitute teacher pleaded no contest to leering at a 12-year-old boy in a middle school restroom, he proclaimed his innocence. Assistant State's Attorney Lindell K. Angel offered him the chance to change his mind and have his case go to trial. His lawyer said the statement was allocution.

The plea was allowed to stand. He was sentenced to a six-month jail suspended sentence and placed on five years of supervised probation.

Had the case gone to trial, sheriff's deputies would have testified Steel told them he would not trust himself to enter a boys bathroom, blaming bisexual tendencies for watching the child urinate Oct. 22 at Windsor Knolls Middle School, Assistant State's Attorney Lindell K. Angel said.

Baltimore, MARYLAND

Oh, boy, now HBO is getting into education.

June 20, 2008 - The article begins:

The law is called No Child Left Behind, but anyone who claims it's living up to its billing probably hasn't spent much time at Frederick Douglass High School.

Veteran documentary filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond did, gathering footage at the historic west Baltimore school during the 2004-05 school year. What they saw left them certain that for inner-city schools to succeed, they need more than standardized tests that measure students' reading and math skills.

Their film, "Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card," premieres Monday on HBO.

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TT - Same old dance routine: they are black, mired in poverty, come from single family homes with no fathers. Not enough money - even for books! Students roam the halls. The principal frets that he/she could be replaced. Test scores are bad. Not enough highly-qualified teachers. No Child Left Behind Act.

There is hope:

The film finds rays of hope. Douglass has a well-run music production program, a flourishing debate team and a spirited marching band, and some of the school's best students channel their energy into these outlets.

Excuse me, but doesn't that have the same odd feel of the 1920s when blacks turned to music as an outlet because they were denied equal education? hmmmmm

WHAT'S WRONG with that whole scenario is that schools throughout the U.S. that don't have black populations have the same miserable test scores. Schools with the highest Hispanic populations have the same miserable test scores. Schools with 90% white populations have the same miserable learning experiences and miserable test scores.

Frederick Douglas High School is in the Baltimore Public School district.
GreatSchool.net ratings are based on test scores.
Ratings are 1-10 (10 being highest)
8 The school rates 1 at GreatSchools.net
8 The district rates 3 at GreatSchools.net
For this, the district pays $10,910 per student. (State average=$10,382.)
Frederick Douglass High School must be buying more expensive books than schools in the rest of the state.

Luckily, at GreatSchools you can search for other schools in the District to compare.
8 Paul Laurence Dunbar High School rates a 7, has 98% black, 54% are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch.
8 Frederick Douglass High School rates a 1, has 99% black, 60% are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch.
Maybe it's not poverty?

One difference?
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School has 501 students.
Frederick Douglass High School has 1151 students.

Highly-qualified Teachers
-- % of classes taught by teachers who are not highly-qualified
Paul Laurance Dunbar H.S. 15.3%
Frederick Douglass H.S. 57.7%
"Highly-qualified" teachers require 1)at least a bachelor's degree; 2) full state certification that includes passing Praxis I basic reading writing, and math tests; and 3) demonstrate knowledge in the subjects they teach.
Praxis I - Reading - Writing - Math
Isn't that what you thought would be minimum for anyone to teach?

Massive failure
There are 44 high schools in the Baltimore City Public School district. Only five schools rate above 5. A total of 39 high schools rate 4 and below for poor academic performance.

This is not a failure to fund schools, nor poverty as a bottom line indicator. It is a colossal failure to provide decent education to a whole city school system. Warehousing students in a school with 1151 students is bound to create a morass where students fail to find the attention they need to achieve.

ONLINE RESOURCES
2007 Maryland Report Card
Greatschools.net
(You can also type in your school name and GreatSchools at Google)

Definition of Highly Qualified Teacher
Praxis I Overview

Teacher Salary Scales Effective July 1, 2008 in this district
Teacher Benefits in this district
Median Household Income in Baltimore

Clarksville, MARYLAND

Sentenced to four years in prison and two trials to go.

Jan 12, 2007 - Alan Beier, 52, a teacher at River Hill High School, was arrested and charged with sex offenses and sexual child abuse involving two students.

He invited a of a 16-year-old male to help him set up camera equipment at the school after hours, then talked student into disrobing for photographs. The student contacted police. Police found the photographs that matched the photos the student had described in a search of Beier's home.

During the investigation, police said, detectives learned that a 17-year-old female student had reported that Beier twice had sexual contact with her.
Full name: Alan Meade Beier

The Baltimore Sun reports that Brier is the second Howard County teacher arrested just this week. Joseph Ellis was arrested on numerous sex offenses. [Our entry for Ellis.]

Jan 13 - Beier, who was chosen River Hill's 2001 Teacher of the Year by the senior class, has been placed on administrative leave by the school system.

INDICTED Feb 9 - Brier was indicted by the grand jury on sexual misconduct charges involving a third student. Both Brier and Ellis remain on paid leave.

TRIAL DATE SCHEDULED Mar 5 - A trial date has been set for of Jul 23. He is still on paid administrative leave.

FIRING RECOMMENDED May 3 - The school superintendent has recommended firing Beier as well as Kirsten Kinley. TT link. They fired Joseph Samuel Ellis. His trial is scheduled for July 23.

PHOTOGRAPHS ADMISSABLE May 31 - A judge ruled that photographs of the boy that confirm his story would be admissable as evidence in the trial. The judge also ruled against a motion to dismiss charges. The jury trial is still expected to begin July 23.

TRIAL SUSPENDED July 12 - On June 25, a judge suspended Brier's trial while Brier's attorney files an appeal in the Court of Special Appeals to supress evidence police seized from his house at the time of his arrest.

MOTIONS HEARING August 26 - Beier will have a motions hearing November 9. Beier has appealed a recommendation by county Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin that the school board terminate his employment.

TRIAL SCHEDULED Jan 16 - Found in a story about Kirsten Kinley's lawyer's attempt to get her released. Beier is scheduled to go to trial on March 26 .

PORNOGRAPHY INADMISSIBLE March 21 - Circuit Court Judge Diane O. Leasure ruled that showing the "legal" pornography to a jury would be too prejudicial and could not be included as evidence at Beier's trial, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

The prosecution had argued that pornographic photographs found in Beier's home included adults in poses similar to those in the photos of the 16-year-old boy that were found on Beier's school computer, showing that Beier's intent in taking the photos was for nothing more than his own benefit.

GUILTY VERDICT March 28 - A Howard County judge Friday found Alan Beier guilty of second-degree assault and sexual abuse of a minor. Brier will be sentenced June 9.

Beier, who also is charged with fondling a 17-year-old female student on two occasions and with sexual misconduct with another male student. Both trials are scheduled for August.

NEW TRIAL DENIED June 6 - Circuit Judge Diane Leasure denied the request for a new trial based on the claim that his actions did not make up sexual exploitation. She is considering whether to permit Beier's request for a court hearing to challenge the affidavit police used to get a search warrant. She will rule on Monday when Brier is due to be sentenced.

SENTENCED June 9 - Brier was sentenced to to four years ** in prison. Beier could have faced 35 years in prison for the two convictions. TWO OTHER TRIALS are scheduled for August.

** June 10 story clarifed the sentence. Brier was sentenced to 10 years in prison with all but four suspended on the sex abuse conviction and five years with all but two suspended, to be served concurrently with the first sentence, on the assault conviction. She also sentenced Beier to five years of probation after his release and ordered that he must register as a child sex offender.

NO RELEASE September 4 - Brier will remain in prison while he appeals his conviction. He claimed news coverage caused some inmates at the Baltimore City Correctional Center to beat him last month. He was treated at a local hospital for a broken nose and facial cuts.

Judge Diane Leisure refused to release Beier on bail or home detention while he appeals his conviction. The violence described was "deplorable," she said, but the correctional facility, not the judge, should be responsible for the welfare of the inmates.

"Jail is probably not a place anybody wants to spend a lot of time," the judge said.

Rockville, MARYLAND

May 23, 2008 - Lindsey Froehlich, 26, a teacher at the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA), was arrested Monday and charged with fourth-degree sexual offense and sexual abuse of a minor. She is accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old student at the school.

Investigators allege that Froehlich established a personal relationship with the student that escalated into "inappropriate touching initiated by the teacher." RICA is a public special education school that serves students with emotional disabilities in a day and residential program.

A preliminary is scheduled for June 20. Froehlich is the single mother of a three-year-old.
Full Name: Lindsey Heather Froehlich

Anyone who has information about any other suspected inappropriate sexual contact involving Lindsey Froehlich, should contact Detective Wiltshire at 240-773-5400.

Only one report states the student is male. video An attorney for the school appeared in the video and said Froehlich admitted the charges.

Baltimore, MARYLAND

There's a reason we call it Trash Education.

April 30, 2008 - After the Associated Press contacted the Baltimore County School system to ask about a coach who was charged in 1992 with inappropriate sexual conduct with several female students, the school district fired Nick Arminio in 2007. At the time he was coaching at Perry Hall High School.

In fact, Arminio was never prosecuted in New Jersey. The case against him was expunged. He did, however, agree to give up his New Jersey teaching license in a deal that allowed him to avoid trial. In 1995, he began as a gym teacher and coach at Eastern Technical High School, which is part of Baltimore County Public Schools. He resigned from the Eastern Technical position in 1999 after New Jersey finalized its revocation, in part because he expected Maryland education officials to follow suit, which they did in 2003.

But Arminio says he cited family reasons in explaining his resignation to the district. That same year, he took the Perry Hall coaching job, a position that does not require a teaching license.

What News11 wonders is why a current assistant principal at Perry Hall High School was charged in 1997 with soliciting sex from an undercover police officer in Anne Arundel County. It was part of a month-long sting operation that targeted complaints of lewd activity outside an Annapolis video store.

At the time of his arrest, the vice principal was a teacher at Perry Hall. The criminal case against him, according to the case record, was put on hold. He was retained by the school system and promoted in 2002.

I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller said 11 News has repeated asked school officials to respond to questions about the decision to fire Arminio and retain and promote the vice principal. They have not commented.
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TT - Armino agreed to give up his license in 1992 and began teaching in another state until 1999 when - after seven years - New Jersey finalized his revocation. It took Maryland another four more years to follow suit. Fifteen years later he was still working with children.

Shouldn't the news babe be asking how a teacher who had licenses revoked in two states can escape detection for so long?

Elkridge, MARYLAND

One of three County public school teachers arrested during the 2006-2007 school year accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with students.

Sentenced to five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised probation and registration as a child sex offender.

Jan 8, 2007 - Joseph Ellis, (Joesph Samuel Ellis) 25, a social studies teacher at Glenelg High School, was arrested facing sex offense and child abuse charges in separate incidents involving two female students.

He is free on $150,000 bail. A third girl also reported receiving similar messages on her computer.
Full Name: Joseph S. Ellis

Jan 8, 2007 - The Baltimore Sun reports that Ellis has been charged with several sex crimes in which he is accused of exposing himself to one student in a classroom, sending suggestive computer messages to another and persuading a third to meet him at a park with the promise of alcohol. He is accused of abusing her.

The Sun also looked into his educational background. Ellis graduated from Western Maryland College in 2004. "Students pursuing a teaching degree at McDaniel go through rigorous training that includes repeated warnings against inappropriate relations with students, according to Leiberman. Also, students meet with a lawyer from the Maryland State Teachers Association who specifically talks about appropriate relationships with students."

The Baltimore Sun is one of the few newspapers that takes the issue of teacher abuse seriously.

INDICTED: Feb 9 - Ellis was indicted on the charges of sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of fourth-degree sex offense, indecent exposure, display of obscene material to a minor and telephone misuse. He remains on paid administrative leave.

FIRED: May 3 - The school board fired Ellis. His trial is scheduled to begin Aug 20.

LEGAL: Aug 23 - Legal Theatre: Ellis and his lawyer were in court to demand "surrender" of the search warrants, along with records and materials related to training the officers have undergone. The judge denied the latter. His trial is scheduled for January 7, 2008.

MOTION HEARING SCHEDULED: August 26 - Baltimore Sun: His motion hearing is scheduled for October 31. His trial is scheduled for January 2.

SEARCH WARRANTS UPHELD Nov 1 - (half way down the page) In an Oct 31 hearing, a judge upheld the search warrants police used. Ellis had challenged the warrants and asked that evidence gathered be suppressed. Trial is scheduled for Jan 7, 2008.

GUILTY PLEA on one charge Jan 7, 2008 - Ellis pleaded guilty to displaying obscene materials to a minor. The remaining five counts against him will be decided this week during a jury trial. Those charges are: sex abuse of a minor, indecent exposure, telephone misuse and two counts of a fourth-degree sex offense. Jury selection began today.

GUILTY VERDICT Jan 10 - The jury found Ellis guilty of sex abuse of a minor, indecent exposure and telephone misuse. Ellis was acquitted on two counts of attempted fourth-degree sex offense, which were linked to the girl's accusation that Ellis tried to force her to touch his genitals. The jury deliberated three hours after the three-day trial.

He will be sentenced Mar 21.

SENTENCED April 26 - After an eight-hour hearing that dragged into the night,

Judge Richard Bernhardt declared that former Glenelg High School teacher Joseph S. Ellis had "betrayed the trust that was bestowed upon him as a schoolteacher."

Bernhardt likened the crime to "a shepherd victimizing sheep."

"In many ways, it doesn't seem you can commit an act of indecent exposure under more egregious circumstances than these," the judge said.

He sentenced Ellis to five years in prison followed by five years' supervised probation after he completes his prison term. Ellis was also was ordered to register as a child sex offender.

"Every girl looks forward to her senior year in high school," the victim wrote. "I would rather die than have to relive it."

MOTION DENIED August 14 - On August 4, Judge Bernhardt denied a request by Ellis to have his sentence reviewed and possibly modified.

In a motion filed with the Howard County Circuit Court on July 24, Ellis' attorney, Andrew Levy, requested that the court hold a hearing one year after Ellis' conviction to allow Ellis "to make a showing as to his rehabilitation and why and how his sentence should be modified."

According to the motion, Ellis is currently in group therapy and tutors his fellow inmates who are working toward their GEDs.

Westover, MARYLAND

April 22, 2008 - Kelly Lawhead, 39, a seventh-grade science teacher at Somerset Intermediate School, resigned after his second arrest for substance abuse.

He was arrested after a traffic stop. Police found a plastic baggy with crack cocaine and a plastic smokeless tobacco container filled with marijuana and crack cocaine, according to charging documents. He also admitted to had giving a woman $20 to enter a house at Baker Street and Brown Street and return with crack cocaine.

PREVIOUS CONVICTION He was convicted by a jury of driving under the influence (of alcohol) and leaving the scene of an accident. He was sentenced in January 2006 to six months, non-suspended prison time and 24 months of probation. The Somerset County Board of Education "terminated Lawhead's position as a seventh-grade science teacher at the Somerset Intermediate School."

Lawhead, who was receiving treatment for alcoholism, had been offered an assignment at an adult education center in a position with "greatly reduced pay. " The school superintendent would not comment on the employment history, citing privacy concerns. Nor would he say how long Lawhead taught at the intermediate school.
Full Name: Kelly David Lawhead

Baltimore, MARYLAND

“I think you dropped something,” the students told the school teacher.

April 19, 2008 - An as-yet unnamed teacher at George G. Kelson Elementary School was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana after a bag of marijuana fell out of her purse in front of students

The teacher allegedly dropped her purse and a bag of marijuana tumbled onto the floor. Students reported the incident to the principal, and the teacher was arrested and charged.
___________________________
A look at Baltimore schools.
The school rates a 1 at Greatschools.net (With 10 being the highest.)
One look at the test scores tells you why. They pay $9,628 per pupil for those scores.

Overall, Baltimore City Schools rate 3. There are 87,643 students in 197 schools in the Baltimore City Public Schools.
Of 44 high schools in the district, only 5 rate above 5.
Of 63 middle schools, only 7 rate above 5.
In the 131 elementary schools, a mere 26 rate 5 or above.

In Baltimore County, education is big business. In 2006 the single biggest industry in Baltimore county is Educational services, health care, and social assistance that accounts for 25% of the workforce. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Leonardtown, MARYLAND

Improper sexual relationship with 16-year-old girl.

April 10, 2008 - Scott Strandberg Jr., 24, a Leonardtown High School drum line Coach, was arrested after detectives learned of the coach having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 16-year-old female student.

He was arrested on one count of child sexual abuse. Police say the alleged incidents happened at Strandberg's home and on a school bus, between September and November 2007.
Full Name: Scott Thomas Strandberg Jr.
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TT - Strandberg is the second Leonardtown school employee arrested for having sex with a student. Emile Guillemette, 54, a substitute, was charged with committing sexual abuse towards a 15-year-old female visitor at his home as well as with a third degree sex offense and second-degree assault. TT entry for Guillemette.