MD: Teacher's aide faces another abuse allegation

Excerpt from WTOP.com:

May 4, 2010

By Darci Marchese, wtop.com

OXON HILL, Md. - An Oxon Hill Middle School teacher's aide accused of assaulting a disabled child is facing another allegation of abuse.

Last month, the family of a mentally disabled 14-year-old boy said James Davis physically assaulted their son.

Now, attorney Bobby Henry says Davis also grabbed the arm of a girl with cerebral palsy in March.

The girl - who is also developmentally challenged - told Davis she needed to use the bathroom. After Davis told her she couldn't go, the girl approached a female teacher's aide, who gave her permission to leave.

When the girl tried to leave the classroom, Henry says Davis grabbed the girl's arm and, after an altercation, threw her to the floor.

Davis is the son of Oxon Hill Middle School Principal Sharif Salim.

Henry says Salim did not follow proper protocol in reporting the incident with the girl, as well as the alleged assault of the 14-year-old boy.

Henry wants a full investigation by the school board, as well as the state superintendent's office "to look into the treatment and the abuse of the young people who are attending Oxon Hill Middle School."

********

Davis is no longer working in the classroom. Salim has been placed on "personnel leave."

For more on this story, please click the following link: http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1949511

MD: Parents worried about ‘seclusion rooms

Seven Frederick County schools have rooms intended to help calm violent or over-agitated students

by Margarita Raycheva | Staff Writer

http://www.gazette.net/stories/12032009/newmnew161747_32541.php

A confined space with bare walls, linoleum floor, no furniture and a window for observation.

That is how educators describe "seclusion rooms" used to subdue violent or over-agitated special education students in seven Frederick County schools.

And Carla Papaioannou cringes at that thought.

Papaioannou had no idea until this year that Carroll Manor Elementary, at which she has two children, has a seclusion room.

When she discovered it — just down the hallway from her daughter's colorful and cozy classroom — it wasn't only the tiny space and the bare, unfinished walls that troubled her.

"It's like this big secret that is going on," said Papaioannou, who also has a kindergartner with autism. "Aesthetically, it is a very scary place. ... It is not a clinical setting."

Papaioannou told the Frederick County Board of Education about her concerns on Nov. 23 after finding out that the board was thinking about building one in Oakdale Elementary School.

"I am concerned about the training of the staff at the school," Papaioannou said. "Who decides to put the kids in that room?"

Teachers, according to county educators, decide when a student needs to be secluded, and they do not take the decision lightly.

"Only a very small percentage of students need this kind of intervention," Pam Pencola, the school system's director for special education and psychological services, told the school board. "It is a very serious step."

Seclusion can be used for any student, but is typically used on students who have special needs, Pencola told the board.

In fact, all seven Frederick County schools that have a seclusion room also have the Challenges or Pyramid programs, which serve students with severe autism and sensory issues and extreme behavior problems.

School system staff follows strict regulations for the use of seclusion rooms and are required to record every instance when they are used, Pencola said.

She did not specify how often schools use seclusion rooms because The Gazette had already requested that information through the Freedom of Information Act.

A Maryland law enacted in 2003 governs the use of seclusion, and local school systems have regulations based on that law.

For example, educators can only place a student in seclusion if the child becomes a safety threat or if seclusion is written in that child's individual education plan. Destruction of school property is not considered sufficient grounds for the use of seclusion.

Educators can seclude a child only after other interventions fail, and for no longer than 30 minutes straight. They must also constantly monitor a child in seclusion, and inform the child's parents.

But state law does not require school systems to systematically report the use of seclusion rooms to the Maryland State Department of Education.

The department, however, does investigate complaints about that practice, said Donna Riley, branch chief at the Maryland State Department's Division for Special Education and Early Intervention Services. Riley does not recall receiving complaints from Frederick County.

Riley said research has shown the seclusion does not help students in the long term, and the state department discourages the practice.

Instead, the state trains educators to look for the cause of outbursts and behavior problems. A fluorescent light or a noisy air conditioner can trigger aggressive behaviors, especially in students with autism and sensory issues.

If teachers can identify those triggers in individual students, they can avoid the need for seclusion. "It is much better to use that positive model," she said.

Riley encourages school systems not to build seclusion rooms. "I tell them: ‘Don't even go there.' There is a much better way," she said.

Still, Frederick County educators defended the practice, and said they use seclusion rooms as a last resort. Seclusion, educators say, is a necessity today when public schools educate much more students with severe problems, rather than institutionalizing them.

"This room is not used for normal bad behavior," said schools Superintendent Linda Burgee, the Frederick County Schools Superintendent, who encouraged parents to turn to their individual schools if they have other concerns.

"We would welcome the possibility to follow up on your comments," she told parents, who spoke to the board on Nov. 23.

But parents who attended the meeting were not satisfied.

They urged the school board to check if schools use of seclusion rooms according to regulations, and questioned the effect that the use of seclusion rooms can have on other students.

Seclusion rooms go against the efforts to mainstream special education students, and only prevent students from learning and being in the classroom, said Michele Clune, a parent with students at Tuscarora Elementary and the Monocacy Valley Montessori Charter School.

They are not a solution to behavioral problems and cannot help educators find the real reasons causing students to act out. Special education teachers have other strategies to calm down over-agitated students, and should not need to shut students in a confined space, Clune said.

"Seclusion rooms do not have a place in our schools," she said. "They could just deal with them without a quiet room."

Leslie Seid Margolis, a managing attorney at the Maryland Disability Law Center, concurred. She said seclusion is an "archaic" method of working with students, which has proven to be ineffective, and could be potentially traumatic and dangerous for students.

"Ideally, we don't think there should be seclusion rooms," Margolis said. "It's a potentially dangerous procedure that has no place in a school setting."

She said the law center has investigated a number of cases in which students were hurt or traumatized because of improper use of seclusion rooms.

Just recently, Margolis closed a case on a student who was restrained three times in one day and then sent to an emergency room covered in bruises. Margolis would not specify where the incident happened, but it was not in Frederick County, she said.

In another older case, teachers forgot about a student placed in seclusion. The child was found at the end of the school day because a bus driver asked about the student. The law center used the case as evidence when they testified for the need to create a statewide legislation governing the use of seclusion in 2003, Margolis said.

Since then Maryland has started moving in the right direction and county school systems must follow.

"It's not just a money issue, it's a training issue," Margolis said. "The state has just begun to recognize that there is a significant lack of qualified training. That is the piece that has been missing."

E-mail Margarita Raycheva at mraycheva@gazette.net.

The following Frederick County Public Schools have a seclusion room:

Carroll Manor Elementary

Lewistown Elementary

Middletown Elementary

Middletown Primary

Oakdale Middle

Rock Creek

Gov. Thomas Johnson High

Parents who have concerns or complaints about the use of seclusion in their schools can call the Maryland Disability Law Center at 410-727-6352 between 10 a.m. and noon.

MD: Opionion, Seclusion rooms "useful and effective option"

NOTE: The following opinion was posted on FrederickNewsPost.com at http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_editorial.htm?StoryID=98513 on December 3, 2009.

While we disagree that "FCPS has been deliberate and cautious about creating and using these rooms," it is always helpful to read other points of view.

Some parents of FCPS students may have been taken aback to learn that "seclusion rooms" are present and being used at some county schools.

According to News-Post education reporter Marge Neal's Nov. 27 story, the rooms are used to isolate students who are experiencing emotional or behavioral stress that may be a concern for themselves and others.

Decades ago, students with emotional, cognitive or behavioral issues were often educated at separate institutions or were highly segregated from the rest of the students at a school.

In recent times, however, the trend has been to mainstream such children as much as possible under the theory that being in the standard school atmosphere and interacting with a wide range of other students is helpful in both educating and socializing them. We believe this is true and of great help to special-needs students' progress.

Practically, however, this is a big, complicated and expensive challenge for public schools. For instance, there are a number of children with autism or Asperger syndrome attending county public schools. Because of emotional, social or cognitive issues, many of these children require special staff, special learning spaces and curriculum, and special handling.

In some cases, special-needs children may even require a place to defuse or work through a traumatic episode they are experiencing at school.

According to Neal's story, FCPS has been deliberate and cautious about creating and using these rooms. FCPS said it has followed the Code of Maryland regulations, which provides the legal definition and authority for the use of seclusion spaces. The rooms are specially constructed, monitored, and used for short intervals and only when deemed necessary. Parents must also provide written approval for use by their children.

Karen Williams is a licensed clinical social worker at Lewistown Elementary School, one of the county schools that has a seclusion room. She notes that students themselves sometimes "self-advocate" to be placed in the room to decompress in a controlled, stimulus-free atmosphere.

Williams aptly sums up the concerns and value of this resource, saying, "The concept of seclusion and restraint always makes people nervous ... and it should. It's a very serious intervention, and should only be used to match the level of seriousness of the behavior being disciplined."

She went on to say, "We employ this tool in a professional, appropriate and positive manner. It's a necessary thing at times."

As in anything else, the tools to do a job well must be suited to the task at hand. Despite the negative connotation some may have of them, seclusion rooms appear to be a useful and effective option when utilized appropriately and responsibly.

MD: School seclusion rooms come out of the dark

By Marge Neal
News-Post Staff
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=98306

Originally published November 27, 2009

A planned addition to Oakdale Elementary School will include classrooms, restrooms, a faculty room -- and a seclusion room.

Seclusion rooms are used to isolate a child -- most often a special-education student -- who poses a physical threat to himself or others, or is disrupting the educational process, Pam Pencola told the Frederick County Board of Education this week.

After looking over the Oakdale plans, board members recently asked school officials to explain the use of seclusion rooms, which are seldom acknowledged or discussed in public.

"A very small percentage" of students need this kind of intervention on a regular basis, said Pencola, the school system's director of special education and psychological services.

She described the use of a seclusion room as a "very serious step" and said staff members employ many other strategies before isolating a student.

The school system already has seclusion rooms at Carroll Manor, Lewistown and Middletown elementary schools, Oakdale Middle, Gov. Thomas Johnson High and Rock Creek School. One is being built at Middletown Primary School.

At Rock Creek, the room is used for students with severe cognitive impairments who may also have behavior disorders, according to the report to board members.

At the other schools, the seclusion room is used for students in the Challenges or Pyramid programs. Challenges serves students ages 3 to 21 who have autism or severe communicative disorders, Pencola said. Pyramid is a K-12 program for students with significant emotional and behavioral needs.

At Lewistown Elementary, which houses the county's only elementary Pyramid program, parental consent is required to use the seclusion room as a behavior modification tool, principal Amy Schwiegerath said.

"A parent must sign the permission slip or be a part of the team decision-making process for the seclusion room to be used," she said.

The principal is notified every time the room is used, Schwiegerath said. A log is kept of all uses, and an incident report is filled out each time seclusion or restraint is used. Parents are to be notified within 24 hours of these techniques being used on their children. Lewistown also holds a staff debriefing after each use.

The seclusion room at Lewistown is about six feet square with a ceiling about eight feet high. The walls are covered with carpet from floor to ceiling. The floor is tiled with linoleum. In the ceiling is a light fixture, as well as a camera that allows constant observation of the student. The light switch is outside the room. The room is free of electrical outlets or anything else that could harm a student.

A calming place

Frederick County Public Schools use seclusion rooms in accordance with the Code of Maryland Regulations, which provides the legal definition and authority for their use. The FCPS policy on the rooms mirrors the state's parameters.

At Lewistown, students in the Pyramid program benefit from a team approach that includes general educators, special educators, administrators and clinical social workers, Schwiegerath said.

"The kids who come here come through the county's (individualized education plan) process," she said. "It's a highly structured program."

Thirty-three students are in Pyramid. Lewistown has another 160 students in its general education program.

Karen Williams, a licensed clinical social worker at Lewistown, said the seclusion room is used once or twice a day for "true seclusion events." The room might also be used at the request of a child.

"Our students know how to self-advocate," she said. "A student will ask for five or 10 minutes in the room to calm themselves down.

"A student might ask to have five minutes in the room with the door open and the lights out."

When a child with psychiatric or behavioral disorders is out of control, the cause is often sensory overload, Williams said. Putting a child in the room takes away the stimulation that has the child worked up and allows him or her to decompress.

The school system uses the Crisis Prevention Institute's techniques for de-escalation, Williams said.

The institute is an international training organization that specializes in the safe management of disruptive and assaultive behavior, according to its website.

Williams is a CPI-certified trainer and provides training to her colleagues.

"We must be annually trained and annually refreshed," she said. "And that's according to COMAR and FCPS."

Parents, when they first come to visit the Lewistown Pyramid program, are hesitant about the restraint and seclusion techniques, Schwiegerath said.

"But it is a last resort and is safety-oriented. We use this room for the safety of the child and the safety of others around him."

"The concept of seclusion and restraint always makes people nervous -- and it should," Williams said. "It's a very serious intervention, and should only be used to match the level of seriousness of the behavior being disciplined.

"We employ this tool in a professional, appropriate and positive manner. It's a necessary thing at times."

MD: Students get a chance to pie the principal

Faculty enjoys the whipped cream

By John-John Williams IV | john-john.williams@baltsun.com

June 21, 2009

Baltimore Sun

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/bal-ho.pies21jun21,0,5922667.story

Cynthia Dillon and Shiney Ann John stood outside Oakland Mills Middle School splattered with whipped cream and couldn't have been happier.

The two administrators agreed that a pie-throwing contest - where up to 20 lucky students in each grade level got an opportunity to throw whipped cream pies - was the perfect way to end the school year.

Students were picked during a raffle where they traded in tickets they had accumulated for good behavior throughout the year for a chance at a slew of prizes, including the pie-throwing contest. In a last-minute surprise, students chosen during the raffle were able to pick one friend to also throw a pie.

The activity was a reward connected to the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program. To lower disciplinary problems, PBIS encourages adults to be positive role models and offers constant reminders of proper behavior through posters and other materials placed throughout the school. Students who exhibit good behavior and follow the rules are rewarded with incentives such as the raffle at Oakland Mills Middle.

Proponents say PBIS can have a measurable impact on a school. Suspension rates at some PBIS schools can drop anywhere from 50 percent to 70 percent within two years of implementing the program, according to experts.

"It has established a consistent standard of conduct," said John, the school's assistant principal. "Behaviors are not a mystery. They are clear with what happens when they do not follow the rules."

Oakland Mills Middle has had a decrease in office referrals, physical altercations and suspensions since implementing the program three years ago, according to Dillon, the school's principal. The school has also seen an increase in attendance, and academic performance since then, she said.

PBIS was started 20 years ago for special-education students by professors at the University of Oregon and was expanded in 1999 to include all students. Maryland has been on board with PBIS since the program was expanded to mainstream classrooms, according to George Sugai, who helped craft PBIS at the University of Oregon. He is now a professor at the University of Connecticut and co-director of the Center of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

Since joining, Oakland Mills Middle has been recognized each year with the highest honor for PBIS schools - the golden ribbon. The accomplishment is much more impressive because of the age of the students, Dillon said.

"Middle school kids try and flex their muscles and stand up for what they think is just," she said. "They do a really good job following the rules here."

John agreed. "They are the best kids. I don't mind if they throw pies at me."

At times it wasn't apparent who enjoyed the activity more - the students or the staff.

Amanda Brewer, a health teacher, was pumped when it was her turn to face the firing squad.

"All right! Bring it on," she said as she put on her hair net and goggles. "Sweet! I get to preserve my eye makeup."

After she was splattered by several students, she exclaimed: "That was really fun!"

Tre Holly, a 13-year-old eighth-grader, leapt over a bench on his way to line up for a chance to launch a pie at a staff member. He lucked out and was paired with John. He eyed his target - who was making faces to egg him on - and launched the projectile in the air, making contact with the side of the administrator's head. His classmates cheered wildly as a huge grin spread across his face.

"It felt real good to get the stress out since I can't do it in class," Tre said.

Lawren Henry, a 15-year-old eighth-grader, ignored the line that dictated where students could throw the pies, and walked right up to John to smash a pie in her face. His classmates were ecstatic as some students ran to capture the image with their digital cameras. John chased him down and eventually gave him a big hug, which in turn left a whipped cream imprint on his shirt. Both laughed heartily.

"I had to do it," Lawren later said. "She's the best principal ever. I had a fun time. I got to throw a pie in the face of a principal. Who wouldn't want to do that?"

The eighth-graders were the first group of students to leave Oakland Mills Middle with three years of PBIS training, which has left a sentimental feeling with John.

"They are dear to us," John said, shortly after hugging Henry. "They can cross the line."

Dillon said she was extremely pleased with the inaugural event.

"It was a hoot," she said. "You couldn't do this with kids who don't enjoy school. It was fun-spirited and a fun way to share in the end of the school year."

MD: Parents Outraged Over Taping of Childrens' Mouths

posted 03/05/09 5:14 pm
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0309/601013.html

Prince George's County, Md. - For the second time in a week, Prince George's County students say their mouths were taped shut by teachers in an effort to keep them quiet.

"What day and age are we in when a teacher just tapes a child's mouth shut," asked Fanchon Christopher, a parent.

The first incident happened last week when a teacher's aid allegedly taped a student's mouth shut in the cafeteria of Flinstone Elementary School.

Now officials at Kingsford Elementary School say a third grade teacher is under investigation for placing masking tape on the mouths of seven students. The most recent incident came to light when another faculty member apparently spotted a little boy walking through the hall with his mouth covered in tape.

"A counselor stopped them and asked why and he said the teacher did it, so they brought the teacher to the office where the principal began to investigate," said John White with the Prince George's County school system.

"Tape on the mouth of the kids. What kind of human are we?" said Catarino Lopez, a parent.

Meanwhile, Parents are wondering what kind of disciplinary training the school system provides. The school system is sending home letters with students to inform parents of the alleged incidents and to inform them the school has reassigned both the teacher and aid to jobs away from children pending an investigation.

"Parent's don't even do that in this day and age - it's abuse. It is literally child abuse and that teacher should be let go," said an angry parent.

School officials say if they are found to have acted inappropriately they could face losing their jobs.

MD: School Psychologist Charged With Sex Abuse

POSTED: 9:50 am EST February 17, 2009
UPDATED: 5:56 pm EST February 17, 2009
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/18730667/detail.html

BALTIMORE -- Police in Baltimore City and Baltimore County are looking into a reported case of sex abuse involving a 13-year-old boy and a city school psychologist.

Robert James Stoever, 54, was arrested Sunday night after a Baltimore County police officer saw him and a teen in Stoever's parked car in a church parking lot on Edmondson Avenue.

Police said Stoever initially told them he was teaching the boy how to drive. But according to charging documents, he eventually admitted to having sexual relationship with the teen.

Stoever is currently charged with a second-degree sex offense and perverted practice. On Tuesday, a judge in Baltimore County increased his bail from $50,000 to $100,000.

Stoever works as a school psychologist at Booker T. Washington Middle School, where the 13-year-old is a student. Sources told 11 News the student had been sent to Stoever for counseling.

Stoever works for an outside company that is contracted by the city school system.

According to financial records, Stoever worked as a stockbroker in Georgia until 2007,when he started working at the city middle school.

School officials sent a letter home to parents Tuesday, informing them of the case and urging them to report any similar incidents.

MD: School Employee Charged With Sex Abuse

Reported by: Ryan Dooley
Email: dooley@wmar.com
Last Update: 8:08 pm
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story/School-Employee-Charged-With-Sex-Abuse/8o94AF45HEySJ_4F5fQ2HQ.cspx

Baltimore County Police have arrested and charged a contracted school psychologist with the sexual assault of student.

According to charging documents, police discovered 54-year-old Robert James Stoever with a 13-year-old boy in a car located at the Christian Temple in Catonsville on Sunday. Police say that an officer approached the vehicle and discovered both Stoever and the young boy in the front seat of the vehicle.

Police say that when questioned, Stoever admitted performing oral sex on the boy and told the officer that this was not the first time it has occurred.

Stoever had been working at the Booker T. Washington Middle School #130 in Baltimore City, where the boy is a student. In a letter sent home to parents, city school officals say Stoever was not employed by them, rather he had been contracted by the school system through an outside vendor since September 2007.

Stoever has been charged with second degree sex offenses and perverted practice.

School officials say Stoever is no longer working with Baltimore City Schools.

MD: Teacher sentenced in child abuse freed

How does this even remotely make sense?

Feb 3, 2009 6:30 AM
http://www.examiner.com/a-1830005~Md__teacher_sentenced_in_child_abuse_freed.html

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (Map, News) - A former Howard County high school teacher sentenced last year to four years in prison for undressing a student and photographing him naked has been freed as part of a plea agreement in a related case.

Fifty-four-year-old Alan Meade Beier, who taught science at River Hill High School, pleaded guilty Monday to a second charge of sexually abusing a minor.

Beier received a 10-year sentence, but Howard County Circuit Judge Diane Leasure suspended all but the time served since he was sentenced in June in the first case. Leasure also modified the sentence in the first case to allow Beier's release.

Beier agreed not to appeal either conviction and was placed on three years supervised probation, and he must register as a child sex offender.

MD: Teacher charged with sex abuse subject of 2007 investigation

Mt. Hebron band director arrested in late December
By Mike Santa Rita
msantarita@patuxent.com

Posted 12/31/08

http://www.explorehoward.com/news/14407/teacher-charged-with-sex-abuse-subject-2007-investigation/

A Mt. Hebron High School band teacher arrested last year for sexually abusing a 17-year-old female student had been the target of an in-school investigation in 2007, according to charging documents.

Robert Douglas Johnston, 61, of the 4400 block of Brittany Drive, in Ellicott City, was arrested Dec. 22 after turning himself into police. He is charged with sexual abuse of a minor, third- and fourth-degree sex offenses, and obscene telephone misuse, according to police.

Johnston was the school's instrumental music teacher and band director, said Patti Caplan, a school system spokeswoman. He has been employed by the Howard County Public School System since 1969, she said.

An in-school investigation of Johnston was done in February 2007, when the same girl he is charged with abusing was seen by a parent sitting on Johnston's lap in Johnston's office, according to charging documents.

The documents do not state the outcome of that investigation.

Caplan said she could not comment on a personnel matter, but that any suspicion of child abuse is immediately reported to child protective services, which conducts an investigation. Even if an incident does not rise to the level of child abuse, she said, if it is deemed inappropriate behavior the system takes "appropriate disciplinary action."

The police investigation began Dec. 6 when school Principal Scott Ruehl received an e-mail addressed to him, which included other e-mails between the girl and Johnston, according to charging documents. The e-mails indicated an extremely close personal relationship but contained no sexual statements, charging documents state.

School officials notified police of what they believed to be an inappropriate relationship.

Detectives contacted the girl, and after interviews and an investigation, concluded Johnston had been sexually abusing the girl inside the school since she was 15, police said.

Johnston denied any sexual contact with the girl, according to charging documents. A person who answered the phone at Johnston's home declined to comment.

The girl told police her relationship with Johnston began in October 2006 when she began taking music lessons from him, according to charging documents. The girl had taken music lessons and band classes from Johnston, and is a member of several band teams Johnston is in charge of, according to the documents.

Johnston first hugged her around Christmas of 2006 and the relationship later progressed to include fondling and sex acts that occurred in the lounge of the school's band room, charging documents state.

The girl also told police Johnston had engaged in lewd telephone calls with her, the documents state.

Johnston was released on $25,000 bail Dec. 24, according to Wayne Kirwan, a spokesman for the Howard County state's attorney. The sexual abuse charge carries a penalty of up to 25 years in prison, police said.

School officials placed Johnston on administrative leave Dec. 8, Caplan said.

Johnston began his 39-year career in the county teaching classes at both Glenwood Middle School and Glenelg High School, Caplan said. She said he has been at Mt. Hebron, in Ellicott City, since 1974.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Feb. 6.

MD: Order Says Abuse By Pastor Confirmed

POSTED: 9:06 am EST December 30, 2008

UPDATED: 5:21 pm EST December 30, 2008

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/18380602/detail.html?rss=bal&psp=news

BALTIMORE -- The order that runs St. Leo's Catholic Church in Baltimore's Little Italy neighborhood has informed parishioners that an investigation has concluded former pastor Michael Salerno molested a boy in the 1970s while at a church in New York.

Known to many as "Father Mike," Salerno was a brother at All Saints Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., when the alleged abuse occurred.

The head of the Pallottine Fathers, the Rev. Peter Sticco, wrote in a letter Sunday that a final report by the Diocese of Brooklyn confirmed the abuse of the 13-year-old boy.

It is not clear if Salerno will be criminally charged. He was removed as pastor at St. Leo's when the allegations surfaced more than a year ago.

He had been there more than 10 years.

"This is something that happened 40 years ago," one man told 11 News reporter John Sherman. "And I'm sure that this man has spent a great deal of prayer and remorse about what had happened before he was even ordained as a priest."

The church's congregation grew from about 100 to about 800 since Salerno's 1997 arrival.

The Vatican will decide if he will be defrocked.

Use the video link above to watch John Sherman's report. Stay with WBALTV.com and WBAL-TV 11 News for updates.

MD: School band director accused in sex abuse case

School band director accused in sex abuse case

By Tyeesha Dixon and John-John Williams IV

December 24, 2008

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-md.ho.cw.teacher24dec24,0,4825738.story

The longtime band director at a Howard County high school has been accused of sexually abusing a female student over the past two years, police said yesterday.

Robert Douglas Johnston, 61, who has taught at Mount Hebron High School for more than 30 years, was charged yesterday with sexual abuse of a minor, third- and fourth-degree sex offenses, and obscene telephone misuse, according to Howard County police. Johnston surrendered to police Monday night and was arrested; he was being held yesterday on a $350,000 bond, police said.

Sherry Llewellyn, a police spokeswoman, said a school official received copies of alleged e-mail exchanges between Johnston and the 17-year-old student and turned them over to investigators. The content of the e-mails was not sexual but suggested a close personal relationship, police said. An interview with the alleged victim led detectives to conclude that Johnston had been sexually abusing her at the school since she was 15, Llewellyn said.

Johnston was placed on administrative leave Dec. 8, said Patti Caplan, spokeswoman for the school system. A substitute director led the band during two recent concerts, Caplan said yesterday.

Johnston has taught in the Howard schools since 1969, and started at Mount Hebron High in 1974, Caplan said.

The school's band has earned numerous awards during Johnston's tenure. In 1996, the band won superior ratings in each category of the All- American Music Festival in Orlando, Fla., winning first place in every event but one.

At the Fiesta-val competition in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in 1997, the school won first place in its division for the parade category. In 1999, the band was the only high school group invited to perform as part ofAmerica's Millennium, a New Year'scelebration on CBS.

Johnston is the fourth Howard public school teacher in the past two years to be charged with inappropriate contact with students. The previous three were arrested in a two-month period during the 2006-2007 school year and charged on a variety of counts. All three were convicted.

News of the arrest rocked the community.

"He had such a great program going on, and I think all of us who were there all those years are all kind of heartbroken," said Betsy Bryant, anEllicott City resident whose daughter played in the band.

Cindy Ardinger, president of the school's PTSA, said: "I'm actually speechless. I can only hope that the matter will be addressed fully."

Baltimore Sun reporter Larry Carson contributed to this article.

Teacher Accused of Giving Students Cocaine

From ABC2news.com
Contributor: Kanika Ware Last Update: 8/27 8:42 am

A former teacher is behind bars for allegedly distributing cocaine to students from Thomas S. Wooton High School.

Montgomery County police sat 44-year-old Theresa Cunningham Duarte gave cocaine to students more than once from her Rockville home. She was charged Monday with two counts of distribution of a controlled dangerous substance and two counts of contributing to conditions of a child.

Police say Duarte was a substitute teacher at Einstein High School in Kensington for the 2003-04 school year. She became a full-time teacher at Wooton High School in Rockville in July 2004.

She resigned from that post at the end of last school year, for unknown reasons.

Authorities say there may be other students who received illegal drugs from Duarte.

Man charged with sexually abusing girls on school bus

From Gazette.net

Accusations involve two girls over a span of three years
by Robert Dongu Staff Writer
Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008

Police on Thursday charged a 61-year-old Prince George's County man who worked as an aide on Montgomery County school buses with sexual abuse involving two school girls over a three-year period.

Franklin Dalton Smith, 61, of the 6800 block of Riggs Road in Hyattsville was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of second-degree assault, one count of second-degree child abuse, one count of third-degree sexual offense and one count of fourth-degree sexual offense. His bail has been set at $60,000.

"He is in custody at central processing," said Officer Melanie Brenner from the Montgomery County Police media services division. "He was brought in early this morning."

Police issued a warrant for Smith's arrest after an investigation into an April 24 report that he had allegedly molested an 11-year-old girl with Down syndrome on a special needs school bus and a prior allegation that Smith had inappropriately touched a 17-year-old girl on a bus in February 2005, according to a news release from Montgomery County Police.

Police say the 11-year-old has limited communication skills which hindered the investigation. But detectives, working with county Child Protective Services and school staff, were able to get consistent statements from the victim and another juvenile bus passenger who allegedly saw Smith inappropriately touch the girl on a school bus taking students to Glen Haven Elementary School on Inwood Avenue in Silver Spring, according to the release.

Detectives also interviewed a former student who had complained that in January and February 2005 Smith asked to meet her during non-school hours, made suggestive remarks and repeatedly massaged her head and shoulders while on the bus to Paint Branch High School on Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville.

This victim, who was age 17 at the time, stated that Smith touched her in a sexual manner Feb. 17, 2005, while on the bus.

According to Brenner, police investigated the 2005 incident but were able to compile more evidence once the Glen Haven student came forward this year.

"We were able to get collaborating information," Brenner said.

Steve Simon, spokesman for Montgomery County Public Schools, said Smith has been placed on administrative leave with pay. Simon also said he was moved to a job site away from students.

"When the recent allegations occurred, he was placed on assignment to a [bus] depot," Simon said.

Detectives want to speak to anyone who knows of any inappropriate contact Smith may have had with a juvenile. Call Detective Toner in the Family Crimes Division at 240-773-5415.