Free, Private Case Review for Victims Alleging Abuse by Baltimore, Maryland Public, and Private School Officials
Both Baltimore schools and Maryland schools have earned a horrific reputation as of late for the sexual abuse of their students by their teachers, coaches, and other officials.
The most recent damaging reports of alleged Baltimore school sex abuse and Maryland school sex abuse include:
- A child sexual abuse conviction of a middle school substitute teacher who sent a student sexually charged text messages outside of class;
- An instructional assistant at a Charles County high school was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the sexual abuse of minors;
- A shocking case of a school bus driver who was caught sexually assaulting 4 special needs students
While the statute of limitations has been temporarily relaxed to allow victims additional time to react, there’s a definite timetable to be followed—the experienced team at Ben Crump Law protects your opportunity for justice & potential compensation.
Baltimore, Maryland’s Public & Private School Systems Rocked With Accusations of Sexual Abuse
The Gilman School, a prestigious all-boys school in Roland Park, is the latest Maryland independent school facing a crisis after a teacher was charged with sexual abuse and rape of a student.
Baltimore County Police arrested Christopher Kenji Bendann after he was fired from his position at the Gilman School.
A Baltimore County judge has ordered the former Gilman School teacher charged with sexually assaulting students to be held without bail.
He faces charges of:
- Felony rape of a minor;
- Felony sex abuse of a minor;
- Misdemeanor sexual contact; and,
- Misdemeanor perverted practice.
School spokesperson Brooke Blumberg explained, “We are aware that a former Gilman teacher has been arrested by authorities in Baltimore County,” and that the school is “committed to supporting our students and families as well as our broader Gilman community as they process this devastating news.”
However, Gilman isn’t unique to the Maryland school sex abuse problem, and independent school leaders say serious and system-wide changes are needed to prevent abuse.
Investigative Report Shows a Rise in Maryland School Sex Abuse Claims
An investigative report commissioned by the school and obtained by The Baltimore Sun documented decades of alleged sexual abuse at Gilman from the 1950s to 2008.
However, when Gilman officials were apprised of the allegations in a report conducted by security consultants T&M USA, they:
- Did not investigate further;
- Did not alert community members; and,
- Did not pursue prosecution.
Other findings released in the report included Dr. Martin Meloy, a science teacher and baseball coach from 1983 through 2009, who abused at least 13 students during his tenure
The former science teacher was not criminally charged and instead:
- Was forced to resign the following year;
- Entered a non-prosecution agreement with the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office; and,
- Prohibited from having unsupervised contact with minors for five years.
Also, Thomas Offutt, an employee of the school from 1954 to 1956 and a member of a prominent business family, abused at least seven students.
While school officials were made aware of the allegations against Offutt at the time of his employment, the report says he was fired but does not mention prosecution.
As a result of the release of this new information, Baltimore State’s Attorney Patricia Jessamy, who served as the city’s top prosecutor from 1995 to 2011, could not be reached for comment.
Requests for comment from Althea Handy, a current Baltimore Circuit Court judge who served as an assistant state’s attorney in the office’s former sex offense unit from 1999 to 2002, were not returned by the Maryland Judiciary.
