MC Police: After-School Program Employee Charged with Texting Students Inappropriate and Sexual Content

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department –  Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) have arrested and charged Christopher Steve Escobar, age 27, of Port Haven Drive in Germantown, for having inappropriate and sexual communication (texting) with two boys that began when the boys were in elementary school and continued through their middle school years.  At the time of these offenses, Escobar was employed with a company that administered an after-school program at the victims’ elementary school.

Investigation by detectives revealed that in approximately August of 2012, Escobar began inappropriately texting two approximately 9-year-old male elementary school students whom he came into contact with as an employee of the Bar-T after-school program at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in Kensington.  The texting between Escobar and the two victims continued until 2017, when the two males were approximately 14 years old.  It should be noted that the two victims did not have knowledge of each other’s texting with Escobar.

On May 24, detectives arrested Escobar on the strength of a warrant, charging him with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor for the exploitation of these two victims.  Escobar was arrested at his residence and transported to the Central Processing Unit.  He is being held without bond.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims.  Detectives are requesting that parents talk to their children about possible interactions with Escobar and contact SVID detectives at 240-773-5400 if they believe their child was victimized.

http://www.mymcpnews.com/2018/05/25/after-school-program-employee-charged-with-texting-students-inappropriate-and-sexual-content/

Breaking: Justice Department Settles with Montgomery County, Maryland, After School Program to Ensure Compliance with the ADA

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with Bar-T Year Round Programs for Kids (Bar-T), located in Montgomery County, Maryland, to remedy alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Title III of the ADA prohibits public accommodations, including child care centers, from discriminating against individuals with disabilities and those associated with them.  Bar-T is the largest provider of before and after school programs in Montgomery County, operating at approximately 30 Montgomery County public school locations.    

The department investigated whether Bar-T discriminated against a student with a disability, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and her parents when it expelled the student on the basis of behaviors associated with ASD, without properly considering whether Bar-T staff could implement reasonable modifications to permit the student to remain enrolled.  The settlement agreement requires Bar-T to adopt a nondiscrimination policy; designate staff at each operating location to address ADA issues; implement a process for parents or guardians of children with disabilities to request reasonable modifications and for Bar-T to conduct an individualized assessment of each request; provide ADA training to staff; and report on compliance with the agreement.  Bar-T will also pay $13,500 in compensatory damages to the student and her parents.

 “Through this agreement, Bar-T is taking important steps to make sure that all children in its programs, including children with disabilities, will be given the opportunity to have a positive and successful experience in a supportive after school environment,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Civil Rights Division. 

 “Children with disabilities deserve equal opportunities to attend after school programs.  The policies Bar-T has agreed to implement will ensure that its programs provide an inclusive environment for all students,” said Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning.

To read the settlement agreement or for more information on the ADA, visit www.ada.gov.  For more information about the ADA, including how to file a complaint, call the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or access the ADA website at www.ada.gov.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-settles-montgomery-county-maryland-after-school-program-ensure-compliance

Bar-T Settlement Agreement