.@SenatorSusanLee "This bill’s use of actual knowledge as well as not including mandated reports of victims after they turn 18, will set safety for our children back, instead of moving it forward. This bill (contrary to proponents’ statements) would not in fact give justice to the [MCPS] children victimized by Lawrence Joynes, Jose Pineda, John Vigna, Mark Yantos or Daniel Picca. All MCPS teachers, all left in the classroom by MCPS officials who knew for a fact they were dangerous and had them on written “restrictions” to stop touching children."

Oppose

HB 787 / SB 568

Crimes - Child Abuse and Neglect - Failure to Report

April 2019

Written testimony respectfully submitted by

Jennifer Alvaro

Licensed Certified Social Worker – Clinical, MD

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, VA

Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider, VA

Clinical Member, ATSA

For the past several years, I have been advocating for Maryland to fulfill its duty to protect our children, the most vulnerable among us. Having lived in Maryland my entire life, having been a social worker for 25 years, I was deeply disturbed to discover Maryland isone of only two states in the nation without a criminal penalty forfailure to report.

While always hoping professionals will act morally, ethically and legally, it has been a rude awakening to have learned this is not the case many times for those to whom we entrust our children. As a resident of Montgomery County, what I have learned in the past seven years is for decades many mandated reporters in the Montgomery County Public School system and other systems across the state have violated the law by failing to report their suspicions of child abuse. This is not a baseless accusation or unfounded speculation. I say this because advocates and news media have documented proof via court testimony, MPIA requests, interviews and admissions in public meetings. Admissions made by mandated reporters they knowingly chose not to report suspicions of severe cases of abuse to authorities. Their choice not to follow the law by reporting led to the abuse of more children.

Time after time we see systems protecting themselves instead of children because in Maryland mandated reporters have no fear of being held accountable for breaking the law. That is why, as a mandated reporter myself, I have advocated strongly for adding criminal penalties for the egregious cases of failure to report we have seen far too often in our youth serving organizations in Maryland.

Heartbreakingly, I am submitting this testimony to OPPOSE this bill. This bill, though desperately needed, is dangerous as currently written, this bill will not only fail to right a wrong, it will make things worse for children in Maryland.

This bill’s use of actual knowledge as well as not including mandated reports of victims after they turn 18, will set safety for our children back, instead of moving it forward. This bill (contrary to proponents’ statements) would not in fact give justice to the children victimized by Lawrence Joynes, Jose Pineda, John Vigna, Mark Yantos or Daniel Picca. All MCPS teachers, all left in the classroom by MCPS officials who knew for a fact they were dangerous and had them on written “restrictions” to stop touching children.

For those reasons, I am dismayed be forced to oppose this bill and urge you to issue an unfavorable report.   

HB 787 and SB 568 Alvaro by on Scribd

Former security guard at MCPS high school sentenced for sexual relationship with student

ROCKVILLE, Md. (ABC7) — A former security guard at a Montgomery County high school is getting 18 months in prison and will register as a sex offender after he had an ongoing sexual relationship with one of the school's female students.

Mark Yantsos, 58, was the former head of security at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville when he was first arrested for have a sexual relationship with a then 17-year-old student in April.


He was arrested a second time in May after meeting with the student again and allegedly having sex with her...

http://wjla.com/news/local/former-security-guard-at-md-high-school-sentenced-for-sexual-relationship-with-student

“He had been warned to cease any personal relationship or acting in an overly friendly manner with a student,” she said.

Maryland [MCPS] school security chief was warned about inappropriate conduct but kept in post

The top security official at a Maryland high school was warned several times in writing about inappropriate contact with a student, but was kept in his position and ultimately charged with sexually abusing the 17-year-old, according to details that emerged in court.

Mark C. Yantsos, 58, the former head of security at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, pleaded guilty to a count of sexual abuse of a minor at a hearing last week.

His case appears to be the latest of several in which a Montgomery County school system employee was admonished for repeated incidents of inappropriate behavior with students but stayed on the job and allegedly crossed the line again.

It raised further concerns because Yantsos was responsible for student safety and his arrest came amid a district effort to improve procedures for recognizing and reporting suspicious conduct in schools.

Yantsos was accused in April of befriending the teenager, texting her about graphic sex acts, giving her gifts and taking her to a hotel for intercourse...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/maryland-school-security-chief-was-warned-about-inappropriate-conduct-but-kept-in-post/2017/09/24/e794343c-9e2c-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html?utm_term=.a9573f8528c0#comments

On Monday, Yantsos saw the girl’s mother enter school and head to the main office. Yantsos made contact with the girl while she was in class. They met in school, and Yantsos took custody of the iPhone he’d purchased for her.

...Investigators received copies of text messages Yantsos had recently sent the girl.
On Monday, Yantsos saw the girl’s mother enter school and head to the main office. 

Yantsos made contact with the girl while she was in class. They met in school, and Yantsos took custody of the iPhone he’d purchased for her... 

http://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2017/04/montgomery-county-school-security-leader-charged-sex-offense/

MCPS Hired Security Guard who: "was accused of using his revolver to menace a female while working for the New York Police Department."

A Message from Dr. Jack R. Smith Regarding the Arrest of Mark Yantsos on Allegations of Sexual Abuse of a Minor
April 6, 2017
“The allegations against Mark Yantsos, the security team leader at Richard Montgomery High School, are disturbing. As Principal Monteleone stated in his letter to the community (included below), the behavior described in the charging document “represents an irreparable breach of trust, ethics and the law.” Any adult who abuses their position and takes advantage of our students has no place in our schools or community.
“Additionally, it has come to our attention that in 1994, Mr. Yantsos was accused of using his revolver to menace a female while working for the New York Police Department. We have provided this information to the police.
“The safety of our students is paramount. In 2015, the Montgomery County Board of Education updated its policy regarding child abuse and neglect. Central to the updated policy are new practices, procedures and protocols to ensure students have a safe environment in which to learn. This includes: 
• updated mandatory training of all full-time employees on recognizing and reporting child abuse; and
• the development of the Employee Code of Conduct, a document that summarizes the standards of conduct that MCPS and the broader community expect employees to follow.
We remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure all of our students are in a safe environment.” 

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=5046&type=current&startYear=&pageNumber=&mode

MCPS Security Team Leader Charged with Sex Offense

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) have arrested and charged Mark Christopher Yantsos, age 57, of the 600 block of Warfield Drive in Rockville, for having inappropriate contact with a 17-year-old female Richard Montgomery High School student while he worked as the security team leader at the school. The Montgomery County Public Schools system placed Yantsos on administrative leave as soon as it learned of these allegations.

On Monday, April 3, SVID detectives were notified by school officials that a Montgomery County Public Schools employee had engaged in an ongoing sexual relationship with a student at the high school where he worked.

SVID detectives interviewed the victim who told investigators that she met Yantsos while she was a student at Richard Montgomery High School and while he worked as part of the school security team at the school. The victim stated that Yantsos befriended her in 2016 and that he purchased multiple gifts for her since that time. In March of 2017, Yantsos bought the victim a phone in order to communicate with her during and after school hours.

The victim further stated that on March 3, 2017 at approximately 10:00 p.m., Yantsos drove to her home, picked her up, and drove her to a hotel in Rockville where he engaged in inappropriate contact with her.

Investigators were provided with copies of inappropriate text messages that Yantsos had recently sent to the victim.

Yantsos was arrested this morning at his home on the strength of a Montgomery County criminal warrant, charging him with sexual abuse of a minor and a fourth-degree sex offense. He was transported to the Central Processing Unit. Bond information is not available at this time.

Detectives are requesting that parents of students who attend Richard Montgomery High School talk to their children about their interactions with Mark Christopher Yantsos and contact SVID detectives at 240-773-5400 if they believe their child was victimized.

http://www.mymcpnews.com/2017/04/06/montgomery-county-public-school-security-team-leader-charged-with-sex-offense/