Delegate C.T. Wilson's Bill to Prevent "Passing the Trash" in Schools has been Unanimously Approved in the Maryland House and Senate!

House Bill 486
Requiring county boards of education, nonpublic schools, and contracting agencies to require an applicant for a position involving direct contact with minors to submit certain information; requiring a county board, nonpublic school, or contracting agency to review the employment history of a certain applicant before hiring an applicant; requiring the county board, nonpublic school, or contracting agency to check certain eligibility of an applicant for a substitute position involving direct contact with minors; etc.




June 2018:  Passing the trash,” enabling teachers who sexually abuse students to pursue another job with no record of their sexual misconduct, is common practice for K–12 school district administrators who fear legal liability and tarnished reputations.

On February 14, 2019, a former MCPS student spoke to the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee in support of House Bill 486.  He said, "...MCPS teacher who sexually abused my classmate had worked at a prior school in MCPS and was credibly accused of doing the exact same thing" 

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2019/02/mcps-teacher-who-sexually-abused-my.html

WBAL: Bill Eliminates Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse Victims to File Civil Claims

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/statute-of-limitations-for-child-sex-abuse-victims-in-civil-claims/26576661

Maryland Bill Would Make Background Checks by Public Schools More Rigorous #HB486 #SB541 @paulpinsky @ericluedtke @clarencelammd

...The bill sponsored by Del. C.T. Wilson, D-Charles County, requires school districts contact prior employers listed by job applicants before hiring those applicants. It also requires teachers to confirm in writing that they’ve never been the subject of a child abuse investigation, unless the investigation found the allegations to be false.

“We don’t do the proper background checks," Wilson said. "We only do a criminal background check, which is pretty useless in these matters.”..

https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Maryland-Bill-Would-Make-Background-Checks-by-Public-Schools-More-Rigorous-506342911.html?akmobile=o

MCPS "teacher who sexually abused my classmate had worked at a prior school in MCPS and was credibly accused of doing the exact same thing" #sexualabuse @MarylandSCCAN @paulpinsky @ericluedtke @clarencelammd #HB486 #SB541

On average, a school employee that has been alleged to have engaged in sexual
abuse or misconduct will be transferred to THREE different schools before they
are reported to the police.

Fix this system failure and support Senate Bill 541/House Bill 486 in Maryland! The
S.E.S.A.M.E. Bill (Stop School Employee Sexual Abuse, Misconduct and
Exploitation) keeps our children safe and protects the integrity of the education
profession.

Listen to the testimony below as a Montgomery County Public School graduate details to the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee what it was like to be in a MCPS middle school when his teacher was found to have sexually abused a classmate.

The speaker describes the case of Robert Ballmann who taught at Westland Middle School in Bethesda and was then moved to Frost Middle School in Rockville.  Mr. Ballmann victimized 
students at both schools.  

The practice of moving around school staff who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of students is known as "passing the trash." 



Public Comment given before Maryland House Ways and Means Committee on February 14, 2019, on House Bill 486.

On average, a school employee that has been alleged to have engaged in sexual abuse or misconduct will be transferred to THREE different schools before they are reported to the police. .@MarylandSCCAN .@paulpinsky .@ericluedtke .@clarencelammd