Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Florida warned schools about a teacher’s fraud. Baltimore County missed the red flags.
Thanks to a national clearinghouse for screening teachers, hundreds of school districts would have known to ask more questions before hiring Darien, the high school athletic director who was arrested in April and accused of framing a Pikesville principal using artificial intelligence. Florida’s education department flagged the clearinghouse eight years ago that Darien was denied a teaching certificate based on “test or document fraud.”
Baltimore County Public Schools didn’t get the memo.
When the school district first hired Darien in spring 2023, it didn’t have access to the database run by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education Certification, which has tracked all “adverse action” against licensed educators since 1985, according to Jimmy Adams, the group’s executive director...
...Maryland law requires school systems to review applicants’ employment history “by contacting the employers listed by the applicant” when the job involves direct contact with minors. School systems, though, can set up their own vetting procedures in addition to what’s required by law, according to the state education department...
Monday, April 15, 2024
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Former teacher pleads guilty to sexual child abuse after conviction overturned in Montgomery County
The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said John Vigna, 57, of Silver Spring entered pleas to charges of Sexual Child Abuse and Sexual Abuse of a Minor (3 counts). Prosecutors said the crimes of which Vigna was accused involved a number of students at Cloverly Elementary School between 2001 and 2016...
Monday, March 4, 2024
Former Montgomery Co. elementary school teacher pleads guilty to sexual abuse of students after being granted new trial
In a news release, prosecutors said 57-year-old John Vigna pleaded guilty to one count of child sexual abuse and three counts of sexual abuse of a minor against a number of students at Cloverly Elementary School in Silver Spring...
Saturday, February 3, 2024
McKnight Became Superintendent and MCPS stopped posting Notification Letters on MCPS Child Abuse and Neglect Webpage
MCPS did that. For a time.
But when Superintendent Monifa McKnight took over MCPS, those notification letters stopped being posted to the MCPS Child Abuse and Neglect website.
The last Community Notification Letter to be posted was in December of 2021.
The purpose of this listing is that so this information is available to anyone in Montgomery County, not just those families who have children in one school at the time of the incident, arrest or conviction. Why is that important? Because MCPS has a long history of moving around suspected and known sexual predators. Often when an arrest is made parents discover that the MCPS employee had worked in multiple classrooms, schools or locations.
When Monifa McKnight became MCPS Superintendent, MCPS became less transparent about these cases.
Here are some of the Community Notification Letters that could have gone out after December of 2021 and are not shown on the MCPS Child Abuse and Neglect website.
FY 2023:
• A security assistant was arrested on one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of
displaying obscene items to a minor.
• A volunteer football coach was arrested on multiple charges of sexual offenses.
• A football coach was arrested on multiple charges of sexual offenses.
• A volunteer photographer was arrested on multiple charges of sexual abuse of a minor.
• A building service worker was arrested on multiple charges of sexual offenses, including a
charge of sexual abuse of a minor.
Melissa Curtis: https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2023/11/what-did-mcps-mocoboe-know-and-when-did.html
FY 2022:
- A bus operator is charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count second degree assault stemming from his work as a private driving instructor.
Monday, November 27, 2023
After Alleged Assault, Twinbrook Elementary Staff Meets with Parents
Monday morning, a group of parents and administrators gathered to learn about school safety in the wake of the allegation made last week. This was the second Parent Coffee held for this purpose, the first occurring last Friday.
A group of about 20 people were present with an equal mix of school administrators and parents. According to a participant who was at both meetings the parent turnout was about the same on Friday. Attendees signed in and an agenda was distributed. They outlined how to report an incident, safety measures at the school and asked parents to complete an evaluation form...
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Former Montgomery County teacher accused of having sex with 8th grader granted bond
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A judge set bond and conditions of release for a former Montgomery County Public Schools teacher who is accused of sleeping with one of her students while he was in 8th grade.
A man recently told police that Melissa Marie Curtis, 31, of Upper Marlboro, Md. had sex with him more than 20 times while he was a student at Montgomery Village Middle School. The man was 14 years old at the time. Curtis was 22...
Friday, November 10, 2023
Former Montgomery County teacher accused of having sex with 8th grader granted bond
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A judge set bond and conditions of release for a former Montgomery County Public Schools teacher who is accused of sleeping with one of her students while he was in 8th grade.
A man recently told police that Melissa Marie Curtis, 31, of Upper Marlboro, Md. had sex with him more than 20 times while he was a student at Montgomery Village Middle School. The man was 14 years old at the time. Curtis was 22...
Thursday, July 27, 2023
New Trial Granted to Former MCPS Teacher Previously Convicted for Sexually Abusing Students
A new trial has been granted for a former Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) elementary school teacher previously convicted of sexually abusing several students.
In 2017, John Vigna, of Silver Spring was found guilty on nine counts involving four victims. Vigna was serving 48 years in prison, but on July 12 was released ahead of a new trial.
Vigna’s conviction was tossed out by Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge David Lease earlier this month after new attorneys for Vigna argued during his first trial, he had “ineffective assistance of counsel.” This was reached after a series of trials from November to March.
Vigna was a 5th and 6th grade teacher at Cloverly Elementary School for 20 years. A 2016 class on “body safety” triggered the investigation that led to his arrest and conviction. the class teaches students how to identify sexual abuse and teachers noted the physical reaction of one student. The investigation led police to ask any potential victims to come forward and five victims named in the 15-count indictment identifying Vigna...
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Former Montgomery County teacher convicted of sexually abusing minors had convictions vacated ahead of new trial
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A former Montgomery County teacher who was convicted of sexual abuse of minors had his convictions vacated on July 7 ahead of his new trial.
John Vigna worked at Cloverly Elementary School and was placed on leave in February 2016 following allegations that he inappropriately touched a student.
Vigna was charged with five counts of sexual abuse of a minor and four counts of third-degree sex offense involving two juvenile female victims. He was sentenced to 48 years in prison...
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Catholic Priests who sexually abused children were sent to SILVER SPRING from all over the world. [St. Luke Institute]
In 1985, Father John Hammer was sent for treatment at St. Luke Institute in the Washington suburbs of Maryland after being accused of abusing three altar boys in Youngstown, Ohio.
A year later, with parents in Youngstown opposing his return, Hammer got a new assignment as a chaplain at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore. “[A]s you know, we have had difficulty finding placements for those diagnosed with pedophilia,” Hammer’s therapist from St. Luke had written to Baltimore’s archbishop, thanking him for his “compassion and courage.”
In 1990, the Archdiocese of Baltimore removed Hammer from service. But again, the church found him a new home, this time with the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, where he was accused of abusing another child.
It was a pattern repeated around the country, and in Maryland, for decades. Priests were accused of abuse, sent for treatment that was ineffective or not medically based, and then returned to service, often in different states.
The church “exhibited a misplaced reliance on ‘treatment,’” according to a 456-page grand jury report on child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore released this month by the state attorney general...
Priests came to Maryland for treatment
Maryland treatment facilities accepted a large number of priests accused of abuse, said Patrick Wall, a former priest who is now an attorney working with survivors of sexual abuse by clergy.
He said the centers could not cure priests and often became “a shield from law enforcement.”
In the 1990s and early 2000s, St. Luke Institute housed about 30 patients, most of whom were priests being treated for behavioral disorders. Its six-month program usually began with a dose of Depo-Provera, a drug to weaken sex drive, and several group and individual therapy sessions where priests underwent art and drama exercises. They each kept a “detailed sexual history diary,” according to news articles from the time period.
Priests were also hooked up to CT scans and electroencephalograms that measured brain waves and were stripped down for a “penile plethysmograph,” which measures a man’s arousal...
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Security guard facing charges for showing porn to student at Earle B. Wood Middle School *** March 2018, Daughtry pleaded guilty to sex solicitation charges in Washington D.C.
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
These abuse survivors thought they knew the details. Then came the clergy reports. [Now do @mcps @mocoboe!]
Since the 1990s, when Jean Wehner started to remember the “sexual torture” she endured as a Catholic high school student, she has sued the Baltimore Archdiocese, written a memoir and appeared in a Netflix documentary about her abuse. But the release last week of a Maryland attorney general’s report citing decades worth of internal church records about her abuser — it all brought a kind of bitter validation, Wehner says, to that terrified little girl.
“I’m my own worst detective as an adult. I was taught by my faith system to be a good girl, not to lie, not to believe something that isn’t true. I’m always still doubting myself and dissecting everything and challenging myself,” said Wehner, 69, now a wellness practitioner in Elkridge. “This puts the detective to rest. The adult me, who has been trying to integrate with this child, can now say: ‘Oh hell yes, I will 100 percent stand up for you.’”..
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Investigations of Archdiocese of Washington, Diocese of Wilmington are ongoing, Maryland AG says [NOW DO PUBLIC SCHOOLS!]
Speaking to reporters at his offices in St. Paul Plaza in Baltimore, Brown said investigators launched those inquiries at the same time that they began looking into the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2018. He described those investigations as ongoing.
“We have issued subpoenas. We have been looking into this matter. And we will continue to do so,” Brown said...
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Redacted report on archdiocese sexual abuse to be released soon
Prior to release, the office will have to eliminate specific reference to 60 individuals and redact the names of 37 others, Baltimore City Circuit Judge Robert Taylor Jr. stated in his four-page memorandum and order.
“We are pleased with the court’s order this afternoon authorizing release of a redacted version of our report on child sexual abuse by clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore,” Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said in a statement Tuesday. “We will work to complete the court-ordered redactions and release the report as expeditiously as possible.”
Taylor left open the possibility of the later release of an unredacted report. That would occur after the 37 people are notified and given a “suitable period” to respond. Taylor would then hold a hearing on the attorney general’s request that a final, unredacted version of the report be released.
The redacted report — based largely on grand jury testimony — identifies 158 Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse, including 43 that were never publicly named by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as part of a four-year investigation into child sexual abuse by members of the clergy. The investigation also identified more than 600 victims of sexual abuse over the past 80 years...
Redacted report on Archdiocese of Baltimore sexual abuse may be released soon (thedailyrecord.com)
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Child sex abuse victims fear delays in courts even if statute of limitations bill passes
ANNAPOLIS, Md. —
Child sex abuse survivors are pushing a bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations to bring a civil case against an abuser, but they're concerned about potential delays in the courts if the bill is passed.
For the first time in years since similar legislation has been introduced, there is a political will in Annapolis to eliminate the statute of limitations and to repeal a provision giving the Catholic Church sweeping immunity from sex-abuse lawsuits...
Child sex abuse victims fear delays in courts even if bill passes (wbaltv.com)
Friday, February 24, 2023
Baltimore judge orders release of redacted Catholic church sexual abuse report
Circuit Judge Robert Taylor presided over secret proceedings Tuesday, with attorneys representing the attorney general’s office, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, an anonymous group of people named in the report, and two separate groups of abuse survivors.
Taylor issued his written ruling Friday, directing the attorney general’s office to prepare a heavily-redacted report for public release...
Baltimore judge orders release of redacted Catholic church sexual abuse report – Baltimore Sun
Monday, February 13, 2023
Pass the Child Victims Act of 2023 (HB01/SB686)! Maryland: Protect Kids Not Predators
The Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 will give survivors access to justice and help protect children from sexual abuse by bringing predators to light.
About The Child Victims Act of 2023
Read the bills HB001 and SB686.
Legislative Updates
Email justice4mdsurvivors if you would like to help.
Call To Action
What are The Child Victims of 2023 Act Goals?
Arm trusted adults with information to protect children
Shift the cost of abuse from victims to those who caused the harm
Provide a path to justice for victims ready to come forward
Identify Hidden Predators
Disclose facts of sex abuse epidemic to the public
The 2023 Child Victims Act :
It’s important to understand the key elements of the bill:
- The legislation will eliminate the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse.
- It will repeal the so-called "statute of repose".
- It will create a permanent window for older claims.
- It will allow both public and private entities to be sued.
- It will eliminate the notice of claims deadlines for public entities in child sexual abuse cases.
- The legislation will have some limitations on liability to a single claimant for injuries arising from a single incident or occurrence:
- for retroactive claims (the statute of limitations has already run):
- for private entities:
- $1.5 million cap on non-economic damages
- no cap on economic damages
- for public entities:
- $850,000 cap for damages
- for prospective claims (the statute of limitations has not run):
- for private entities
- no caps on either economic or non-economic claims
- for public entities
- $850,000 cap for damages