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Principal put on leave from school roiled by child pornography investigation Principal put on leave from school roiled by child pornography investigation
(about 3 hours later)
The principal of a Prince George’s County school roiled by a child pornography case has been placed on paid administrative leave as police work to find out how an unpaid volunteer managed to film children performing sex acts on school grounds, during school hours. An investigation into child pornography at a Prince George’s County school broadened Wednesday as officials interviewed more than two dozen families, placed the principal on leave and examined whether any child-abuse reporting policies were breached.
School system spokeswoman Sherrie Johnson declined to say why Michelle Williams, the principal of Judge Sylvania W. Woods Elementary in suburban Maryland, was removed from the school. But the move comes just days after the arrest of school volunteer Deonte Carraway, who allegedly produced 40 pornographic videos featuring at least 10 youngsters. But officials offered few new details about how an unpaid volunteer managed to film children performing sex acts on school grounds during school hours. Police said they have now identified 11 victims and expect that there may be more as the investigation continues.
Attempts to reach Williams for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday. Deonte Carraway, 22, of Glenarden has been charged with 10 counts of felony child pornography and related charges. He has admitted to creating the videos, in which he sometimes can be seen or heard directing children between 9 and 13 years old to perform various sexual acts, police said.
Williams reported concerns about Carraway immediately after becoming aware of them, said Doris Reed, executive director of the Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel, the union for the school system’s supervisors and administrators. Kevin Maxwell, the school system’s chief executive officer, said at a news conference Wednesday evening that the principal, Michelle Williams, was removed out of an “abundance of caution” as the investigation at Judge Sylvania W. Woods Elementary in suburban Maryland unfolds. The move came just days after the arrest of Carraway, a school volunteer , who allegedly produced 40 pornographic videos.
Reed said a parent told the principal on Thursday about concerns regarding Carraway’s behavior around children, and the principal immediately reported it to Child Protective Services and police. CPS told the principal that police would handle it, said Reed. Parents are demanding to know how the abuse could have happened and how it could have gone on so long without someone noticing. Maxwell and other county officials said Wednesday that they aren’t able to answer those questions yet.
Reed said the principal was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday while police conducted an investigation, which Reed described as standard practice. “When we have the answer, we will be as transparent as we can,” Maxwell said.
“It’s a horrible situation,” Reed said. “I don’t think anyone can question that but I hope the administration will not overreact when dealing with the principal.” Police said so far, their investigation has found that Carraway directly abused seven of the 11 victims and abused the others through his actions, without being more specific.
Under Maryland law, teachers and principals are considered mandatory reporters and are required to report suspicions of child abuse to Child Protective Services or police, said Paula Tolson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Human Resources. School system officials require background checks for volunteers, but they have not responded to questions about whether there are rules that spell out how volunteers should be supervised or whether adults are allowed to be alone with children.
A slate of top county, school and law enforcement officials are mustering for a press conference scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. They include County Executive Rushern Baker and Schools CEO Kevin Maxwell, as well as the county police chief and top prosecutor and officials from the FBI. They also haven’t answered questions about whether any school staff members were aware of suspicious behavior by Carraway before the uncle of a Sylvania Woods student found a nude photo on the child’s cellphone and reported it to police last week.
Carraway, 22, has been charged with 10 counts of felony child pornography and related charges. He has admitted to creating the videos, in which he sometimes can be seen or heard directing children between 9 and 13 years old to perform various sexual acts, police said. Long before news of the Carraway investigation broke, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office had offered to work with the school system to train staff about identifying and reporting child predators.
That offer has not yet been accepted, said Angela Alsobrooks, the county’s top prosecutor, but she said Wednesday that “it is still on the table.”
Investigators, including from Prince George’s County police and the FBI, are looking into that question, they said. Alsobrooks, said school staff “absolutely” could be charged if they are found to have failed to report their suspicions about Carraway.
“We will go as far as our investigation leads us, and we will take action based on what we learn,” the prosecutor said.
School and county officials said they are providing counseling and other resources to victims and their families, and that they are reminding school staff across the district of their duty under Maryland law to report suspicions of child abuse. They have also set up a hotline that anyone can use to report such suspicions.
“Every child in this county is our baby. And it is our job it is my job to protect them from predators like the one we arrested,” County Executive Rushern Baker said. “I want you to know that we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that this type of situation doesn’t happen again.”
Carraway has been charged with 10 counts of felony child pornography and related charges. He has admitted to creating the videos, in which he sometimes can be seen or heard directing children between 9 and 13 years old to perform various sexual acts, police said.
[Elementary school volunteer arrested in child porn investigation][Elementary school volunteer arrested in child porn investigation]
Some of the recording and sex abuse took place during the school day at Sylvania Woods Elementary, where Carraway worked as a paid assistant before becoming a volunteer teacher’s aide, according to Prince George’s police. In at least one case, a student was recorded performing a sex act on Carraway in a school bathroom while he recorded it on his orange phone, according to charging documents.Some of the recording and sex abuse took place during the school day at Sylvania Woods Elementary, where Carraway worked as a paid assistant before becoming a volunteer teacher’s aide, according to Prince George’s police. In at least one case, a student was recorded performing a sex act on Carraway in a school bathroom while he recorded it on his orange phone, according to charging documents.
A man at the address listed for Carraway in online records declined to answer questions from a Washington Post reporter Wednesday morning. Carraway is jailed and held on $1 million bond. A man at the address listed for Carraway in online records declined to answer questions from a Washington Post reporter Wednesday morning. Carraway, who served as director of a youth choir in addition to his volunteer position at the school, is jailed and held on $1 million bond.
Parents are demanding to know how Carraway was screened and how he was apparently left alone with children long enough to produce the videos. School system officials have not responded to questions about whether there are rules that spell out how volunteers should be supervised and whether adults are allowed to be alone with children. About 700 students attend Sylvania Woods, almost all of them black and Latino. The vast majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of poverty.
Prince George’s County Public Schools requires volunteers to get one of two kinds of background checks, according to the school system’s website. All employees and volunteers who are likely to have unsupervised contact with children are required to be fingerprinted. Attempts to reach Williams, the principal, for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday.
Volunteers who work with children only on a sporadic basis or regularly, but in supervised settings such as a classroom, are required to get a less intensive background check: A court records search based on written information that the volunteer provides. Williams reported concerns about Carraway to police and Child Protective Services immediately after becoming aware of them , said Doris Reed, executive director of the Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel, the union for the school system’s supervisors and administrators. CPS told the principal that police would handle it, said Reed.
Carraway, who had worked for the school system from 2014 until he was laid off for budgetary reasons in September 2015, would have been required to undergo the more rigorous check in order to be a paid employee. “It’s a horrible situation,” Reed said. “I don’t think anyone can question that but I hope the administration will not overreact when dealing with the principal.”
Shortly after police announced Carraway’s arrest, schools system spokeswoman Sherrie Johnson said every employee hired by Prince George’s goes through a screening process and a criminal background check. Maxwell said the school system learned Saturday of Carraway’s arrest but did not notify parents until Monday because administrators were gathering information.
On Wednesday afternoon, attorneys representing the family of the victim who brought the case to police filed a civil rights lawsuit in Prince George’s County Court against the school system and Carraway. [Child-porn suspect ‘always had six or seven little kids around.’]
On Wednesday afternoon, attorneys representing the family of the nine-year-old victim who brought the case to police filed a civil rights lawsuit in Prince George’s County Court against the school system and Carraway.
The lawsuit says Carraway filmed students performing sex acts in the school auditorium, bathrooms and other parts of school property, using his position as a teacher’s assistant to remove students from class and escort them to various locations. .The lawsuit says Carraway filmed students performing sex acts in the school auditorium, bathrooms and other parts of school property, using his position as a teacher’s assistant to remove students from class and escort them to various locations. .
“Carraway told some of the students, including the Plaintiff, that they would be participating in a ‘club’ with him to help persuade them to engage in these sexual acts on camera,” the lawsuit states.“Carraway told some of the students, including the Plaintiff, that they would be participating in a ‘club’ with him to help persuade them to engage in these sexual acts on camera,” the lawsuit states.
The child’s uncle found a nude photo on his nephew’s phone sent via anonymous messaging app Kik, according to the complaint. The uncle periodically checks the child’s phone as “an adult being vigilant,” said Dave Simpson, a lawyer representing the family of the young victim.The child’s uncle found a nude photo on his nephew’s phone sent via anonymous messaging app Kik, according to the complaint. The uncle periodically checks the child’s phone as “an adult being vigilant,” said Dave Simpson, a lawyer representing the family of the young victim.
The civil case filed also names school system Chief Executive Officer Kevin M. Maxwell and Williams, the Sylvania W. Woods principal. Maxwell was traveling and could not be reached for comment early Wednesday. The civil case filed also names Maxwell and Williams. Maxwell said the school system has not yet been served with the complaint and could not comment.
Prince George’s County school officials have been deployed to Woods Elementary to conduct trainings, and counselors are meeting with students and parents both individually and in groups, said Christian Rhodes, a top aide to Maxwell. Prince George’s County Public Schools requires volunteers to get one of two kinds of background checks, according to the school system’s website. All employees and volunteers who are likely to have unsupervised contact with children are required to be fingerprinted.
Beverly Anderson, a member of Prince George’s County Board of Education, said she believes that the school systems’ screening process is strictly enforced, based on her own personal experience. She added that she has been told Carraway underwent a background check, but she has not seen documentation. Volunteers who work with children only on a sporadic basis or regularly, but in supervised settings such as a classroom, are required to get a less intensive background check: A court records search based on written information that the volunteer provides.
Alexander is a member of an organization that tutors in county schools, and tutors must submit fingerprints and other paperwork every year, she said. Once recently, when tutors submitted incomplete documentation, they were told they couldn’t volunteer until they fixed the problem, Anderson said. Carraway worked for the school system from 2014 until he was laid off for budgetary reasons in September 2015. Shortly after police announced Carraway’s arrest, schools system spokeswoman Sherrie Johnson said every employee hired by Prince George’s goes through a screening process and a criminal background check.
“I would go off if somebody tried to touch my child or my grandchildren, so of course parents have to feel comfortable that there is safety in the school for their children. And frankly I think there is,” Anderson said. “I believe that measures are taken so that the children are … and until we get more information that may be counter to that, I’m going to believe it.” Experts say background checks should be regarded as one part of a comprehensive plan to prevent offenders from gaining access to children at school.
Anderson said law enforcement has to finish its investigation in order for the school board to have a clear picture of what needs to be done, if anything, to make sure nothing like this happens again.
“We have to see exactly what went down and until we get the report from the investigators we’re not really in a position to say, ‘This is the action we should take,’” Anderson said. “If it’s an action of strengthening the policy we can do that. If it’s an action of people not carrying out the policy, the superintendent must do that. If it’s an action about cover up and stuff like that, we’ve got to deal with it.”
Anderson said that she would like to know more about how Carraway came to volunteer at Sylvania Woods and how he carried out his duties. But she said there isn’t enough information yet to know whether any particular policy or school district employee was at fault.
[Child-porn suspect ‘always had six or seven little kids around.’]
“I think it might be a little premature to put this on the schools right now,” she said. “The school system does what it should do, but there are some people who are not well, and they gravitate to children to take advantage of them.”
Another school board member, Edward Burroughs, said “It is my expectation that the system will fully comply with all the investigations and I expect justice to be served.” He spoke Wednesday afternoon shortly after being briefed on the case. “I expect that all those involved will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. “I believe that any individual that preys on kids is an individual who doesn’t deserve to see the light of day.”
Several other school board members declined to comment when reached by phone on Wednesday. Others did not immediately return messages.
Carraway also made recordings at Glenarden Municipal Center, the Theresa Banks Memorial Aquatic Center and in private homes, according to police.
The Prince George’s division of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police has jurisdiction over the aquatic center, according to Acting Chief Stanley Johnson.
Although the agency has been contacted by Prince George’s County police, Johnson said it has not received any evidence or dates from investigators as to when the alleged crimes may have taken place at the pool. The agency is prepared to cooperate, Johnson said.
Johnson said as a Glenarden resident, Carraway would have had access to the aquatic center with an activity card that all locals are required to use in order to enter.
“You can’t get in without the card,” Johnson said. “It’s just an ID card that says you paid for use of the facility.”
The last time the agency recorded Carraway entering the pool with an identification card was in 2014. They have no record of him entering the facility since then. Only employees of the aquatic center would have keys and the pool is closed after hours, he said.
But, “there is a possibility that someone can be part of a program or special event and might gain access,” Johnson said.
If Carraway was working with the school system, he could have had access to the facility through the a swim program they offer. Johnson said the county Parks and Recreation agency has a partnership with Prince George’s County schools to teach children how to swim at Theresa Banks Memorial during the school year.
So far, however, Prince George’s County police have not asked Park police for anything not have they notified the agency if investigators have entered the facility looking for evidence, Johnson said.
“At this point, they are still investigating,” Johnson said. If investigators find something criminal did occur at the pool, “we will investigate and we will try to confirm whether those events did occur. If they did, we’d have to look at our policies and procedures. It would lead us to further investigation.”
Experts say background checks should be regarded as one part of a comprehensive plan to prevent offenders from gaining access to children.
Most child sex offenders don’t have a criminal history and would not be flagged by a background check, said Jennifer Alvaro, a longtime clinician in the field of child sexual abuse who has advocated for safeguards in Montgomery County schools.Most child sex offenders don’t have a criminal history and would not be flagged by a background check, said Jennifer Alvaro, a longtime clinician in the field of child sexual abuse who has advocated for safeguards in Montgomery County schools.
Alvaro said it’s important for school systems to have written codes of conduct that are widely distributed. In the allegations in Prince George’s, a code of conduct may have been a deterrent or may have helped other people better identify high-risk behaviors and address them, she said.
Juriese Colon, executive director of outreach for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said that many schools and after-school programs prohibit adults from being alone with children one-on-one; under such a policy, there must be at least two adults present as a “check and balance,” Colon said.Juriese Colon, executive director of outreach for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said that many schools and after-school programs prohibit adults from being alone with children one-on-one; under such a policy, there must be at least two adults present as a “check and balance,” Colon said.
Colon said it’s also important for schools to have a clear system in place for reporting suspicions of abuse. “A lot of times when people suspect abuse, they assume someone else is going to say something,” she said. “We can’t make that assumption.” Carraway also made recordings at Glenarden Municipal Center, the Theresa Banks Memorial Aquatic Center and in private homes, according to police.
Hamil R. Harris contributed to this report. Investigators ask anyone with information about this case to call 800-CALL-FBI or 301-772-4930. The Prince George’s division of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police has jurisdiction over the aquatic center. Acting Chief Stanley Johnson Stanley Johnson that Carraway, as a Glenarden resident, would have had access to the aquatic center with an activity card that all locals are required to use in order to enter.
The last time the agency recorded Carraway entering the pool with an identification card was in 2014. They have no record of him entering the facility since then. But, “there is a possibility that someone can be part of a program or special event and might gain access,” Johnson said.
If Carraway was working with the school system, Johnson said, he could have had access to the facility through the a swim program they offer as part of a partnership with the county parks department.
Hamil R. Harris and Arelis R. Hernández contributed to this report. Investigators ask anyone with information about this case to call 800-CALL-FBI or 301-772-4930.