Schools
Teacher Acquitted Of Sex Abuse Charges, Schools Make Employment Decision
A Severna Park teacher was found not guilty of sexually abusing his students. Decisions were made about his job and his remaining charges.
SEVERNA PARK, MD — A former Severna Park Elementary School teacher found not guilty of sexually abusing his students was returned to the school system's payroll, Patch confirmed Friday. Victim advocates protested the jury's verdict outside the Anne Arundel County Courthouse in downtown Annapolis.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools said it will resume paying the salary of third-grade teacher Matthew Schlegel, 45, of Severna Park.
Multiple news outlets reported that Schlegel was acquitted on 18 of the 21 charges against him on Tuesday. He was released on his own recognizance on Wednesday while the court decides how to handle the three charges for which the jury hasn't reached a consensus.
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"It's a little bit surreal. This has been something we've been working on for over a year now, and once we had an opportunity to see the state's case in discovery, it was apparent to us that he was innocent. And, the jury's confirmation of that today is really uplifting for us, his family and for him," defense attorney Patrick Seidel said, according to WBAL-TV. "The job's not done, we still have a couple counts to resolve."
Schlegel has worked for AACPS since 2008. He worked at Severna Park Elementary from 2016 to 2024. AACPS transferred him to a position without student contact when the investigation began. The school system suspended him without pay once he was charged with a felony.
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AACPS has not yet decided whether Schlegel will return to the classroom or remain in his position without student contact.
"The acquittal of Mr. Schlegel on all of the felony counts in this case means he will be returned to paid status with Anne Arundel County Public Schools," AACPS spokesperson Bob Mosier told Patch in an email. "Our school district will now finalize its review of the matter consistent with our internal processes and will make further decisions regarding Mr. Schlegel's status and employment assignment in accordance with our obligations under state law."
The Investigation
Schlegel was arrested at his home on May 16, 2024, and accused of abusing eight of his female students at Severna Park Elementary. Court records alleged that the encounters happened from August 2022 through March 2024.
The alleged victims accused Schlegel of touching them inappropriately, the charging documents said.
Witnesses reported seeing "the victims on Schlegel's lap during class," the documents said.
The Baltimore Sun said Schlegel was indicted on 55 counts, denied his house arrest request and held without bond at the Jennifer Road Detention Center in Annapolis.
The Baltimore Banner reported that three of the alleged victims did not testify during the five-week trial, saying it would be detrimental to their mental health.
With fewer witnesses to testify, The Banner said prosecutors dropped 22 counts and later dropped another 12.
Verdict Draws Mixed Reactions
The Banner said the jury found Schlegel not guilty Tuesday of sexual abuse of a minor and third- and fourth-degree sex offense. Jury deliberations lasted three days, WJZ reported.
"This is certainly not the outcome that we had hoped for in this case. One thing that strikes me is the criminal justice system expects a lot from child victims, and this case is no exception," Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said, according to WBAL-TV. "While our office cannot guarantee verdicts in difficult cases, what we can guarantee is that we will always stand up for children and sexual assault victims, which we did in this case."
WBAL-TV said the jury remained deadlocked on the final three charges. Online court records show that the only outstanding charges against Schlegel are three counts of second-degree assault, which is a misdemeanor.
"This outcome yesterday. It's a complete and total failure, and now our focus is on, how do we keep these girls safe? How do we keep our school system safe?" Katie Juhasz, a friend of an alleged victim's family, told WJZ.
At Schlegel's Wednesday bond review, WJZ said protesters outside the courthouse held signs reading "We believe them" and "You failed our girls."
Schlegel mouthed "I love you" to his wife in the packed gallery before the hearing, WJZ said.
The Banner reported that Circuit Judge Pamela K. Alban released Schlegel on his own recognizance until prosecutors decide how to proceed. He's not allowed to be unsupervised with any minors except his two sons, The Banner said.
"The court, in good conscience, cannot continue to hold him in the detention center," Alban said, according to The Banner.
A juror told WBFF the investigation felt incomplete and that there was a lack of corroborating evidence.
"It's not that they weren't believed. I believe that they believe that this happened to them. I believe that they think that they were touched. I just don't know if it was inappropriately touched," the juror told WBFF.
Schlegel's attorney applauded the verdict but said the defendant's life will never be the same.
"His life, his reputation, his picture has been put on the media," Seidel said, according to WBFF. "How do you ever recover from that?"
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