How did allegations of sexual misconduct by a Baltimore County teacher slip through the net? A report explains. – Baltimore Sun

The lack of a clear definition of the term “grooming” contributed to a former Baltimore County teacher slipping through the cracks and sexually assaulting minors while later working for a private school, according to a report released Monday by the Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education.

Mark Planamente pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a minor in January 2023 and is currently being held at the Baltimore City Correctional Center, where he is serving a five-year sentence, according to court and prison records.

The inspector general investigated whether policy or procedure violations allowed Planamente to continue to hold teaching positions at two Catholic schools after he left the county. Although the inspector general did not find Baltimore County Public Schools, Baltimore Catholic High School, or Sisters Academy of Baltimore at fault, he uncovered problems with communication between the state’s private and public schools through background checks.

“The investigation revealed that school administrators do not understand what grooming behavior is, which has led to inconsistent responses by educational institutions to allegations of sexual misconduct,” the inspector general wrote in the report. “The situation underscores the urgent need for better policies, improved institutional communications and standardized training.”

Under a 2019 state law, all schools are required to screen prospective employees who will have direct contact with minors. The screening requires communication with former employers about documentation of any disciplinary actions resulting from allegations of past sexual abuse or misconduct. Also included, according to the report, is a list of yes-or-no questions related to whether the applicant has been the subject of an investigation for sexual abuse or sexual misconduct by an employer, state agency or law enforcement agency.

Planamente, 40, was hired by BCPS in 2006. In October 2014, he sent a direct message on Twitter to a female student, asking her if she had a crush on him, according to the report. In January 2015, Planamente was allowed to resign rather than be terminated, according to the report, before being hired as a coach and long-term substitute at Catholic High School in July 2016.

Planamente got a full-time job as a social studies teacher in 2017, the report said. The mandatory employee background check law was passed in 2019, so Planamente’s history of allegations was not disclosed when he was hired at Catholic High School. School officials told investigators they relied on a criminal background check and personal and professional references.

In November 2021, he was placed on leave from the school over allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student before resigning. Weeks later, he was hired by Sisters Academy, an all-girls middle school with Catholic roots but independent of Baltimore Archdiocese schools because the background check process was still ongoing, the report said.

In February 2022, he was arrested by state police and charged with sexual assault of minors.

In the background check, Catholic High School checked “yes” to the question of whether he had been asked to resign while allegations of child sexual abuse or misconduct were pending.

Catholic High School advised against hiring him at Sisters Academy, reporting emails between Planamente and a student that were “unprofessional and inappropriate,” according to the report. Sisters Academy told investigators that they were in dire need of teachers when they hired Planamente. When Sisters Academy asked Catholic High School if there were any allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct, the school responded, “No.”

When Planamente applied for the job at Sisters Academy, a BCPS administrative employee told investigators that they checked “no” on all questions about his history of sexual abuse and misconduct during the background check because, while the Twitter messages were inappropriate, “they did not constitute sexual advances nor were they sexually explicit,” the report said. When investigators asked the BCPS employee if Planamente’s behavior was considered grooming, the employee responded that “they relied on personal discretion and the fact that the student and parent did not elevate the situation to a sexual advance,” the report said. The employee said they did not receive training on how to fill out the background check form. According to the report, BCPS is updating district definitions to include grooming.

The State Department of Human Services defines grooming as “establishing an emotional bond with a child with the intent of making the child more receptive to sexual behavior.”

“The (Office of the Inspector General of Education) was unable to establish that the school’s administration intentionally failed to report Planament’s inappropriate conduct on the (background check form) as sexual misconduct. Although there is evidence of subjective interpretations and procedural deficiencies in reporting allegations on the (background check form), the determination of whether they failed to appropriately label the form depends on the broader context of existing policies,” the inspector general wrote in his report, which was signed by Carey Wright, the state’s superintendent of schools, as well as Myriam Rogers, BCPS superintendent of schools, Barbara Nazelrod, president of Catholic High School, and Kaliq Simms, president of Sisters Academy.

The inspector general wrote that they have worked with the state Department of Education to develop recommendations, such as establishing a new standard for training materials to educate students about sexual misconduct and solicitation behavior.

“This case underscores the need for more precise policies, improved communication channels between institutions, and standardized training for those responsible for completing critical employment documents to ensure student safety,” the inspector general wrote in the report.