Often, public attention around school sexual abuse lawsuits in Maryland has focused on historical cases. Survivors who were hurt long ago, usually silenced by shame, fear, or power, finally found a way forward.
The Maryland Child Victims Act (CVA) reopened the courthouse doors. It did this by removing the time limit for childhood sexual abuse survivors. The Yost Legal Group is dedicated to helping survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
But it is critical to say this clearly: sexual abuse of children (whether in a place of worship, recreation, or education) is not just a historical problem. It remains a present-day crisis.
According to RAINN, every nine minutes, a child in the United States is made the victim of a sexual assault.
Children are still being abused today. Survivors are still being created today. And the institutions charged with protecting children, which include Maryland public schools, are still capable of failing them in devastating ways.
Recent Allegations Against John McAleer of Frederick County Highlight a Modern Sexual Abuse Crisis
Consider the claims against John McAleer. He was a Special Education Instructional Assistant at Oakdale Middle School in Frederick County. This case serves as a clear reminder of this reality. His case is not about distant decades or expired records.
This situation involves recent harm, vulnerable students, and a school system that people entrusted with care, supervision, and safety.
If you or a loved one was molested by a Maryland public school employee, you may be able to file a school sexual abuse lawsuit. The Yost Legal Group has years of experience pursuing litigation against public institutions that have harbored abusers and disregarded survivors. But enough is enough.
You deserve to be heard. If you are ready to talk, we are here to listen. Call 1-800-967-8529 for a free and confidential consultation with an experienced child sexual abuse attorney or legal team member. We are here to help.
The Negative Impact of Childhood Sexual Assault
Are you a survivor of childhood sexual abuse or statutory rape? Are you carrying around anger, confusion, fear, and shame? The long-term effects of surviving a sexual assault go far beyond the physical harm it can cause.
Many survivors question whether what happened to them “counts” as sexual abuse. Others worry that too much time had passed, that no one would believe them, or that speaking out will cause more harm. You are not alone.
Those fears are not accidental. They are the product of systems that historically protected institutions instead of children.
Sexual abuse survivors often develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And though we think of PTSD as an emotional response, it is actually a stress-related brain injury.
According to Brainline.org, extreme stress can cause the amygdala to enlarge. The amygdala is the part of the brain that handles emotions. It also shrinks the central cortex. The central cortex controls logical thinking.
This can lead to anger, depression, and hypervigilance. At The Yost Legal Group, we represent survivors of sexual abuse with one guiding principle: accountability matters. Not only for individual perpetrators, but for the institutions that enabled access, ignored warning signs, or failed to act when children were at risk.
You are not responsible for what happened to you. You are not alone. And you have the right to ask whether the school system that employed your abuser can be held legally responsible.
Our firm is currently representing a survivor harmed by John McAleer. We take that responsibility seriously, and we approach these cases with care, discretion, and resolve.
If you have any questions or concerns about a school sexual abuse lawsuit, contact us at your earliest convenience.
Who Is John McAleer—and Why His Role Matters
John McAleer is 22 years old. He used to work as a Special Education Instructional Assistant at Oakdale Middle School. This school is in Ijamsville, Frederick County, Maryland.
According to charging documents and media reports, McAleer is accused of sexually abusing multiple students. Some of the alleged victims were cognitively impaired or particularly vulnerable due to their disabilities.
The allegations include extreme acts that go far beyond mere boundary or decorum violations. These are textbook criminal sexual abuse allegations.
Special education instructional assistants are not casual observers. They are granted authority, proximity, and trust. They often work one-on-one with students who may have difficulty communicating, such as those who are nonverbal.
These conditions make it nearly impossible to report abuse or even recognize that what is happening to them is wrong. McAleer’s role created an opportunity for care, a way to uplift a young and vulnerable person’s life. Instead, he is alleged to have used his access for exploitation.
As there are multiple allegations spanning several months, safeguards within the school system failed to protect multiple students.
The Allegations Against McAleer Are Deeply Disturbing
Prosecutors allege that McAleer used his position within Oakdale Middle School to gain access to students and sexually abuse them. Reports indicate that the alleged conduct occurred on school grounds and during school-related activities.
These were not isolated encounters between strangers. These were interactions facilitated by employment, access, and institutional trust.
Law enforcement has described the accusations as involving repeated abuse, including sexual assault and rape of minors. The victims, according to reports, include children with special needs, the most vulnerable of students who relied on adults for advocacy and protection.
When abuse occurs under these circumstances, the legal inquiry does not stop with the individual accused. We must expand the scope of the investigation and fault.
Institutional Responsibility Does Not End with an Arrest
When a public school employee is accused of sexually abusing students, the question is not only “What did they do?” It is also “How were they allowed to do it?”
Frederick County Public Schools, like all Maryland public school systems, has a legal and moral duty to protect students. That duty includes proper hiring, background checks, training, supervision, and swift intervention when concerns arise. When that system breaks down, the consequences are measured in trauma.
In these cases, investigators and civil lawyers look for warning signs. They check if complaints were handled poorly and if supervision was weak. They must also determine whether policies to prevent such occurrences had existed on paper but ultimately failed in practice.
Institutions often claim shock after abuse is uncovered. Abuse and sexual coercion rarely occur in a vacuum. It thrives in silence, in gaps in oversight, and in environments where vulnerable children are not adequately protected.
Why Special Education Students Face Heightened Risk
National data and decades of survivor testimony confirm that children with disabilities face a significantly higher risk of sexual abuse. They are more likely to depend on adults for personal care. More likely to be isolated from peers. More likely to be disbelieved when they report harm.
That reality imposes an even higher duty on schools.
When a school assigns staff to work closely with special education students, it must ensure that safeguards are real, enforced, and continuously monitored. Anything less is negligence.
If Frederick County Public Schools failed to protect these students, that failure deserves full legal scrutiny.
Civil Lawsuits Are About Accountability, Not Just Compensation
Survivors often hesitate to pursue civil claims because they worry about their motives being questioned. That hesitation is understandable. It is a lot to ask a person to come forward about something so traumatic, so damaging to the psyche.
However, when sexual assault survivors are able to report their abusers, there is a net-positive outcome on the world beyond an individual’s monetary gain.
Civil lawsuits serve multiple purposes. They provide financial resources for therapy and long-term care. They force institutions to answer questions under oath. They uncover documents that would otherwise remain hidden. And they deter future abuse by exposing systemic failures.
For survivors abused in schools, civil cases are often the only mechanism that compels change.
Speak with a Law Firm That Understands These Cases
At The Yost Legal Group, we approach school sexual abuse cases with the utmost care and discretion. We are a trauma-informed, client-first law firm here to help you understand and seek whatever healing you need.
We investigate perpetrators. We investigate institutions. And we center survivors at every stage of the process. If you are ready to talk, we are here to listen.
If you or someone you love was harmed by John McAleer or by any Maryland public school employee, you need an experienced sexual abuse lawyer. You deserve accountability and justice. And you deserve to know that your voice matters now, not decades from now.
The experienced childhood sexual abuse lawyers at The Yost Legal Group are here to help. Seek justice, answers, and compensation. Call today for a free and confidential trauma-informed consultation: 1-800-YOST-LAW (967-8529).
Institutional Sexual Abuse – Sexual Assault Lawyer – Abused as a Child – School Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
