Teacher Found Not Guilty of Child Sexual Abuse
In March of 2024, a courageous 8-year-old girl came forward to report the sexual abuse she was experiencing at the hands of her third-grade teacher.
That brave act led to many other girls coming forward, alleging that the same 45-year-old male teacher molested them. The sexual abuse of these young girls was investigated through hours of forensic interviews by trained professionals.
After numerous evaluations and therapy sessions with highly trained psychologists and detectives, authorities concluded that the young girls’ stories were true and factual.
During the trial, several of those elementary school girls testified that their teacher touched them inappropriately on a number of different occasions. However, in the end, the jury was deadlocked on several counts and their teacher was ultimately was found not guilty on the others.
The Criminal Justice System Does Not Always Work
The Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Matthew Schlegel with dozens of counts of childhood sex abuse crimes against several young girls who came forward to report their harrowing experiences. He was arrested in May 2024, and the trial took place in May and June of 2025.
Defendant Matthew Schlegel hired two defense firms to represent him, and an Anne Arundel County jury found him not guilty on 18 of the 21 charges.
The families feel incredibly defeated. The courageous young girls who came forward are heartbroken that the jurors did not find the accounts of their molestation to be credible and criminal.
Despite this outcome, we want to affirm and applaud the heroic actions of both the children and their supportive parents for having the strength to come forward and fight.
Attempting To Hold Accused Childhood Sexual Predators Criminally Accountable Is Very Difficult For Childhood Abuse Survivors
During the year between Schlegel’s arrest and the trial, many people’s lives were put on hold.
The young girls, who should have been spending their fourth-grade year with friends, enjoying school, playing sports, and simply being kids, instead faced an entirely different reality.
Their days were filled with therapy sessions, battles with panic attacks and anxiety, and other mental health challenges. They struggled to balance the return to school and extracurricular activities with the investigative process that was underway, which included numerous interactions with detectives, attorneys, and the judicial system.
Meanwhile, Matthew Schlegel hired multiple private defense attorneys to put up a defense that called into doubt the testimony of multiple 9- and 10-year-old victims and witnesses.
The accused sex offender’s attorneys argued to the jury that the families of these little girls colluded to influence their children to report their abuse.
The Yost Legal Group’s Cara O’Brien perceives this defense strategy as an affront to survivors everywhere and states the following: “I believe that this type of defense encourages an abuse-centered culture where trusted adults who prey on children and the institutions that allow it will walk away unscathed, and children will continue to be sexually abused.”
These Brave Girls May Have Saved Future Young Girls from Abuse
Survivors of sexual abuse do not all come forward to publicly report their childhood sexual abuse at the same time, and rarely do so while still a child and/or while still being abused. The average age at which a survivor of child sex abuse comes forward is 52. As such, childhood predators often escape scrutiny for years.
But when a brave survivor goes public, it is not unusual for many more survivors to come forward with reports of earlier sexual abuse.
These girls should be praised for their remarkable bravery, strength, and resilience as they came forward to report abuse at the ages of 8 and 9 years old, which subsequently put Severna Park Elementary school administrative officials on notice about the potential for harm to other children by their math teacher, Matthew Schlegel.
Although Matthew Schlegel was found not guilty, we applaud these children for acting selflessly and responsibly, knowing the path to going public would be hard and uncertain.
Upon information, Mr. Schlegel is not believed to be teaching third grade at Severna Park Elementary School for the 2025-2026 school year.
The Yost Legal Group Is Pursuing Holding Severna Park Elementary School Accountable to The Girls Who Were Sexually Abused at School
We believe that the criminal justice system failed these little girls and that the State’s Attorney for Anne Arundel County missed another opportunity to hold Schlegel accountable.
More victims may come forward to report that they were abused years earlier by their third-grade math teacher, Schlegel.
The determination of whether and when a child should pursue a civil claim as a result of childhood sexual abuse is very personal. The determining factor is what is in the child’s best interest. These decisions should be made after consultation with mental health professionals.
It is also advisable to speak with an experienced sex abuse attorney who is trauma-informed and trained. They can answer questions and set expectations to help the child and her parents decide if filing a civil case makes sense for them. Under the Maryland Child Victims Act, there is no time limit to file a civil claim. Families can explore Title IX proceedings, which ensure the federal right to an education free from sexual harassment.
It is essential to understand that there are other legal avenues for holding individuals accountable. Our legal system doesn’t always achieve justice on the first attempt.
Survivors of Abuse Come Forward, Your Voice Matters
If you or anyone you know suffered from childhood sexual abuse, come forward. Reclaim the power you lost as a child by confronting and holding your abusers and enablers accountable.
There Are Other Legal Remedies to Seek Justice
The Yost Legal Group is a Maryland law firm representing survivors of institutional childhood sexual abuse.
Institutional sexual abuse is when a minor is under the care and supervision of an institution, religious, government, or corporate-run entity, and is abused. Many institutions fail to protect the minors in their care.
The following is a list of institutional environments where child sex abuse claims happen frequently.
– Clergy sexual abuse claims
– Juvenile detention center sexual abuse claims
– Foster care sexual abuse claims
– Private and public school sexual abuse claims
– Athletic coach sexual abuse claims
– Doctor sexual abuse claims
Legally, no minor can consent to a sexual relationship with an adult. The Yost Legal Group’s child sexual abuse lawyers are committed to protecting the rights of child victims.
Standing Up for Justice for Child Abuse Survivors
If you’re a survivor of child sexual abuse in a Maryland institution, we will file a lawsuit on your behalf. The Maryland Child Victims Act allows victims of childhood abuse to seek justice, no matter how long ago the abuse happened.
To learn about your rights or discuss the possibility of making a sx, contact us for a free and confidential consultation. We accept cases on a no-win, no-fee, or expense basis.
Maryland Sex Abuse Law Firm – Juvenile Detention Sexual Abuse Claims – Childhood Sexual Abuse Lawyer
