Anne Arundel County School Superintendent Carol S. Parham is determined to fire a Northeast High School teacher even though he was acquitted in March of child sex abuse charges, the teacher's lawyer said yesterday.
Terrence M. Nolan, who is representing Charles A. Yocum, one of four Northeast teachers to be charged with having sex with students, met Wednesday with Dr. Parham. He said yesterday that he believes Ms. Parham will fire his client, forcing the Board of Education to make the final decision. Teachers who are fired by the superintendent can appeal to the board.
Ronald L. Beckett, associate superintendent for administration who represents Dr. Parham in teacher discipline matters, said she has not made a decision in Mr. Yocum's case.
After Mr. Yocum was acquitted, school administrators launched their own investigation to determine whether he violated school policy. Formerly, teachers who were acquitted of any criminal charge were returned to classrooms, but the three Northeast teachers who were acquitted were kept out of classrooms while school officials probed their cases.
On Aug. 23, Mr. Nolan and Mr. Yocum, 31, met with school officials who outlined their case against the teacher. Mr. Nolan said he left the meeting thinking he had 10 days to reply, but the next day Mr. Yocum received a form letter from Dr. Parham telling he was to be dismissed for having an inappropriate relationship of "a personal and sexual nature with a student" and making comments "of a sexual nature" to another student.
Dr. Parham also wrote that "we have received and reviewed your response to the findings of the investigation."
But Mr. Yocum had never responded.
"I was astonished," said Mr. Nolan, who fired back a sharp letter requesting Mr. Yocum be reinstated with back pay and that the superintendent "at least give a cursory review to my response once you have received it."
Mr. Yocum was given an administrative job at school headquarters on Riva Road while Mr. Nolan prepared his response.
Mr. Nolan said yesterday that school officials had not changed their report, despite his responses. A copy of that report, obtained by The Sun, shows Mr. Yocum was accused of misconduct three other times but was exonerated in each case.