Former Northeast High School biology teacher Laurie S. Cook was accused Friday of helping colleague Ronald W. Price arrange sexual liaisons by writing passes for a female student to leave science class to meet him.
That was among several new accusations of misconduct aired Friday at the first of a series of public hearings that will determine whether Ms. Cook will return to the classroom.
"This is a case involving deception, manipulation, lies and misconduct," said P. Tyson Bennett, the school system's
attorney, in his opening statement. "She wrote passes . . . and helped [the student] and Ron Price avoid discovery."
Price was the first of four Northeast teachers to be arrested and the only one to be convicted on charges involving sex with students. His arrest and subsequent statements on "Geraldo!" that other teachers knew of his activities and did not stop him marked the beginning of the teacher-student sex scandal and a series of investigations.
Ms. Cook, 34, was accused of having sex with a 14-year-old male student when he was in ninth grade, but was acquitted last year. She had been suspended with pay since her arrest in May 1993, but was assigned to administrative duties last summer. She has maintained that she is innocent.
The school system did its own investigation of the case, charged her in July with four counts of professional misconduct and recommended her dismissal.
In addition to Mr. Bennett's accusation that she wrote passes to get students out of classes for inappropriate reasons, he accused Ms. Cook Friday of having sex with the student named as the alleged victim at her trial and with having inappropriate relationships with members of the student's family.
Mr. Bennett described Ms. Cook's involvement with the male student as "simply a friendship" that progressed to "kissing, fondling and oral sex."
On Friday, M. Cristina Gutierrez, Ms. Cook's attorney, disputed there was any "immoral" conduct and said the student required special attention from all his teachers because of poor behavior.
"The only immorality here is that the hysteria in this county and this nation has caused teachers who are great teachers to become as afraid as Laurie Cook is," Ms. Gutierrez said in her opening statement, "and that, for the very first time, Anne Arundel County schools are taking actions that require teachers to prove their innocence."
Ms. Gutierrez also charged that money was the motivating factor behind the male student's claims and the actions of the female student who was involved with Price.
Price's former student is suing the school system for $2 million, contending that school officials should have prevented Price from abusing her. The male student who accused Ms. Cook of abusing him has not filed suit, and Ms. Gutierrez did not say in her opening statement what his monetary motivation could be.
The first session of the hearing lasted about three hours and attracted 30 viewers. Only one witness, the Anne Arundel County police officer who initially investigated the case, testified.
Officer Tim Zywiolek said the boy gave him directions to Ms. Cook's Catonsville home and to a street near her mother's home where the boy claimed he and Ms. Cook parked the car and had oral sex. The officer also said the boy told him that he had been allowed to drive Ms. Cook's car, even though he was 14 -- too young for a driver's license.
The hearing is to resume tomorrow with the officer continuing to testify at 6 p.m. at school headquarters on Riva Road in Annapolis. Other hearing dates are Tuesday, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 21 and 22. Seven of eight board members and the hearing examiner will hear closing arguments Jan. 18.