The youth who accused former Northeast High School science teacher Laurie S. Cook of having a sexual relationship with him was described last night as a "class clown" who constantly sought attention from fellow students and teachers.
At least five of the student's former middle or high school teachers testified at the sixth session in a hearing that will determine whether Ms. Cook will keep her job. Cleared by a jury a year ago on a charge that she had sex with the youth, she has been accused by the county superintendent of schools of four counts of misconduct.
The teachers told of incidents in which the youth misbehaved by tapping pencils on a desk, talking to other students during lessons, spraying deodorant when entering class and throwing a spitball at his high school Spanish teacher.
Most of the testimony was similar to what the teachers said at Ms. Cook's trial.
One surprise witness was Jacqueline Albert, a Spanish teacher at George Fox Middle School who was described by Ms. Cook's lawyer as being "scared to testify" earlier in the evening.
"That is what teachers are telling us," said M. Cristina Gutierrez, the Baltimore lawyer who also represented Ms. Cook at her trial. "I cannot say to you we will be able to present her as a witness."
A few hours later, however, Ms. Albert testified that while she tried to give the youth leadership roles in class, he was a continual behavior problem as an eighth-grader. She was part of a team of teachers who participated in a conference with the student and his father during which several teachers complained that he was using sexually inappropriate language.
Ms. Gutierrez further tried to discredit the student by asking the witnesses about his academic performance and their experience with his "truthfulness."
Northeast High algebra teacher Dorothy Schleupner testified that in one incident, the youth told an administrator she had called him "stupid," which she denied.
Ms. Gutierrez then introduced the documents surrounding the youth's referral to the office in that incident, but they were sealed by the hearing examiner handling the case. After a protest from The Sun, the hearing examiner agreed to accept motions on the issue.
In other testimony, Dan Collins, a 10th-grade biology teacher at Northeast, testified that the youth used sexually inappropriate language in a term paper describing fertilization.
The youth's football coach, Kevin Buckley, said the student was "likable" but often lied. "I don't know if he knows the difference between what's real and what he imagines," Mr. Buckley said. He "would just tell me story after story," he said.
P. Tyson Bennett, a lawyer for the school system, questioned Mr. Buckley's own credibility, noting that the coach was accused of sexual harassment in the spring of 1993.
"Did you not receive an oral reprimand?" Mr. Bennett asked.
"I don't know whether it was or not," Mr. Buckley replied. "Dr. [Joseph] Carducci [former Northeast principal] called me back into his office after the investigation was over and said, 'What I'm supposed to do is talk to you as a big brother. I don't know whether you did it or not, but be careful what you say, because it might be misinterpreted.' I didn't feel like I was scolded when I left there."
The hearing continues at 6 p.m. today at school systems headquarters on Riva Road in Annapolis.