Silver Spring, MD - Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault

Former Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School Teacher Charged for Sexually Assaulting a Student

According to WUSA9, 30-year-old Montgomery County teacher, Maxwell Bero, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct against one of his 8th-grade students.

Police found that Bero had multiple inappropriate offenses with a 14-year-old from August 2014 to June 2015. The interactions allegedly occurred after hours on school property. Detailed information on the interactions between Bero and the student has not been released.

Bero is charged with sexual abuse of a minor and multiple counts of committing third-degree sexual offenses. He has since been placed on administrative leave.

Legal Rights of Victims Sexually Abused by a Teacher

Aaron Blank, an experienced sexual assault attorney, represents victims of sexual abuse. Aaron has experience representing victims of sexual abuse in schools. We asked Aaron to provide the below insight to demonstrate the rights of victims sexually abused in school.

Are schools obligated to protect students from assault?

“Sexual predators are often found working in schools as teachers, coaches, and staff. These predators place themselves in positions of trust and power to exploit the children they see daily. Schools must try their best to ensure their students’ safety, considering the number of sexual abuse cases at schools across the country. Schools must attempt to prevent predators from working in their schools by implementing policies such as high-quality background checks and efficient interviews.”

What are the legal options of a victim sexually abused in school?

“Victims of sexual assault and their families must ask if a school did their best to prevent sexual assault. If the school did not, for example, have proper security measures in place, the school could be considered negligent. In negligence cases, the victim and their family should know they may have grounds for a lawsuit. An example of negligence is if previous reports have been filed against a teacher, but they’re permitted to keep working. If a school doesn’t enact safety measures and ignore previous complaints, they may be found negligent and be considered liable."

Sources:

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/crime/maxwell-bero-charged-sexual-assault-montgomery-county-high-school/65-5ab873a8-025f-41d3-ad97-ef47cf7c24f7