MARYLAND
NBC Washington
By Scott MacFarlane
Maryland legislators ended their 2018 session without passing a high-profile bill to protect against child sex abuse in schools.
The bill would make it a criminal offense if educators fail to report suspected child abuse, punishable by up to six months in jail.
Although the bill was approved by the Maryland Senate, it did not clear the state House of Delegates before the end of the 2018 session Monday night. The bill was derailed in part by disagreements among supporters about the language it should include and the standards it should set for prosecutors to file a case.
Administrators with the Baltimore Child Abuse Center and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks advocated for new legislation to order criminal penalties for failure to report abuse. They cited the case of Deonte Carraway, a former Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School aide who pleaded guilty to sex offenses against students. A civil suit filed against the school system alleged the district missed warning signs Carraway was abusing children. The school district declined to comment on the suit.
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