A disturbing investigation is underway involving Matthew Schlegel, a third-grade math teacher at the highly-rated Severna Park Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Multiple sources have informed Project Baltimore that Schlegel is accused of inappropriately touching several students.

The allegations first came to light on March 15th when a third-grade student reported that Schlegel had touched her inappropriately. Three days later, the school principal, Kyle Butler, sent an email to parents of third-graders stating that Schlegel would be out “indefinitely,” though no explanation was given for the popular teacher’s sudden absence.

On April 7th, Butler provided more information in a follow-up email to the entire school community. He revealed that an allegation against Schlegel had been reported to the school system’s Office of Investigations. After the initial report, Butler said he met with “several other sets of families” and reported their information as well.

While the school system has not confirmed the number of accusers, Project Baltimore spoke with a parent whose nine-year-old daughter is one of the alleged victims. This parent claims that at least four third-grade students had come forward with similar accusations against Schlegel by early April.

The alleged misconduct is said to have occurred during school hours in Schlegel’s classroom. Project Baltimore attempted to contact Schlegel at his home last week, but he was not available.

Schlegel has been teaching in Anne Arundel County Public Schools since 2008, initially at Tyler Heights Elementary in Annapolis before moving to Severna Park Elementary in 2016. Project Baltimore has filed public records requests seeking internal investigations and communications related to Schlegel from both schools.

Currently, no charges have been filed against Schlegel, but he has been reassigned to a position with no student contact pending the investigation’s outcome. Anne Arundel County Police are leading the inquiry but have not commented on the specific allegations.

The accusations have rocked the tight-knit community surrounding Severna Park Elementary, one of Maryland’s top-performing schools. As the investigation continues, parents anxiously await answers and authorities’ next steps.