Latest news with #OverleaHighSchool
CBS News
15-05-2025
- CBS News
Baltimore County high school student alleges in lawsuit she was assaulted by teacher
A Baltimore County high school student claims in a lawsuit against the school board that she was assaulted by a teacher in the classroom. "I remember I used to feel so defenseless," said Baltimore County student Maysha Tuyas-Perez. Her family is filing the lawsuit against the Baltimore County School Board over negligence and claiming the school failed to provide a safe space for students and proper staff training. The family is seeking over $75,000 in damages. Recalling the alleged assault Maysha Tuyas-Perez said she was assaulted by her AP Spanish teacher when she walked into the classroom at Overlea High School two years ago. "She stood up, grabbed me by hoodie and started punching me over and over and over again and she finally let go," Tuyas-Perez told WJZ. "I don't remember how many times she punched me." Tuyas-Perez said she left the classroom shocked and confused. She said she called her friend before walking to the school's office to notify officials and write up a report. The nurse took photos of her back, which was bruised, she said. Tuyas-Perez said she recovered from the assault for two weeks at home. During that time, the teacher was suspended for a few days before returning to work. According to the Baltimore County school district, the teacher is still at the school. "We are aware of the lawsuit and cannot comment on pending litigation," a Baltimore County Public Schools spokesperson said. "BCPS followed its processes and thoroughly investigated the report, and the teacher is teaching classes at Overlea." David Muncy, the lawyer representing Tuyas-Perez, says suspension was not enough, and he wants the school to be held accountable. "They've given us no answers as to why this happened or what they plan to do about it," Muncy said. "The teachers back in the school, and overall, they have not taken the incident seriously." "I used to beat myself up over it" The alleged assault still haunts Tuyas-Perez. She filed a request to be transferred to another school. "I remember I used to cry every day," Tuyas-Perez said. "I used to beat myself up over it. I just remember I was in a really bad mental state and I couldn't concentrate on school."
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Family sues Baltimore County Schools over alleged assault by Overlea High teacher
A high school student's family is suing the Baltimore County Board of Education in excess of $75,000 over allegations that the teen was assaulted by a teacher. The family believes the school system failed to provide a safe environment and proper employee training, David A. Muncy, a Maryland-based attorney representing the family, wrote in court documents filed Thursday. On Nov. 21, 2023, the Overlea High School student, who was 15 at the time, allegedly suffered 'injuries to her body, as well as severe and protracted shock to her nervous system, all of which have caused her, and will continue to cause her, great pain and mental anguish,' according to the court filing. 'This was her favorite teacher, and she just never thought this was going to happen to her,' Muncy said in an interview. 'So she did some counseling and was checked out by her family doctor.' The teacher was briefly suspended and returned to the classroom, according to Muncy and the family. The family says the school district has offered no transparency or follow-up care. A spokesperson for Baltimore County schools declined to comment on pending litigation, except to say that 'BCPS followed its processes and thoroughly investigated the report.' The court documents did not disclose many details of the alleged assault, but Muncy provided some specifics. 'She came up behind her teacher, basically good morning, probably loud, but not anything out of the ordinary, and the teacher just turned around and basically started assaulting her, slapping her, hitting her,' Muncy said. 'We really don't know why. We still don't know why. And from there, she went and reported to the office. They took out a peace order, a protective order against the teacher, which was granted. The State's Attorney's office declined to file charges against her. We don't know why that is either.' The family also alleges the Board of Education failed to ensure its teachers had the 'proper temperament to safely interact with students' and did not properly monitor the mental health and competency of its teachers, according to the complaint. 'She didn't know what to do,' said the student's mother, whom The Baltimore Sun is not naming to protect her child's privacy. 'She wasn't expecting that something like that could happen to her, especially with someone that she trusts, with a figure that he's a teacher, and you trust them because [they are] educators. So she was in shock for a while.' The student was moved to a different school after the alleged event, according to her mother. 'She is thriving right now in the new school,' her mother said in the interview. 'She is doing what she likes, which is allied health. When she graduates, she wants to be an OB-GYN. … She is thriving with her peers at school and she is thriving with the teachers.' Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@ or on X as @ToddKarpovich.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
Students Fearful After Posts Threaten to Report Undocumented Peers to ICE
This article was originally published in Maryland Matters. Community leaders called on Baltimore County school officials Tuesday to ensure that undocumented students are protected, days after reports that an Overlea High School teacher reached out to immigration officials and offered to name names. That incident has rippled through the immigrant community, leaving students and family members more scared than ever over their safety in school, advocates said during Tuesday night's board meeting and at a news conference earlier in the day. 'This isn't just about one teacher,' said Lucas Cunha, an Essex business owner who testified to the board. 'He offered to hand over the names students to ICE – young people he was entrusted to protect.' Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Cunha, who was once undocumented, called the alleged actions of the Baltimore County teacher a 'betrayal' that 'didn't just endanger immigrants, it shattered the trust of every student.' Related Advocates were referring to a series of posts last week that appeared to come from a since-deleted account on X, called @RennerTraining, that tags the account of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and offers to share the names of undocumented students. 'If you want the names to investigate families to find illegals, let me know in dm [direct message]. I'll give names and school. All in Md,' according to screenshots of the posts. County school officials did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The Teachers Association of Baltimore County said in a Facebook post Tuesday that it was 'aware of alleged actions by an educator at Overlea High School last week,' without further elaboration on the incident. 'It's also important to note that all students have privacy rights based on federal FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protections,' the Facebook statement said. 'And while immigration issues may seem complicated, some things are simple: children do not decide where and how their parents choose to move.' But Crisaly De Los Santos, Central Maryland and Baltimore director for CASA, said during a virtual event Tuesday afternoon that the incident has shattered the sense of security for families in the region. 'Families should feel confident that when their children are in schools, they're safe and they're protected and supported by teachers and administrators who they trust to care for their children,' she said. 'But in light of recent events, we have seen how this basic expectation has not been met.' She said that the county school board needs to 'adopt a clear and comprehensive policy to ensure that ICE is going to be blocked from accessing school resources and personal information.' 'We need a policy that guarantees that students' safety and their future is not going to be jeopardized by federal immigration enforcement,' she said. 'The current policy is just not enough, and it does not provide the clarity some families need to feel safe in our schools.' Several members of Baltimore County's immigrant community said during the virtual event that the social media posts heightened anxiety many were already feeling under President Donald Trump (R). They did not provide their full names for privacy reasons. A 12th grader named Helen shared that her goals are simple: She wants to become fluent in English and attend college. But she is now constantly worried that her 'personal information will be shared with ICE,' which makes focusing on schoolwork difficult. 'Every student deserves to feel safe at school, no matter where they come from,' Helen said. Another Baltimore County student, who used the pseudonym Rosa, said the United States is the country she 'calls home,' but 'hearing a county teacher threatened to call ICE made me feel that I did not belong in this country.' Gricelda, a parent of three Baltimore County public school students, said she worries about sending her children to school each day. 'I have to think every day about the possibilities of family separation — and what this could lead to for many families … Just seeing that a Baltimore County Public School teacher has threatened to share students' information with ICE, it really worries me,' she said through De Los Santos, who translated. 'This is something that does not just affect me, but many other families, and I am constantly worried, thinking about if sending my kids to school is the safe thing to do.' During open comments at the virtual board meeting, Cunha and others said a sense of security is important for immigrant safety so students can learn. 'Every single opportunity I got … was because of the trust that I built with my teachers over 20 years ago,' Cunha said. 'That trust is the foundation of every student's success. That very trust is what's at stake here.' Peter Baum, who was previously taught English as a second language in Baltimore County, said he's been in 'education for over eight years … and in my time I have never heard of such a massively egregious violation of student safety.' While she did not speak on the case itself, Superintendent Myriam Rogers said during the virtual board meeting that 'teachers, all staff, are expected to create safe learning environment for our schools, for our students.' She also noted that federal and state law 'protects student privacy and prohibits the release of student information.' 'When staff members violate those expectations and break policy, there are consequences. We absolutely do follow due process. There is an investigation, and based on the results of those investigations, next steps are determined,' she said. Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
Students fearful after posts apparently offering to turn undocumented students over to ICE
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in a 2019 file photo from Texas. Immigrants in Baltimore County were rattled last week amid reports that an Overlea High School teacher reached out to ICE and offered to identify undocumented students. (Photo courtesy Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Community leaders called on Baltimore County school officials Tuesday to ensure that undocumented students are protected, days after reports that an Overlea High School teacher reached out to immigration officials and offered to name names. That incident has rippled the immigrant community, leaving students and family members more scared than ever over their safety in school, advocates said during the board meeting and at a news conference earlier in the day. 'This isn't just about one teacher,' said Lucas Cunha, an Essex business owner who testified to the board. 'He offered to hand over the names students to ICE – young people he was entrusted to protect.' Cunha, who was once undocumented, called the alleged actions of the Baltimore County teacher a 'betrayal' that 'didn't just endanger immigrants, it shattered the trust of every student.' Advocates were referring to a series of posts last week that appeared to come from a since-deleted account on X, called @RennerTraining, that tags the account of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and offers to share the names of undocumented students. 'If you want the names to investigate families to find illegals, let me know in dm [direct message]. I'll give names and school. All in Md,' according to screenshots of the posts. County school officials did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The Teachers Association of Baltimore County said in a Facebook post Tuesday that it was 'aware of alleged actions by an educator at Overlea High School last week,' without further elaboration on the incident. 'It's also important to note that all students have privacy rights based on federal FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protections,' the Facebook statement said. 'And while immigration issues may seem complicated, some things are simple: children do not decide where and how their parents choose to move.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX But Crisaly De Los Santos, Central Maryland and Baltimore director for CASA, said during a virtual event Tuesday afternoon that the incident has shattered the sense of security for families in the region. 'Families should feel confident that when their children are in schools, they're safe and they're protected and supported by teachers and administrators who they trust to care for their children,' she said. 'But in light of recent events, we have seen how this basic expectation has not been met.' She said that the county school board needs to 'adopt a clear and comprehensive policy to ensure that ICE is going to be blocked from accessing school resources and personal information.' 'We need a policy that guarantees that students' safety and their future is not going to be jeopardized by federal immigration enforcement,' she said. 'The current policy is just not enough, and it does not provide the clarity some families need to feel safe in our schools.' Several members of Baltimore County's immigrant community said during the virtual event that the social media posts heightened anxiety many were already feeling under President Donald Trump (R). They did not provide their full names for privacy reasons. A 12th grader named Helen shared that her goals are simple: She wants to become fluent in English and attend college. But she is now constantly worried that her 'personal information will be shared with ICE,' which makes focusing on schoolwork difficult. 'Every student deserves to feel safe at school, no matter where they come from,' Helen said. Another Baltimore County student, who used the pseudonym Rosa, said the United States is the country she 'calls home,' but 'hearing a county teacher threatened to call ICE made me feel that I did not belong in this country.' Gricelda, a parent of three Baltimore County public school students, said she worries about sending her children to school each day. Advocates urge Maryland lawmakers to protect 'sensitive locations' from immigration raids 'I have to think every day about the possibilities of family separation — and what this could lead to for many families … Just seeing that a Baltimore County Public School teacher has threatened to share students' information with ICE, it really worries me,' she said through De Los Santos, who translated. 'This is something that does not just affect me, but many other families, and I am constantly worried, thinking about if sending my kids to school is the safe thing to do.' During open comments at the virtual board meeting, Cunha and others said a sense of security is important for immigrant safety so students can learn. 'Every single opportunity I got … was because of the trust that I built with my teachers over 20 years ago,' Cunha said. 'That trust is the foundation of every student's success. That very trust is what's at stake here.' Peter Baum, who was previously taught English as a second language in Baltimore County, said he's been in 'education for over eight years … and in my time I have never heard of such a massively egregious violation of student safety.' While she did not speak on the case itself, Superintendent Myriam Rogers said during the virtual board meeting that 'teachers, all staff, are expected to create safe learning environment for our schools, for our students.' She also noted that federal and state 'protects student privacy and prohibits the release of student information.' 'When staff members violate those expectations and break policy, there are consequences. We absolutely do follow due process. There is an investigation, and based on the results of those investigations, next steps are determined,' she said.
