Months after an Anne Arundel County teacher was acquitted of child sex abuse charges, three more families have come forward with allegations. 

Three Severna Park Elementary School families, represented by attorney Thiru Vignarajah, told reporters Monday their daughters were allegedly abused by their third-grade math teacher, Matthew Schlegel.

Schlegel's attorney said his client is innocent, and raised concerns about Monday's announcement, saying it "recycles previously investigated and discredited claims under the false label of 'new' allegations." 

"It is our understanding that the claims raised have already been reviewed by law enforcement, CPS, school officials and the courts, and were found to lack credibility," Schlegel's attorney, Patrick Seidel, said in a statement. 

The parents spoke anonymously on Monday in order to protect the privacy of their daughters. 

"We wish we could tell you we were shocked by her admission, but for months, she was increasingly displaying signs of a child that had been sexually abused," the parent of a seventh grader said. 

Teacher acquitted of sex abuse

In June, Schlegel was found not guilty on 18 counts of sex offenses. Three other charges were dismissed after a five-week trial. 

He was initially accused of sexually abusing eight of his students between 2022 and 2024 when he worked as a third-grade math teacher. 

Five of the eight accusers testified at Schlegel's trial. He was ultimately acquitted.

Additional allegations 

On Monday, Vignarajah said three more girls who were not part of the original investigation have come forward with allegations. 

"They are coming forward because the survivors and all of these families need to know they're not alone," he said. 

The parent of the seventh grader said her daughter opened up after the trial, claiming that she was allegedly abused in Schlegel's class in 2021. She said her daughter carried a lot of "misplaced guilt." 

"She said, 'If I had remembered what happened to me sooner, mama, those other girls wouldn't have been hurt,'" the parent said. 

A second parent said her now fifth grader started having panic attacks in third grade. She said it came out through therapy that her daughter was allegedly abused. 

"Our girl has now repeatedly said to us, 'the bald man touched me,'" the parent said. 

A third parent said her daughter is now in sixth grade, and claims Schlegel repeatedly touched her inappropriately while he was her math teacher. 

Two of the parents have filed Title IX complaints — a formal report of sexual misconduct in an education setting. 

Those parents have asked their attorney to arrange a meeting with Anne Arundel County police and prosecutors to discuss pressing charges. 

Schlegel's attorney, Seidel, shared the following statement after Monday's announcement: 

"The attorney leading this effort is not a neutral party. He is actively involved in both the Title IX process and pending civil litigation, and is clearly using public platforms to influence opinion and pressure institutions outside the bounds of due process. Continuing to amplify the same attorney making the same allegations without scrutiny contributes to a cycle of misinformation and defamation. These are serious matters, and the reputational damage caused by repeating unfounded claims cannot be undone by later corrections.

"Mr. Schlegel is innocent. He has fully cooperated with every investigation, testified under oath, was cross-examined, was unanimously acquitted by a jury of his peers, and most recently voluntarily submitted to and passed a polygraph. These facts remain unchanged—and they speak volumes about the truth."