Maryland teacher Matthew Schlegel will return to paid status after acquittal on sexual abuse charges
Maryland teacher Matthew Schlegel will return to paid status with Anne Arundel County Public Schools after he was acquitted on sexual abuse charges, the school district said.
A spokesperson told WJZ that the school district will finalize its review regarding Schlegel's job status and employment assignment "by our obligations under state law."
Schlegel, a third-grade teacher from Severna Park Elementary School, was found not guilty of 18 counts of sexual abuse and sex offenses, though a jury was unable to agree on three of the charges.
He appeared for a bail review hearing Wednesday, where a judge ordered his immediate release under the conditions that he does not have contact with the alleged victims or their families and cannot be unsupervised around minors.
Before the hearing, Schlegel mouthed "I love you" to his wife in the gallery, which was full. He was dressed in a suit and tie.
Schlegel's family did not comment on his release. His attorneys echoed their comments from Tuesday, saying Schlegel has suffered and they imagine he will be in shock for some time.
Protesters, parents react to partial verdict
The partial verdict came after a five-week trial, during which five young girls testified that Schlegel touched them inappropriately during classes.
Schlegel was removed from the school and arrested after the alleged abuse between 2022 and 2024.
After learning the verdict on Tuesday, the parents of some of the girls who testified expressed their disappointment.
"After the last one to two years of mental health struggles and picking my daughter back up and then putting her through hell, to sit there and face the man that (allegedly) abused her, I see her as the strongest little girl I've ever met," one mother said.
One of the parents testified that she found a note on her daughter's iPad, suggesting that Schlegel had been removed from the school due to inappropriate touching.
Schlegel denied the allegations against him when he testified during his trial, the Baltimore Banner reported.
Protesters rallied outside the courthouse Wednesday to oppose the verdict and to advocate for child sex abuse survivors.
Some held signs that read, "We believe them." Another read, "You failed our girls."
"This outcome yesterday. It's a complete and total failure, and now our focus is on, how do we keep these girls safe? How do we keep our school system safe?" said Katie Juhasz, a friend of an alleged victim's family.
What's next for Matthew Schlegel?
Jury deliberations in Schlegel's trial lasted three days as members struggled to agree on several counts.
On Monday, the jury told the judge they were deadlocked on four charges. After agreeing on one more charge, they told the judge they doubted they would come to a consensus on the others.
Court officials are expected to share more information about how the three remaining charges will be handled during a status hearing on July 1.
