BALTIMORE, Md. — A former teacher, now in jail for sexual solicitation of a minor, largely flew under the radar for years, working at three different Baltimore-area schools.
Mark Planamente was hired twice in a 5-year span despite multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Now, a report from the Maryland Office of Inspector General for Education says - a misunderstanding by school administrators of the term "grooming" is partly to blame.
The report, released this week, details how Planamente was able to jump from school to school even after displaying inappropriate behavior to students.
"I'm not surprised by the fact, unfortunately, that it was missed. I think it's so much easier once a survivor indicates that there was some physical touching or something else that is overtly inappropriate that people jump in," Amanda Rodriguez, executive director of TurnAround Inc., a local nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors of abuse, told WMAR-2 News' Elizabeth Worthington in an interview Thursday. "At least from what we’ve seen, there are so many instances where adults could step in and intervene, but because of a fear of ramifications for the other adult, they don’t," she added."
Planamente was first investigated for sexual misconduct in 2014, while working at a school in the Baltimore County Public School (BCPS) system. The specific school was not named in the OIG report. That investigation revealed that Planamente sent inappropriate messages to a student via Twitter, including asking whether she had “a crush on him,” according to the report. His termination was recommended, but he was allowed to resign in early 2015 instead.
In 2016, he was hired as a coach and teacher at The Catholic High School in Baltimore. Despite conducting a criminal history check, as well as receiving personal and professional references, school administrators were never made aware of the BCPS investigation conducted a year prior.
In 2021, allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student emerged. Planamente was placed on administrative leave, after which he again resigned.
A few weeks later, Planamente applied for a teaching job at Sisters Academy, also in Baltimore. By that point, a new Maryland law was in effect that beefed up background checks for teachers, specifically for sexual misconduct investigations. The amendment, which went into effect in July 2019, required schools to conduct screening processes of any prospective employee who would have direct contact with a minor.
Thanks to this new law, both Planamente and his former employers had to fill out a form, answering “yes/no” to several questions, including whether he had ever been the subject of a child sexual abuse or sexual misconduct investigation by any school system employer.
On the form sent to Sisters Academy, Planamente answered, “no.” The Catholic High School of Baltimore (TCHS) responded, “yes.”
An employee at Catholic told OIGE investigators they “hoped this action would prompt a discussion” with Sisters Academy, “to whom they wanted to convey the investigation details at Catholic.”
That indeed happened during a meeting between administrators, prior to Planamente’s hiring at Sisters. Here’s what happened, according to the OIG report: "[Sisters Academy Employee (SA1)] told the OIGE they found this response "alarming" and contacted a Catholic High School employee (CH1) to discuss it. According to SA1, CH1 said they checked "yes" to prompt SA1 to contact them. During their conversation, SA1 took notes. SA1 was informed about the emails between Planamente and a Catholic student and agreed those emails were unprofessional and inappropriate. When SA1 asked CH1 if there were any allegations of child abuse or sexual misconduct pending or under investigation, CH1 said no. Sisters Academy proceeded with their offer of employment to Planamente after receiving the second Form from BCPS.”
However, BCPS marked “no” on the form, indicating Planamente was never under investigation for sexual misconduct while employed there.
When interviewed by OIG investigators, the employee who filled out the form, identified in the report as “BCPS 1,” explained their reasoning: “Although some comments made on a Twitter account were inappropriate, they did not constitute sexual advances nor were sexually explicit. BCPS1 described their understanding of child sexual abuse to include actions like touching, sharing pornography, or having a sexual relationship. BCPS1 pointed out that definitions related to child sexual abuse or misconduct are very narrow and become subjective when assessing inappropriate behavior.”
"Sexual abuse is not subjective. It is, or it isn’t,” Rodriguez said. "There are appropriate, both physical and emotional connections with children, and there are inappropriate ones. And there’s a bar there. There’s a red line. I think that we need to make sure that we are in a place that there is a understanding of why it’s inappropriate, because I think for some adults, they step into a place of trying to be overly friendly, and that is problematic because you are in an adult-child relationship; there’s an inherent power struggle between the adult and the child. You’re not meeting as equals. As adults, our job is to protect children. So if we are even in the auspice that this is inappropriate behavior, because of that power dynamic, it is inappropriate, and it needs to stop.
The OIGE report concluded that although none of the administrators willfully failed to report the misconduct, there needs to be better standardized training, more precise guidelines, and improved communications between schools.
Specifically, Inspector General Richard Henry writes: “The lack of a clear definition of ‘grooming’ has led to varied responses from different institutions. […] This divergence in understanding and application of the term "grooming" underscores a critical gap in standardized training and clear guidelines, leading to inconsistent reporting practices and potential risks in safeguarding students."
In light of the OIG’s findings, BCPS is in the process of updating their policies to include definitions of “grooming.” Sisters Academy employees participated in a workshop on the topic. TCHS tells WMAR-2 News it hopes this report leads to the state better defining behaviors that don’t meet the legal standard for child abuse, noting that in this case, the school “far exceeded the legal requirements regarding the sharing of important personnel information about former employees."
Below are the full statements from TCHS, and Sisters Academy. BCPS declined to comment further.
The Catholic High School of Baltimore statement:
“The Catholic High School of Baltimore (TCHS) far exceeded the legal requirements regarding the sharing of important personnel information about former employees. The report fails to make clear that Catholic High had no knowledge at the time of Mr. Planamente's resignation from TCHS of any allegation of child sexual abuse and that it was only after Catholic High pursued multiple law enforcement agencies to act on the allegations that came to the school's attention after Mr. Planamente's departure that he was arrested and held legally accountable for his actions. That persistence led to the Maryland State Police pursuing the allegations, with TCHS' complete cooperation and assistance.
It is our hope that this report will result in the State defining behaviors that don't meet the legal standard for child sexual abuse, often referred to as grooming, which schools are trained to view as "red flags" for possible future abusive conduct. In spite of the current lack of such specific guidance, Catholic High will continue to aggressively enforce state, local and school guidelines aimed at preventing those who would harm children from working in schools, as was done in this case.”
Sisters Academy statement:
"The School is aware that the Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education recently completed its investigation into hiring practices at Sisters Academy of Baltimore and did not find the school at fault for violating policy or procedural steps related to the state's background check requirements.
School president Kaliq H. Simms, who began her tenure on July 1, 2023, is grateful that no students at Sisters Academy of Baltimore were harmed during the short time the subject of the investigation was employed at the school, November 2021- February 2022.
Protecting and nurturing the girls who attend is of utmost importance to Sisters Academy of Baltimore, and the school concurs with the investigation’s findings that there is an urgent need for better guidelines, enhanced institutional communication, and standardized training. The school’s current practices include rigorous background and reference checks on all employees following legal requirements and state guidelines.
President Simms and the school’s current leadership team appreciate the state’s thorough investigation and commitment to ensuring the safety of educational institutions."
We also asked Rodriguez what advice she has for parents who want to discuss grooming with their kids. She advised parents to make sure their children have identified a trusted adult they can talk to when they feel uncomfortable, to set boundaries online even with adults, and to believe children when they express that an adult makes them feel uncomfortable.
"I think these are some of the hardest ones for parents because the reality is, there is a power dynamic that exists. If you are in a position where you’re being contacted online by a peer, it’s a lot easier to say, ‘I’m uncomfortable.’ Because you don’t always realize in those moments, that what is happening between you and another adult, is inappropriate. Because you believe that because it is an adult, it is inherently appropriate. They have an inherent trust with adults in authority," Rodriguez said.
For more information on services provided by TurnAround Inc., click here. Their crisis hotline is 443-279-0379 and their text line is410-498-5956