A former high school teacher in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, was arrested and accused of having multiple sexual encounters with a teenage student.
Meredith Martin, 37, was a science teacher at South River High School until last month, when she was reassigned so she would no longer have contact with children.
Martin is accused of having several inappropriate encounters with a teenage student in the Davidsonville and Edgewater areas.
On Wednesday, Martin was taken into custody and charged with five counts of sex abuse of a minor, eight counts of a fourth-degree sex offense involving a person in the position of authority and two counts of perverted practice.
Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent George Arlotto released a statement about the accusations against Martin.
“The charges against Meredith Martin sicken me to my core and besmirch the incredible work teachers across our county do with children every single day,” Arlotto said. “We place teachers in positions of responsibility and as a society we entrust to them the most precious thing we have: our children.
No one who acts in the way in which Meredith Martin has been accused of acting should be around any children in any school.”
Anne Arundel County police are asking other possible victims or anyone with more information about the case to contact them.
Martin has worked full time for the school system since August 2007, according to county spokesperson Bob Mosier.
She was a special education and science teacher at Chesapeake High School from 2007 to 2012 and then a science teacher at South River High School from 2012 until last month.
In reaction to the arrest, South River High School Principal William Myers sent a letter home to parents urging them to have discussions with their children.
Arlotto said Martin was removed from her position after the first allegation was made against her.
Martin’s current position does not involve contact with children.
“We will continue to cooperate with our partners in law enforcement, and make decisions on any future AACPS employment after the legal matters are settled,” Arlotto said.
