A Project Baltimore investigation has uncovered new details surrounding Matthew Schlegel, the Severna Park teacher charged with sexually abusing multiple students. Schlegel is accused of inappropriately touching eight young girls, raising questions about why the alleged abuse wasn’t reported sooner.

Schlegel’s friends and family declined to comment as they left the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court on Tuesday. The defense attorney and prosecutor also remained tight-lipped following an emotionally charged hearing where a judge denied bail for the elementary school teacher.

Schlegel, a third-grade math teacher at Severna Park Elementary, faces 36 charges, including multiple counts of sex abuse of a minor. He is accused of inappropriately touching eight students between August 2022 and March 2024, when the first allegation was reported, leading to his removal from the classroom.

According to charging documents, the alleged abuse occurred in class during school hours. At Tuesday’s hearing, Schlegel’s attorney described him as a beloved teacher of 16 years, with no prior reports of inappropriate behavior from adults.

However, Project Baltimore’s investigation has raised doubts about this claim. The news outlet sent multiple public records requests to Anne Arundel County Schools, seeking internal investigations into allegations of teacher misconduct at both Tyler Heights and Severna Park Elementary, as well as any correspondence related to Schlegel.

The school district claimed that reports of “misconduct” are part of an employee’s “personnel file” and cannot be released. Documents related to an ongoing investigation would also not be disclosed. Furthermore, the district only retains 30 days’ worth of an employee’s email inbox, meaning any older emails potentially reporting Schlegel’s alleged abuse may have been deleted.

In court, the prosecutor stated that Schlegel used his status as a “beloved” teacher to prey upon children who didn’t want to report him. Project Baltimore is continuing to investigate whether Schlegel’s alleged behavior began before 2022, as the charging documents suggest.

Schlegel is due back in court in June.