Teacher, counselors charged with sex abuse

Parents at Clarksburg High are angry they didn’t learn of situation sooner

Two group home counselors also were arrested on allegations they had sexual relations with the Clarksburg High School student.

Clarksburg PTA President Terry Strauss said he was shocked when he heard the details of the allegations. Some parents are critical of the principal for not letting all parents know about the situation before news organizations made it public last week, he said.

‘‘The parents that e-mailed me said they were concerned about why it didn’t come out sooner,” Strauss said.

Principal James Koutsos will speak with parents at the next PTA meeting on Feb. 20.

Morrow-Hargrove, of the 12600 block of Grey Eagle Court in Germantown, developed a personal relationship with the boy and had a sexual encounter with him in her apartment in December, according to police charging documents in District Court. She also took a shower with the boy, the documents state.

The boy lived in the M.S. Youth Services Group Home in Germantown, where the two female counselors allegedly had sexual relations with him, charging documents state.

Morrow-Hargrove and counselors Koreen Allen Avery, 38, of the 19300 block of Hottinger Circle in Germantown, and Robin Denise Lawrence, 24, of the 4500 block of Dallas Place in Temple Hills, were arrested Jan. 29.

All three women were charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor and each was released after posting $50,000 bond. They are scheduled for a court hearing Feb. 23.

Police say Morrow-Hargrove established a mother-son relationship with the 16-year-old and helped him with schoolwork, took him out to eat and bought him clothes and a cell phone, according to police charging documents. She told police she felt sorry for the boy because he did not appear to have enough to eat or anyone to help him with schoolwork, the charging documents say.

Morrow-Hargrove told police the boy had aggressively pursued her, police reported.

Koutsos sent a letter to parents of students enrolled in Morrow-Hargrove’s classes Jan. 9 to let them know she would no longer teach at the school because of a ‘‘personal matter.” She had been teaching at the school since November.

He sent a letter to parents Thursday stating that the boy’s legal guardian told the school about the allegations of an improper sexual relationship with a teacher on Jan 8. The school notified Child Protective Services and the county police, according to his letter.

Police began an investigation Jan. 10 in conjunction with Montgomery County Child Protective Services. The investigation uncovered allegations that the boy also had sexual relations with two counselors.

‘‘The entire staff is devoted to ensuring that the minor involved in the incident and all of our students are receiving the support they need to maintain their focus on learning,” Koutsos wrote in the letter. ‘‘Our school psychologist and our counselors have been, and will continue to be available to talk with students and listen to their concerns.”

Morrow-Hargrove had previously worked as a substitute teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Germantown. She is no longer an employee of Montgomery County Public Schools, school system spokeswoman Kate Harrison said.

Avery, who declined to comment, was the only counselor at the home when she is alleged to have had sexual intercourse with the teen in October or November, according to police charging documents.

She told police he pursued her and she pushed him away after having very brief intercourse with him, according to charging documents.

Lawrence was also in charge of the group home when she allegedly had sexual intercourse with teen, according to police charging documents.

Police say she admitted that she knew the boy was 16 when she had intercourse with him in September or October. According to police charging documents, Lawrence told police she was ashamed of her actions and knew better than to have sexual relations with the boy.

The state Department of Human Resources Licensing Division was first notified of the charges against the three women on Feb. 1. The agency is investigating the Germantown group home to determine if its procedures follow licensing regulations, said Elyn Garrett-Jones, spokeswoman for the department.

M.S. Youth Services Group home is a community-based organization set up to provide a safe environment for abused and neglected boys in need of housing, according to its Web site. It is licensed by the state Department of Human Resources.

The organization runs two group homes in Germantown and one in Montgomery Village.

The counselors were recently fired by the group home because of matters not related to the sex abuse charges, police spokeswoman Officer Melanie Hadley said.

Counselors are required to notify their directors if they receive unwanted sexual advances , said Agnes Leshner, director of the county Child Welfare Service. The group home’s director can then call police to request relocation of the child, she said.

Although Leshner would not comment on the specifics of the case, she said that if Child Protective Services finds that the child is in an unsafe situation during an investigation it can relocate the child to relatives, foster care or another group home.

Group home counselors undergo a criminal history and child abuse background checks before they are hired, she said.

Procedural changes within the group home may be mandated pending the investigation, Garrett-Jones said.

The Gazette could not reach Morrow-Hargrove or Lawrence for comment.