A lawsuit filed this week in Prince George’s County Circuit Court claims some school officials “chose to continue to enable” inappropriate behavior exhibited by former teacher’s aide and convicted child molester Deonte Carraway.
According to the document, Carraway, 24, received permission from former Judge Sylvania Woods Principal Michelle Williams to escort children to the bathroom, walk them home and “supervise an overnight trip with students.”
“The board of education and Principal Williams facilitated Carraway’s predatory conduct giving him the run of the school,” according to the suit, which was filed by attorneys representing one of the accusers. “The board of education also failed to adopt and implement reasonable policies and procedures to ensure that Carraway was not given unlimited access to children and that there was not such a total lack of supervision where he could sexually abuse students on school property during school hours.”
Authorities said Carraway abused 23 elementary-age children between November 2014 and September 2015 while employed at the Glenarden school. He remained at the school as an unpaid volunteer for about another five months until he was charged in February 2016.
Carraway also recorded children on cellphones at a local church, a community center and the children’s homes, authorities said.
Carraway was sentenced in August to 75 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. A month later, he was sentenced to another 100 years by Prince George’s County for similar charges and sex abuse.
The case forced county school officials to create a task force and increase safety measures.
Edmund J. O’Meally, one of the three attorneys representing the school board, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Mark T. Foley, an attorney for Williams, also could not be reached for comment.