Jury selection begins in sex abuse trial of former Severna Park Elementary teacher

Jury selection started Monday in the trial of a former Severna Park Elementary School teacher accused of child sex abuse.

Matthew Schlegel, 45, faces charges including sex abuse of a minor, second-degree assault and third- and fourth-degree sex offenses. A grand jury indicted him last June on 55 charges, including 20 felonies.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department began an investigation into sexual abuse involving female students at Severna Park Elementary in March 2024. According to charging documents, eight students said Schlegel touched them inappropriately between August 2022 and March 2024.

Students told investigators that Schlegel touched them during class or when they went into the bathroom. Some of these incidents occurred during lessons or in front of other students, accusers told police.

Police said multiple witnesses told investigators they had seen students sitting on Schlegel’s lap during class.

Schlegel, who is married and has two children, began working for the Anne Arundel school system in 2008 as a second-grade teacher at Tyler Heights Elementary School.

In 2016, Schlegel moved to Severna Park Elementary. He is currently suspended without pay from Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

AACPS Chief Communications Officer Bob Mosier said in an interview last week that he could not say whether the district looked into Schlegel’s tenure at Tyler Heights Elementary.

Schlegel was arrested last May. He is currently being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center without bail.

According to the Maryland Judiciary, Schlegel’s trial could last four weeks.

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