Investigation after student's mother accuses school employee of showing son sexually explicit images

GAITHERSBURG, Md. - School officials and police in Montgomery County are investigating claims of employee misconduct after a student's mother accused a school employee of showing her son sexually explicit images.

The incident allegedly took place at Flower Hill Elementary School in Gaithersburg in October 2017. The mother contacted FOX 5 and claimed her son, as well as three other students, were shown sexually explicit images. The mother told FOX 5 that she reported the alleged incident to police and school officials immediately.

A letter to parents about the investigation was sent out on Thursday after the mother posted accusations about the alleged incident on social media. The letter, sent by Lamar Whitmore, principal of the school, said that the alleged incident was immediately reported to authorities and that the employee accused was placed on administrative leave.

In full, the letter read:

"Dear Flower Hill Staff and Families: I am writing to share information with you about an alleged incident and how it is being addressed. As you may have seen posted online, a serious allegation has been made against a Flower Hill Elementary School employee. Please know that, in accordance with our memorandum of understanding with law enforcement and child welfare services, all allegations of this type are immediately reported to the appropriate authorities. Additionally, as part of MCPS protocol, any employee accused of such inappropriate conduct is placed on administrative leave until an investigation is completed. In order not to interfere with the investigation, we cannot share further information at this time. Please know that we are taking this incident very seriously. The safety of our students is always our first priority. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we address this matter."

When asked why the school delayed its announcement of the investigation to parents, Derek Turner, with the Montgomery County Public Schools Office of Communications, released a statement saying, "Pursuant to our memorandum of understanding with Montgomery County law enforcement and MCPS policies and regulations, we do not share any details broadly with the community to avoid prejudicing the ongoing investigation."

The investigation is continuing at this time.