Three Maryland school systems do not regularly screen their job applicants, despite a state law requiring them to do so. That’s among the findings in a recent audit of the Maryland State Department of Education.

The routine fiscal compliance audit, done by a state committee, found that Maryland public schools should do more to prevent applicants with certain disciplinary records from getting in the door. It didn’t name the school districts that fell short, and education department officials declined to answer questions about the report. But schools in Baltimore, Harford and Montgomery counties have made headlines in recent years for missing red flags when hiring staff.

Last year, Pikesville High School’s former athletic director was convicted of impersonating the principal using artificial intelligence. Dazhon Darien is also now facing charges related to sexual exploitation of children in another matter. A Banner investigation in 2024 revealed he lied on his job application and had been fired from another school district.

Harford schools came under fire last year for hiring Lawrence Smith, a former Baltimore City Public Schools police officer and football coach who pleaded guilty in October to federal wire fraud and tax evasion. An investigation by the Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education found that Harford officials “knew of the pending charges but failed to disqualify Smith due to teacher shortages.” Harford school officials have already started addressing issues identified in the report, a spokesperson wrote in an email.

And in Montgomery County, an inspector general report found that 12,000 school system employees had outdated criminal histories and 4,900 haven’t been screened for cases involving child abuse and neglect.

The state audit found the state education department did not have sufficient policies and procedures to ensure that school districts properly checked employees’ past disciplinary actions. The department also did not make sure that school systems regularly conducted criminal background checks, investigated suspected criminal activity or reported “disqualifying activity” to the education department.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the education department said it’s “committed to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement in all aspects of our work. We take seriously our responsibility to be good stewards of public funds, and we will continue strengthening processes and practices to ensure that we uphold the public trust.”

Sen. Shelly Hettleman, a Democrat representing Baltimore County who sits on the committee that conducted the audit, said the audit findings signaled to her that legislation is needed.

“These are teachers who are spending an awful lot of time with a lot of children throughout our state,” she said. “We need to just be sure that additional screening is done.”

State law requires school districts to screen job candidates who would work directly with minors. Screenings include a statement from the applicant saying they were not the subject of a child sexual abuse or sexual misconduct investigation by any employer. School officials are required to contact current and past employers to verify that information.

Similarly, all Maryland public school employees must have national and state criminal background checks on or before the first day of employment. Candidates can’t be hired and employees can’t be retained if they’ve been convicted of violent crimes or offenses against minors.

However, Maryland’s education department didn’t have a process to make sure school districts were regularly screening or checking criminal backgrounds, the state report stated. The department should require districts to join several screening programs, the audit recommended.

One of the programs is run by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which would alert the education department if any public school employees had participated in a crime anywhere in Maryland.

Auditors said that 34% of the 559 teachers they reviewed in one of the three districts that do not regularly screen applicants were not enrolled in the program. The state education department was unaware of this “and could not readily explain why,” the audit said.

The education department should also require school districts to enroll in a similar federal program that flags employees who conduct criminal activity in other states, auditors said. As of October, only one district was in the FBI’s Record of Arrest and Prosecutions Back service, known as Rap Back.

In addition, school districts should join an association that gives them access to a national clearinghouse that screens job applicants for disciplinary actions reported by school districts across the country, the audit recommended. The state’s education department is a member, but 16 of the 24 school systems are not.

Baltimore County joined after the education department found that Darien, the former Pikesville athletic director, had been flagged in the clearinghouse.

Hettleman introduced legislation last year that would make the clearinghouse membership mandatory for all districts, but it did not pass. She plans to introduce it again this year.

The education department mostly agreed with auditors’ recommendations, the report showed, stating it would recommend a regulation changes to make sure hiring protocols follow the law and that it would ensure all districts are in the Rap Back program.

However, department officials wrote that they don’t have the authority to force school districts to join the clearinghouse.

Auditors disagreed. Hettleman noted the state’s education system gives “an awful lot of control” to local districts.

“I hope that the bill that we are putting forth will add another dimension to ensure that each step of the screening process is adhered to,” she said.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.