School Band Director Arrested on Child Molestation Charges

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- The former band leader at Georgia's top-ranked high school has been arrested on charges he had a sexual relationship with a student.

Michael Appelbaum, of Roswell, spent more than seven years at Gwinnett County School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, where he was band director and head of music technology.

He was being held Wednesday at Gwinnett County Jail on multiple charges, including aggravated child molestation and sexual assault by a teacher, principal or administrator.

He was arrested Tuesday -- the same day that U.S. News and World Report ranked GCSMST the No. 1 high school in Georgia.

A statement from Gwinnett County Public Schools said that Appelbaum resigned March 18.

A former student contacted police, saying she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with Appelbaum when she was still a student at the school, according to the statement.

Appelbaum denied the relationship during an internal investigation, the school system said in a letter to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

"The former student alleged the first inappropriate contact occurred in November 2011 and continued through August 2012," Gwinnett schools said in the letter. "The former student alleged that they [had] sexual intercourse a total of five times ."

The claims aren't the first against Appelbaum.

In 2013, he was investigated and given a "letter of direction" after claims of inappropriate contact with another student surfaced, the district said in the statement. That student is a former friend of the more recent accuser, the district said.

(Photo courtesy Gwinnett County Jail)