Former Teacher Admits to Sexual Abuse of Students

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A former Montgomery County music teacher from Dundalk has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 15 elementary school students, sparking a lawsuit by one victim against the school system for its alleged failures to keep children safe.

Lawrence Wesley Joynes, 56, of Dundalk was first arrested on child pornography charges in February 2013; pleading guilty a year later in Baltimore County Circuit Court. He was ordered to register as a sex offender and sentenced to his time served in jail.

On Monday, Joynes pleaded guilty to filming Montgomery County students in kindergarten through second grade in sexual poses, reports The Washington Post.

Joynes was a music teacher who taught in 11 Montgomery County Public Schools for more than 25 years.

After Baltimore authorities found “thousands of images of child pornography” on his computer, Montgomery County detectives identified 14 elementary school students as victims of sex abuse while Joynes was a music teacher at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School in Silver Spring.

Charging documents show that Joynes asked students to stay in his classroom during lunch and would record them sucking on his finger or peppermint sticks, according to The Washington Post.

Authorities said that Joynes had sex with another student, who was at Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring, in the 1990s, according to The Gazette.

The assistant state’s attorney in Rockville said Joynes impersonated others to avoid being found out and falsified his own death certificate when the middle school victim tried to contact him, according to The Gazette.

In the middle school case, prosecutor say Joynes gained the child’s trust so contact increased from kisses to weekly sexual intercourse in a music room.

“This man is a predator; he’s been a predator for decades,” State’s Attorney John McCarthy told The Post Monday. “I think that’s a disgrace.”

Joynes could be sent to prison for the rest of his life when he is sentenced in August for the Montgomery County cases.

Lawsuit Filed Against Teacher, School System

Towson attorney Joseph Williams filed a civil lawsuit last month on behalf of the New Hampshire Estates Elementary School student and her family. Joynes and the Montgomery County School Board are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

The suit claims the school system did not react appropriately or acted with deliberate indifference to Joynes’ abuse and ignored allegations of sexual abuse, reports Montgomery Community Media.

The victim is seeking $75,000 for each occurrence. Williams says any money won by the student and her family would help the pay for psychological, social and any other treatment required.

“More importantly [the family] would like to have this activity prevented in the future,” Williams told MyMCMedia. “They understand if this has happened to the extent it appears there is very little or no effort being made by the Montgomery County Board of Education to anticipate and prevent this kind of activity by teachers.”

»Photo of Lawrence Joynes courtesy of Montgomery Community Media