When Nathaniel Thomas resigned as a teacher at Forestville Military Academy in December 2004, he “was the subject of two complaints concerning his conduct toward male students” in the classroom, according to a report issued this week by the Prince George’s County Board of Education.
Complaints from some parents, the report said, mentioned Thomas’ “frequent classroom references to homosexuality.”
Yet last November, less than two years after he resigned from Forestville amid scrutiny, county voters elected Thomas to the Board of Education.
Trouble continued to follow him. On Tuesday, Thomas turned himself in to Prince George’s authorities on charges that he had sex with a 15-year-old boy when he taught at Forestville and the teen was a student there.
Late Wednesday, the school board released the results of an investigation it had ordered of Thomas, one of its own members. The report alleges that Thomas, 26, provided alcoholic beverages and played “sexually suggestive” games with minors at his Forestville home.
The male youths include the current student representative to the county’s school board and a now 18-year-old county high school student whom Thomas took to San Francisco last month.
Thomas, the student school board member and the 18-year-old all deny that Thomas “ever had sexual contact” with them, the report states. Thomas also denied ever having sexual relations with “any underage person.”
According to the 18-year-old, Thomas served him alcohol at the school board member’s home, and played Truth or Dare with him and the student board member. Thomas “would dare the students to take their shirts off, to drink alcohol,” the report says.
But the 18-year-old said both he and the student board member declined the dares, and he would “drink instead” as part of the game. Thomas admitted he and the boys had played Truth or Dare and that they had visited his home but said he didn’t serve them alcohol.
In late February, the report says, Thomas invited the 18-year-old to go to San Francisco, the site of the National School Boards Association annual conference. The student member already was scheduled to attend.
After inviting the 18-year-old, Thomas changed his hotel and flight arrangements, the report states. Thomas originally planned to stay at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, with theother board members. The student had not received parental permission to go on the trip, according to the report.
The 18-year-old and Thomas spent one night in the San Francisco Hilton, in a room with one king-sized bed, the report says. The student said Thomas told him they could sleep in the bed together, but Thomas denied the conversation.
Schools spokesman John White said the board office and superintendent John Deasy received calls from the student’s family April 12. The teen was located and flew home the next day with Board Chair Owen Johnson. On Wednesday, the board voted to recommend the state fire Thomas. State Department of Education spokesman Bill Reinhard said Thursday the state Board of Education received the recommendation late Wednesday, but had yet to take action.
