The Baltimore teacher arrested Nov. 30 on child sex abuse charges stemming from alleged incidents with a Baltimore County student previously had a six-year relationship with a former Harford County middle school student, former students and parents told The Examiner.
Meredith Parkinson, now 23, said that a Class of 2000 Fallston High graduation party at her home she saw her former middle school teacher, Timothy Gounaris, drop off a classmate and give the girl a kiss.
When Parkinson and her parents confronted the student, the girl broke down and admitted having a relationship with Gounaris since she was in eighth grade.
“She said they had a physical/sexual relationship, and she used to talk about sex in high school, too, but we had no idea it was with him,” Parkinson said.
“Then she said she wanted to protect him and would say that they didn?t have intercourse until she was 16.”
Heather Warfield, another classmate, confirmed the details of the graduation party and the nature of the relationship.
Both women also said their girlfriend later stayed with Gounaris in Ocean City in early June of 2000 during Senior Week.
Gounaris taught at Harford County?s Magnolia Middle (from 1987-92 ) and Fallston Middle (1994-2000). Other former middle school classmates and at least two parents, including a former Harford County school teacher, said they also learned of his long-term relationship with the former middle school student during the same high school graduation party.
Parkinson said she has spoken recently with Baltimore and Harford County detectives about the relationship, but Gounaris has not been charged criminally in connection with the Harford County incident.
Parkinson?s father, Gwyn Houston, and mother and older sister, both Harford school teachers at the time, said they told the girl?s parents and informed Matt Pleviak, the former head of Human Resources for the school system, about the relationship.
After an investigation ? and Gounaris? resignation ? they were told he would never teach again, the family said.
Maryland State Department of Education officials said, however, that Harford County never asked that Gounaris? teaching certificate be revoked.
In June, Gounaris resigned while under investigation on the new charges.
However, the Baltimore County school system did not notify the Baltimore City Public School System of the ongoing police investigation and restraining order filed before Gounaris was hired to teach this fall at Chinquapin Middle School.
Baltimore County school system spokesman Brice Freeman said school officials decline to answer questions regarding their hiring practices.
