Board Wants Member Expelled

Pr. George's Panel Alleges Immorality

The Prince George's County Board of Education moved to expel one of its members for "immorality and misconduct" yesterday, the day after he was arrested and charged with having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy he once taught.

The action was followed by the release of an independent investigative report documenting a relationship that board member Nathaniel B. Thomas had with an 18-year-old senior at Forestville High School and the board's student member that "far exceeded the appropriate boundaries." The report said Thomas, 26, took the 18-year-old to a conference in San Francisco last month without his parents' permission.

The investigation, ordered by the school board after the trip, said Thomas played sexually suggestive games with the two young men, served them alcohol and took measures to keep the trip a secret.

"Even though no sexual contact apparently occurred between Mr. Thomas and Student #1 or the Student Board Member, his behavior shows a moral blindness toward his role as a member of the Board of Education, a former teacher, and an older adult," said the report, written by Timothy F. Maloney, an independent counsel the school board hired.

The report said Thomas had been the subject of two complaints about his conduct toward students while he was a teacher at Forestville Military Academy from 2003 to 2004. Eric T. Lyles, the former principal of the school, told investigators that parents and the families of two male students complained that Thomas had made inappropriate jokes, hand gestures and frequent references to homosexuality. Thomas denied being the subject of such complaints.

There were no allegations of physical contact between Thomas and any of his students, the report said.

Stephen Williams, an attorney for Thomas, protested the release of the report without giving his client a chance to review it first, calling it "vicious, retaliatory and unprecedented" in a letter to the board.

Thomas's attorneys have declined to discuss the sex offense charge. In an interview April 22, his last public comment on the case, Thomas denied wrongdoing in the case involving the 18-year-old, saying, "I didn't do anything inappropriate." He has not resigned from office.

The board's unanimous vote, taken after a nearly four-hour closed meeting yesterday morning, recommended that the Maryland State Board of Education remove Thomas from office. The move must also be approved by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).

If Thomas is expelled, it would be rare. State officials could not remember a county school board member being removed for immorality.

Board Vice Chairman Verjeana M. Jacobs said that she was "saddened and angered" by the report and that she trusted its findings.

Once a rising political star, Thomas faces a third-degree sex offense charge accusing him of committing sexual acts at least three times in 2005 with a 15-year-old boy he had once taught at Forestville Military Academy. Charging documents accuse him of allowing the student, now 17, to watch pornographic videos. If convicted, Thomas could face up to 10 years in prison.