A former Montgomery County, Maryland, teacher has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for engaging in sex acts with an underage middle school student in 2015. Melissa Marie Curtis, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree sex offense and will serve 12 months behind bars with the remainder of the sentence suspended.
The charges stem from incidents that occurred when Curtis was a teacher at Lakelands Park Middle School and the victim was a 14-year-old student. The sexual assaults took place over several months in various locations, including the school, Curtis' car, and her mother's house in Montgomery County.
An investigation revealed that Curtis provided the victim with alcohol and marijuana and engaged in sexual acts with him over 20 times while he was in eighth grade. The victim came forward in October 2023, leading to Curtis being charged with sexual abuse of a minor and multiple counts of third- and fourth-degree sexual offenses.
Curtis turned herself in to police in November 2023 and pleaded guilty to the charges in June 2024. In addition to her prison sentence, she will undergo five years of supervised probation and be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years. Curtis is also prohibited from having unsupervised contact with minors other than her own children.
Although the offenses occurred in 2015, Curtis left Montgomery County Public Schools in 2017. The sentencing serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting students and maintaining appropriate boundaries between educators and students.
