Baltimore County school officials don’t want the public to know how many registered sex offenders attend classes in public schools, so they’re blocking public records about the predators.

Fox45’s Project Baltimore discovered in January that a 21-year-old student and registered sex offender attended classes at Parkville High School, and the television station demanded answers about other criminals lurking in the county’s schools. The student, Santino Sudano, is currently awaiting a June 30 trial on charges of sexually assaulting an underage girl.

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Baltimore County Public Schools officials rejected records requests and refused to discuss the issue of criminals in schools with Project Baltimore, so the watchdog is now taking its case to Maryland Public Access Ombudsman Lisa Kershner.

Project Baltimore reports:

During this investigation, we learned sex offenders, under state law, can attend public schools with a letter of permission from certain school leaders. We wanted to know how many convicted criminals have received permission. On February 6, and again on March 5, we filed public records requests to find out. But BCPS denied our requests, saying they are ‘student records’ which are ‘precluded from disclosure.’

It was the same deal with Baltimore County Superintendent Darryl Williams, who promised transparency during his one and only interview with the television station last year.

“When incidents happen, I think it’s important to tell the truth,” Williams said. “I will make myself available.”

Scott Marder, attorney with Thomas and Libowitz, won a public disclosure lawsuit against Baltimore City Schools on behalf of Project Baltimore last year, after district officials refused to release documents about internal grade-changing investigations.

Marder is now advising the television station on the situation with Baltimore County Public Schools, and he contends officials there are on the wrong side of the law.

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“They have to turn (the records) over to you,” Marder told the news site. “They are simply wrong in refusing to do so.”

Project Baltimore is now working in coordination with Kershner to secure the requested records, though if or when that might happen remains unclear.

“Transparency in government is key in a democratic society,” Marder told Project Baltimore. “In order for people to participate in government, to go vote intelligently, they need to know what their government is doing. And they need to know that so they can hold their government officials accountable.”