U.S. marshals in Brighton, New York arrested 54-year-old dance teacher Terence Greene on charges of sex abuse against his former students. Greene was found 300 miles from Cleveland where the arrest warrant was issued. The warrant alleges abuse over the course of two decades. Greene is being charged with sexual battery, a third-degree felony. He is also being investigated on other charges, including rape, which are pending as police speak to more witnesses.
In August 2020, five students filed a federal lawsuit against The Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education for failing to investigate the countless claims of misconduct and sex abuse brought against Greene by his former students. The education board claims there is nothing that prevents someone from teaching in the school district if he/she has not been found guilty of the charges or allegations brought against them.
Greene, a former dance teacher and alum at the Cleveland School of the Arts, has years of complaints against him alleging different forms of sexual abuse and harassment, as well as verbal abuse and intimidation. According to his personal website, Greene taught at the Cleveland School of the Arts for almost two decades. Despite over a dozen complaints by students throughout his tenure as a faculty member, Greene was not barred from being a schoolteacher in the district.
The August 2020 arrest is based on allegations by a former student who accuses Greene of sexually assaulting him in a dressing room at the School of the Arts in 2008.
In the years following that assault, other former students of Greene have come forward with similar allegations.
A Common Story
In 2008, Nehemiah Spencer was an aspiring dance student who looked up to Mr. Greene. Spencer recounts, “I put him on a pedestal… [he was] my father figure in a sense.” Spencer shared an instance when Mr. Greene invited him over to his home and started asking Spencer intimate, sexual questions. Greene then proceeded to put on a movie about older gay men teaching young gay men about gay culture.
Spencer’s story stops there; however, four others have now come forward to recount similar encounters with Mr. Greene regarding questions that were sexual in nature. Others have come forward with these types of stories dating back to 2003, and it wasn’t until 2014 that Greene was asked to resign from his post at the Cleveland School of the Arts when a new officer was presented with the allegations of sexual abuse made against Greene.
Another former student spoke about the emotional toll the physical, verbal, and sexual abuse left on him. He even recounted a time when he attempted to commit suicide because he couldn’t cope with the psychological toll.
Abuse as Early as 2003
Court documents show Greene allegedly abused students as early as 2003. At the time, Greene plead not guilty to four counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. In 2004, Greene was acquitted and was allowed to immediately return to the Cleveland School of the Arts, to his post as a dance instructor.
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Most Recent Allegations of Abuse
Greene began teaching at a new school after he was asked to resign from the Cleveland School of the Arts in 2014. Greene’s new post at Cuyahoga Community College’s Dance Academy was also filled with allegations of sexual abuse, those close to the story say.
Greene resigned when new allegations of sexual abuse were made by a high school senior. The abuse happened off campus in October 2019 and school officials allowed Greene to resign from his position.
We Can Help
It’s clear that offenders like Greene belong behind bars and those who don’t act in the best interest to protect young children should be held accountable. This includes anyone who has information that this conduct occurs. In the case of Terence Greene this includes, but is not limited to, the school board or other officials within the schools he taught in.
A sexual abuse claim can be emotionally taxing, and coming forward to tells one’s story can seem almost impossible. Our team of compassionate attorneys want to help in any way we can. Call us for a free legal consultation today at (800) 614-2067. All consultations are completely confidential. We don’t get paid unless we secure a settlement or verdict of your behalf.
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