Hunt Valley, Md. (WBFF) — Calls continue to grow for Harford County Public Schools to investigate why the district hired a teacher who was charged with stealing $215,000 from taxpayers. Some lawmakers want answers.

“Parents are just like, ‘what has happened to our school system?’” Stated Delegate Lauren Arikan, a Republican representing Harford County.

On December 1, 2025, Arikan sent a letter to Harford County Public Schools calling on the district to investigate its hiring of Lawrence Smith.

“I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions,” Arikan told Project Baltimore.

Arikan’s letter follows a similar request for an investigation, sent to the district last month, by Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly.

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“I think the public deserves to know when they’re hiring teachers, what are the protocols that are supposed to be used – were they actually followed?” Questioned Arikan.

In September 2023, Smith, a former Baltimore City Public Schools police officer and state champion high school football coach, was arrested and charged with 15 federal counts, many related to overtime fraud. This past August, as he awaited trial, HCPS hired Smith to be an eighth-grade English teacher on a conditional teaching license.

In October, Smith pled guilty to felony wire fraud and income tax evasion. He admitted to stealing $215,000 in overtime from Baltimore City Schools. After he pled guilty, HCPS placed Smith on administrative leave where taxpayers continued to pay him his $57,997 salary for about a month. Smith faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set.

HCPS Superintendent Dr. Sean Bulson told Project Baltimore last month, when Smith was initially hired, he was not made aware. But he supports his district’s decision to hire Smith to teach at Edgewood Middle School.

Last month, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly sent a letter to the Harford County Board of Education asking for an investigation into the hiring of Lawrence Smith (WBFF)

Aaron Poynton, the President of the Harford County Board of Education, said Smith’s alleged crimes, at the time of his hiring, did not legally disqualify him from employment under current state law.

“It did not raise a red flag that prohibited him from being hired, and he was the most qualified person to be hired,” Poynton explained before a November Board of Education meeting.

This means, according to Poynton, the most qualified applicant to be an eighth-grade English teacher, was a person who was facing 15 federal charges and recently earned a conditional teaching license.

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“We hire a lot of conditional teachers. The fact that he had charges that were pending did not disqualify him from being hired,” stated Poynton.

“It feels very much like to myself, and many other parents of young children, that the system is very broken,” explained Arikan.

State Delegate Lauren{ }Arikan sent a letter to Harford County Public Schools calling on the district to investigate the hiring of Lawrence Smith (WBFF)

Arikan told Fox45 News she is currently drafting legislation to help strengthen background checks for educators. Arikan believes if someone has been charged with certain felony crimes, that person should not be eligible to teach in Maryland public schools until the criminal charges have been resolved in court. The legislation, Arikan said, should be finalized by the start of the 2026 legislative session in Annapolis – which begins on January 14.

“If the teachers that they look up to are people who are scamming the system, ripping off the taxpayers, stealing money from people, I think most parents don’t want that kind of person teaching their children how to grow up,” Arikan told Project Baltimore.

Harford County Public Schools, so far, has not publicly agreed to investigate the hiring of Smith. The district says it did conduct a “formal review”, which Fox45 News has filed a public records request to obtain.

Follow Project Baltimore’s Chris Papst on X and Facebook. Send news tips to cjpapst@sbgtv.com