Former Baltimore City teacher of the year charged with soliciting minor

Baltimore City Public Schools has placed Dennis Jutras on administrative leave after Harford County authorities charged the longtime schools employee with solicitation of a minor, a case that now raises hard questions about oversight, reporting and how the district monitors adults who work closest to students. The district said it is not aware of any impact on City Schools students.

Harford County Sheriff’s Office investigators said the case began May 7, 2026, when a detective posing as a 15-year-old boy on a social media platform was contacted by a suspect. Investigators said Jutras initiated the online conversation, that the exchanges became sexually charged and included inappropriate sexual photos, and that Jutras later arranged to meet at a park in Harford County. He was taken into custody without incident.

Jutras, 61, of Aberdeen, is being held without bond in the Harford County Detention Center. Authorities also said he identified himself as a City Schools educator and had taught at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute for many years before becoming an administrator, adding another layer of concern for families who expect Baltimore schools to vet and supervise staff with student-facing responsibilities.

City Schools said Jutras worked in its Gifted and Advanced Learning program, where the district’s own materials describe a central role in shaping how students are identified and served. The schools system’s gifted-and-advanced-learning materials say all City Schools students can be identified as gifted and advanced learners and note universal screening beginning in kindergarten. A 2022 district post also recognized Jutras for State Leadership in Gifted and Talented Education, underscoring how visible he was inside the system.

That history makes the case larger than one arrest. It puts a spotlight on the safeguards Baltimore City Public Schools has in place for employees who work across schools, how concerns about conduct are reported and acted on, and how quickly the district can respond when allegations surface against current or former staff. The sheriff’s office said it wants anyone with information, or anyone else who may have had similar encounters, to contact investigators.

For Baltimore parents, students and staff, the immediate facts are stark: a veteran educator who worked in a districtwide role is now facing a criminal charge tied to a suspected online contact with someone he believed was a child. The case will likely intensify demands for clearer answers about screening, supervision and the steps City Schools takes when allegations involve adults entrusted with students.