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Students at North Frederick Elementary School will bring home a letter today from Principal Kathy Prichard explaining the school's response last summer to an allegation that a kindergarten teacher sexually abused a student.

The allegation was lodged against Matthew Brian Berresford, 31, of East Berlin, Pa., who was indicted by a Frederick County grand jury on March 12 on two counts of sexual abuse of a minor.

The indictment does not detail the precise nature of the alleged sexual abuse, but one of the counts involves conduct that lasted longer than 90 days sometime between Aug. 25, 2008, and June 16, 2009.

Berresford's initial appearance in Frederick County Circuit Court is scheduled for 9 a.m. May 7.

An attempt to reach Berresford failed. Calls to his attorney, Thomas A. Pavlinic of Annapolis, were not returned Friday.

Prichard declined to comment on the indictment, and instead referred to her letter in which she explains how school officials called the Frederick Police Department and Child Protective Services after learning of the alleged sex abuse in July 2009.

She tells parents that Berresford went on leave in July 2009, that he did not return to the classroom in August, and that his employment with Frederick County Public Schools ended in December.

She also tells parents that school officials received no additional information they could share, and learned of the indictment through media reports on Thursday.

"We have made counseling and other guidance available at our school," she writes. "We are maintaining an open-door policy to offer counsel and reassurance to our students and staff, as well as concerned parents. While these past few days have been stressful, we are pleased to report that our students are happy and busy learning."

Marita Loose, a FCPS spokeswoman, said the child's parents approached school officials last summer with their suspicions. She said Berresford was a kindergarten teacher at North Frederick Elementary from the time his employment with FCPS began in August 2003.

E-mail Courtney Pomeroy at cpomeroy@gazette.net.