Cleveland Dance Teacher Facing Charges Of Sexual Battery

A Cleveland dance teacher previously associated with Cuyahoga Community College and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has been charged with sexual battery against a student.

Terence Greene is accused of performing a sex act on the student in a dressing room at the Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA) in 2008, according to an affidavit from the Cleveland Municipal Court. Greene then told the student not to tell anyone about the incident and “keep it between them,” the affidavit said.

Greene worked at the school during the incident, according to the affidavit, and several people have come forward “with extremely similar incidents that happened to them.”

A warrant has been issued for Greene’s arrest through the Cleveland Police Department.

Greene “was one of many instructors” who contracted with CMSD when CSA used consultants and artists in residence, according to an email from CMSD spokesperson Roseann Canfora. He was not a teacher or employee of the district during that time.

When an allegation of misconduct surfaced in 2014, Canfora said, the district ceased its contract with Greene. The district has not contracted his services since that time, she said, and has hired Ohio Department of Education-licensed teachers for dance and art instruction.

“We are aware that additional individuals have surfaced with allegations similar to those that CMSD referred to police for investigation seven years ago,” Canfora said. “To assist in their efforts, CMSD has provided that information to police.”

Greene has faced other similar allegations during his time teaching in the Cleveland area.

Greene worked with Tri-C at its Dance Academy until earlier this year, according to a statement from the college. In January, a former student contacted the Garfield Heights Police Department to file a complaint, the college said, alleging Greene had engaged in inappropriate conduct in October 2019.

The student declined to proceed with the case, the statement said, but Tri-C took steps to remove Greene and later accepted his resignation. The college’s Deputy General Counsel also sent the police report to the County Prosecutor’s Office.

“Tri-C is committed to the safety and well-being of its students and staff and to maintaining a learning and working environment that is free from sexual misconduct, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect,” the statement said.

A criminal background check conducted before Greene was hired did not report any open cases or convictions, the college said. Tri-C is encouraging students and employees who may have experienced or are aware of sexual misconduct to seek assistance.

Greene did not respond to a request for comment.