Acclaimed Cleveland school dance teacher convicted of raping students, could face life in prison

CLEVELAND (AP) — A former school dance teacher in Cleveland faces up to life prison after being convicted Thursday of raping six teenage students and sexually abusing two others.

Jurors in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court also found Terence Greene guilty on kidnapping and felonious assault charges.

Greene, 57, was an acclaimed dance teacher who helped launch the careers of many young dancers, including some who performed on Broadway.

Prosecutors said Greene began sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy in the late 1990s, soon after he was hired by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

The eight victims in the case were ages 14 to 17 when the abuse began, prosecutors said.

Greene resigned from a high school for the arts in 2014 and later began working at Cuyahoga Community College, where the abuse continued until 2019, according to prosecutors.

A message seeking comment was left with Greene’s attorney on Thursday.

In 2021, the Cleveland public school district agreed to pay a $3.25 million settlement after eight former students filed a lawsuit accusing the school of failing investigate past claims of sexual abuse against Greene.

Greene had been found not guilty of sexual battery charges involving a student in 2004 and returned to teaching that year.

The students’ lawsuit said the school allowed Greene to continue to share hotel rooms with students on school-sanctioned trips.

After resigning in 2014, Greene began teaching at Cuyahoga Community College’s dance academy for children. The college has denied being aware of Greene’s past claims of sexual abuse.