Multiple students at a Sarasota County middle school told police they believe a math teacher may have been using Meta smart glasses to record female students without their consent, according to a court document.
Bryan Clum, a 37-year-old teacher at Woodland Middle School in North Port, was arrested May 7 on three counts of lewd and lascivious behavior, which are second-degree felonies. He pleaded not guilty.
Three female students Woodland Middle School students alleged that Clum inappropriately touched them, even as one was taking a test, and his repeated actions caused them fear and discomfort at school, according to a probable cause affidavit.
A total of 52 students were interviewed by the North Port Police Department in the case, and several were concerned that Clum was secretly recording female students as young as 12 years old with a minuscule camera embedded in his Meta glasses.
Meta — or smart — glasses look like traditional eyewear and feature built-in cameras, microphones and speakers. Some even incorporate AI. They often consist of small lights that indicate recording is taking place. As the glasses continue to grow in popularity, their usage has been raising questions about privacy issues.
Florida is a two-party consent state, which means a person cannot record another without their knowledge in a place where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy, and a classroom fits that definition.
According to state statute, Florida allows cameras in classrooms but only if a parent requests them, and only after students and their parents are made aware of their presence.
The Sarasota County School District – which did not immediately respond to a request for comment – has a detailed AI policy, but nothing that addresses this topic specifically.
One student interviewed by the North Port Police Department said that Clum “stared at their buttocks and would record them on his Meta glasses.”
According to the affidavit, one of the victims who alleged Clum touched her buttocks and witnessed him kneeling next to female students and touching their thighs, told police that “Mr. Clum wears glasses that she believes are capable of recording.”
The affidivat also stated that “the juveniles had concerns of Mr. Clum recording them on his Meta glasses and seeing a light from the glasses, which indicates he may be recording.”
On April 29, 2026, a group of male students were interviewed, and according to the affidavit “several students stated Mr. Clum treated female students better than males and wore Meta glasses. None reported witnessing him taking photographs. However, several stated they heard he used the glasses to photograph female students.”
According to the probable cause affidavit, students said Clum was excessively touching the arms, backs and buttocks of female students. One victim told police he brushed up against her breast with his hand and “massaged her knees and thighs.”
One of the victims said Clum began touching her upper thigh, then moved to her inner thigh, as she was taking a test, according to the affidavit.
The same victim told police that Clum attended school shows at an unidentified school and at North Port High and took videos. When she asked for the videos, he requested her phone number to send them to instead of the school email.
She also told police that Clum made inappropriate comments to her at a swimming park. She said she told a school counselor, a resource officer, and other school staff and felt she wasn’t believed until additional students came forward.
The probable cause affidavit referenced other incidents involving Clum in the past as well.
In 2013, according to the affidavit, Clum was disciplined in Pasco County after sexually explicit comic books were found in his classroom and in areas accessible to students.
In 2018, after a 14-year-old student at Woodland Middle School alleged Clum touched her inappropriately, he was placed on administrative leave for a year. No arrests were made, however, and he returned to his job.
Similar allegations were made by students at Woodland Middle School in 2025, according to the affidavit.
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County teacher accused of using Meta glasses on students
Reporting by Chris Anderson, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
