Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district employee under investigation by RCMP
RCMP in Nanaimo confirm they are investigating the actions of a School District 68 employee, at one point taking him into custody.
In a statement, police say they were informed on June 12 of an incident involving the employee and arrested the man, releasing him with conditions later that same day.
“Police in conjunction with the school district officials believe that there is no further risk to the public which involves staff, students or any facilities,” the Mounties said in a statement Friday.
“Due to the fact the individual has not been formally charged, no information will be released on their identity and any pending court dates,” the statement read.
RCMP are not confirming what role the employee has within the district, nor which school the person worked at.
The mother of a special-needs student at a high school in the district says she was contacted by the school’s principal to tell her that her child had been in daily contact with an employee who had been terminated and arrested.
The principal wouldn’t go into further details but encouraged the parent to seek counselling for her child.
“I think as a parent it makes you feel that you failed your child and your child is supposed to feel safe at school,” said the mother, whom CTV News has agreed not to identify.
Unable to get details from the principal, the parent says she began talking with her son who then opened up about what had been taking place.
“He told me his educational assistant (EA) had been fired and his friends two days ago had been back and forth to the police station for this whole situation,” she said.
The mother says it appears the EA had kept in regular contact with her son and other students through social media. She also says he gave a ride to at least one of the students in his personal automobile and took boys on outings to the Colliery Dam.
“I think they were spending a fair amount of time up there and he started saying that the EA was taking them up there to watch pornography and look at inappropriate pictures,” she said.
The mother hasn’t yet had the opportunity to connect with parents of the other students she believes were also affected by the EA’s activities.
“I feel that this individual definitely targeted vulnerable, vulnerable boys.” she said. “It makes me sickened."
A statement released by School District 68 reads:
“The district is committed to the safety of our students and take immediate action if allegations are raised. We can confirm that the individual is not in our schools. However, we cannot comment on the specifics of a personal matter.”
Cindy Dalglish is an education advocate who facilitates a working group on developing standards of practice for educational assistants. She says more work needs to be done in the areas of standardizing qualifications for EAs in the province.
She also says should the allegations be found to be true, the employee would still be treated differently because he is not a teacher.
“They (teachers) wouldn’t be allowed to go to another district because their licence has been revoked. EAs don’t have that,” Dalglish said.
“My heart goes out to everyone that’s affected and you know obviously these are still allegations at this point,” she added. “That is not representative whatsoever of the vast majority of the EAs out there.”
RCMP continue their investigation but so far no charges have been laid.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
NEW Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
RateMDs violates privacy of health professionals, class-action lawsuit claims
A lawsuit against RateMDs has been given the go-ahead by a B.C. Supreme Court judge who found the claim that the website violates the privacy rights of medical professionals is not 'bound to fail.'
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.