Nanaimo high school teacher placed on leave following creep-catcher sting

A Nanaimo high school teacher has been placed on leave as the school district investigates allegations that he tried to meet up with someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy on the dating site Grindr.
The John Barsby Secondary School teacher is the subject of a series of social media posts by a self-described "undercover sting organization that intercepts adults coming to meet underage children on Vancouver Island."
The Facebook group South Island Predator Publishing posted screenshots of messages allegedly exchanged between the teacher and a group member who was posing as a minor.
"We have received inquiries regarding allegations against a teacher at John Barsby Community School that have been widespread on social media," the Nanaimo Ladysmith School District said in a statement it sent to parents and provided to CTV News on Tuesday.
"The district takes such allegations seriously and has commenced our processes to investigate this matter. The teacher has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the district’s investigation."
The school district says it appreciates the concerns raised by community members and "will address this matter fairly and as quickly as possible."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Police dealing with barricaded person in Hamilton, Ont. involved in double homicide
Police in Hamilton, Ont. are dealing with a barricaded person who they say is involved in the deaths of two people.

Running through middle age can keep brain healthy and neurons wired: study
Exercising as you age can help maintain memory and fight cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Prediabetes: The younger you are, the higher the risk of dementia
People who develop prediabetes when they’re younger are likely to have a higher risk for dementia in later life, a new U.S. study has found.
Team Canada hockey players Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey engaged
Celebrated Team Canada hockey players Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey have announced their engagement.
Attorney for 11-year-old Mississippi boy shot by police says there's 'no way' he could have been mistaken for an adult
An attorney for an 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot by a police officer after he called 911 for help said Thursday there was 'no way' the boy could have been mistaken for an adult.
GOP-controlled Texas House impeaches Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, triggering suspension
Texas' Republican-led House of Representatives impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday on articles including bribery and abuse of public trust, a sudden, historic rebuke of a GOP official who rose to be a star of the conservative legal movement despite years of scandal and alleged crimes.
Killer whales wreck boat in latest attack off Spain
Killer whales severely damaged a sailing boat off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service said on Thursday, adding to dozens of orca attacks on vessels recorded so far this year on Spanish and Portuguese coasts.
Scientists identify polar cyclone swirling on mysterious Uranus
It is a world wrapped in mystery - the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus, seen up close just once nearly four decades ago by a passing NASA probe and still warily guarding its secrets.
Mexican authorities make arrest in mid-May killing of Quebec man at seaside town
Mexican authorities say they've made an arrest in the killing of a Quebec man earlier this month in the Pacific coast beach town of Puerto Escondido. The Oaxaca state attorney general says in a statement issued Friday that an arrest warrant was executed for a man in Puerto Escondido identified only by his initials in connection with the homicide of Victor Masson.