Sexual abuse victim says teachers’ society threatening licence suspension for speaking publicly

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This article was published 27/10/2017 (2960 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — A Brandon man, found guilty of domestic abuse in 2014, is now a school teacher and his victim, also a school teacher, has been threatened with having her teaching licence revoked for speaking out against him.

Court documents obtained by the Free Press confirm the man, 30, received a conditional discharge for assault and assault with a weapon in March 2014.

Even though he was convicted, his criminal record was wiped clean following a probationary period.

The accused’s 26-year-old ex-girlfriend, an elementary school teacher, alleges he has also abused and attacked other women. She decided to speak out after recently discovering he was working as a grades 7 and 8 teacher.

Her decision, however, has come at a heavy cost.

In response to going public, she says the Manitoba Teachers’ Society — the union representing public school teachers in the province, as well as its regulatory body — has threatened proceedings to suspend her teaching certificate if she continues to speak out.

She says some people at MTS take the position she’s victimizing her abuser by sharing her story.

The Free Press has agreed not to name either individual.

The two met while students at Brandon University (BU) and quickly entered into a relationship, the woman says. In retrospect, she recognizes his behaviour as abusive, but at the time did not.

“He was very controlling. I had to turn in my cellphone when I got home. I couldn’t go out. If his classes were cancelled, I had to stay home from school,” she says. “So it was very toxic. I began to realize it was unhealthy and I was scared.”

On Nov. 10, 2013, she was in bed when the man came home intoxicated. She says he attempted to sexually assault her and, when she resisted, things turned violent.

After the attack, which left her with a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, she feels she was failed by every institution designed to protect her.

Court records show the man was sentenced to a one-year probationary period. During that time he was ordered to perform 50 hours of community service, participate in counselling, pay a $100 fine and stay away from his ex-girlfriend.

Given what happened, she feels it was a “slap on the wrist.”

She claims the university did little to help her deal with the situation. She moved from their shared apartment into a campus dormitory. Despite his court order, she claims he parked outside her bedroom window every day and she routinely saw him in the hallways.

She says she approached BU administration on multiple occasions but nothing was done.

A spokesman for BU declined comment, but provided a written statement highlighting new sexual assault policies the school has implemented over the last 18 months.

In 2014, the man was not pursuing an education degree. As they didn’t keep in contact, she didn’t realize he’d become a teacher until Oct. 20.

That day she passed a Brandon elementary school and noticed his vehicle in the staff parking lot. Later, she checked online to confirm he was employed there.

She says she was angry and dismayed that a man with a history of violence against women would be put in a position to instil values into children, so she decided to speak out in a Facebook post last Sunday.

She provided details about the assault and abuse, but did not reveal her former partner’s full name. The post was shared more than 700 times.

By Tuesday, she says a union employee pressured her into deleting it.

“She told me to take it down, that I would lose my job over this. She said: ‘You will be fired for this.’ So I did. I took it down and I regretted it immediately. I had just silenced myself, again, after four years of silence. This might cost me my career.”

MTS declined comment when contacted Tuesday.

In a followup call, a spokesman for MTS refused to discuss, even in the most general terms, what sort of criminal convictions would prevent someone from acquiring a certificate to teach in the province.

The Brandon School Division also declined comment on man, saying “It has not yet been determined if this is an employment-related matter.”

BSD does require all employees to have recent criminal-record checks and child-abuse registry checks before being hired.

The woman says this situation highlights the need for more due diligence when hiring teachers.

“There are flaws in the system, flaws in the hiring practices,” she said. “Those need to be addressed. How did he get into education? The only thing they require is a criminal-record check and, technically, he doesn’t have one.

“But does he have good character? I’m still processing that he’s a teacher. Even if I wasn’t a victim, I wouldn’t tolerate it.”

She says many women and girls have reached out privately to thank her for sharing her story.

Co-workers’ responses have been mixed, she said, claiming some are supportive, but other don’t want to make eye contact.

“Part of my downfall is that a lot of people in my corner are teachers who don’t want to jeopardize their careers by getting involved. I understand that. But this isn’t about me anymore. This is a bigger issue,” she said.

She hopes sharing her story will help contribute to the dialogue surrounding sexual assault and things like the “#MeToo” movement — a viral campaign that sprouted recently after high-powered Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein was outed as a sexual predator — as well as lead to changes within the teachers’ union, the school division and the university.

“People should be able to speak out freely. That’s what we should be teaching our kids. I would want my students to come to me with a problem. And if they see their teacher being told to keep quiet about a problem, then why would they ever speak up?”

The man did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

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