DOING ‘THE RIGHT THING’
Resignations at boys school
TORONTO • Two leaders at an all-boys private school rocked by allegations of assault and sexual assault by students resigned on Thursday amid mounting criticism over the handling of the incidents, which are now under a police investigation.
St. Michael’s College School said principal Greg Reeves and board president Fr. Jefferson Thompson had stepped down to allow the Roman Catholic institution to move forward “without distractions.”
Reeves had been criticized for not promptly reporting an alleged sexual assault to police last week and has since admitted that the incidents that have come to light clearly indicate the school has a problem.
The chair of the board, however, said Reeves and Thompson had always put students first.
“Having fulfilled their moral and ethical obligations to manage the immediate crisis and engage our school community, this courageous decision allows us to move forward with our goals: understanding how these events could have occurred, regaining the trust of our community and bringing cultural change to our school,” Michael Forsayeth said in a statement.
Toronto police are investigating a total of six incidents involving students at the school. On Monday, sex assault-related charges were laid against six teens in connection with one incident that police sources say shows several members of a St. Michael’s sports team pinning down a student and allegedly sexually assaulting him with a broom handle.
St. Michael’s is launching an independent review into the school’s culture, and urged students to report any inappropriate incidents. It has also set up an anonymous voicemail for those who want to share their experiences.
The scandal had prompted some alumni, who have come forward with their own stories of bullying and harassment stretching back decades, to call for the resignation of the school’s leaders.