Ashbury teachers face disciplinary panel
Parents allege cover up attempt of student sex assault
A hearing into professional misconduct charges against two Ashbury College teachers began Monday, more than four years after the two allegedly attempted to cover up a sexual assault that happened while they were supervising a Grade 11 school trip.
Ian David Middleton and Alyssa Ranni Novick are appearing before a disciplinary panel at the Ontario College of Teachers in Toronto for what is expected to be a fourday hearing.
The charge stems from a November 2007 Ashbury school trip to Boston, where two male students sexually assaulted a third in his hotel room while shooting a video of the incident.
According to published reports of a police account of the incident, the 16-year-old was lying on a bed watching TV when four fellow students rushed into the room. While one held the 16-yearold down, another sexually assaulted him. The two other students allegedly involved in the attack were not charged, but all four were expelled for violating school rules.
The two who were charged appeared in court in Massachusetts. One was placed on probation and ordered to take counselling and an anti-bullying course. The outcome of the other case remains sealed.
Both Middleton and Novick were cleared following a school investigation and continue to teach at Ashbury and lead school trips.
“The teachers acted very professionally in a very difficult situation and followed school procedures precisely,” school governor Chris Teron told the Citizen on Monday. “We are proud of how they handled it, and that’s why they’re still teaching and very valuable members of the school … but understandably the parents who made these complaints were upset over what happened to their son.”
According to Teron, complaints were originally made to the College of Teachers against five teachers, and both Middleton and Novick originally faced more allegations than they now face.
“Most of (the other charges) were thrown out as having no grounds at all,” he said.
The parents of the victim, who are both lawyers, are suing the teachers, school and three of the students involved.