Teacher no longer on job after being charged with sexually exploiting student
Publication ban
A Saskatoon teacher has been charged with sexually exploiting one of her former students.
In addition to the criminal charges, Erin McGonigle, 38, is no longer working for the Saskatoon Public School Division, said the division’s superintendent of human resources, Jaime Valentine.
He said an investigation was launched immediately after the complaint was received in September of 2013. Valentine said the division deems all such allegations as “extremely serious.” The complainant is now an adult, but the fact the teacher was still working in the system made the case urgent, he said.
“The safety of our students is our first priority,” Valentine said. “She was still in a school, and we didn’t have the facts.”
McGonigle was suspended with pay, as is customary when an investigation is underway. Her employment ended in November. Valentine declined to say whether she was fired or whether she received severance pay.
McGonigle was then charged after an investigation by the Saskatoon police sex crimes and child abuse unit. The name of the alleged victim, who was 16 at the time and is now in her early 30s, is protected by a publication ban.
According to Saskatoon police, in October 2013, the alleged victim came forward with allegations of being sexually assaulted when she was 16. Police were told the abuse began in 2000, when the girl was a student at the school where the woman taught.
In Saskatoon provincial court Thursday, McGonigle’s lawyer, Patrick McDougall, appeared on her behalf. He told Judge Barry Morgan he intends to seek a publication ban on the entire case, not just the identity of the complainant.
“You want it banned from the get-go?” Morgan asked. “We do,” McDougall replied. McDougall declined a media request to elaborate following the brief hearing. Morgan is scheduled to hear arguments about the publication ban on May 26. It’s unclear whether McGonigle will be required to attend court in person on that date.
Crown prosecutor Tamara Rock said in an interview that it’s standard to protect the identity of alleged victims of sexual offences, but it’s rare to request a ban to protect the accused and all other details.
Rock said the only considerations are whether the case is in the public interest, and whether there is a likelihood of conviction.
“At this point, we’re proceeding with these two standards in mind,” Rock said. “It is always in the public interest when there’s a teacher involved.”