Former students of disgraced Calgary teacher 'disappointed' to learn ATA did not report findings to police 15 year ago
Former students of a disgraced Calgary teacher charged with multiple sexual assaults say they were "shocked" and "disappointed" to learn he had admitted to abusing other students back in 2006, yet police were not informed of the criminal allegations at the time.
Details of an Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) disciplinary decision were made public this week. At the 2006 hearing, Michael Gregory admitted to inappropriate behaviour, physical abuse and relationships with two female junior high school students with whom he discussed his emotional health and marital issues.
Gregory's teaching certificate was suspended for two years, one for each count of unprofessional conduct. The ATA did not forward this information to police and it was not obligated to.
"I think the ATA not reporting that to authorities was a very disappointing failure," Kelly Schneider said on Wednesday.
Schneider was a student at John Ware Junior High, where Gregory was a teacher, from 1988 to 1991. She is part of a proposed $40 million class action lawsuit against Gregory's estate and the Calgary Board of Education.
Schneider says that, when she was a teenaged student, Gregory sexually assaulted her, made her undress in front of other students and gave her gifts of jewelry and a book of poetry.
"(The ATA) had someone that was very dangerous in a school system working with children for far too long," Schneider said.
Cody Bonkowsky -- another plaintiff in the lawsuit and also a former student of Gregory's -- said he also found out about the ATA disciplinary decision this week.
"Regardless of whether something told you that you had to do it, (the ATA) should have reported it," he said Wednesday.
"You could have ended the suffering and now it's just been prolonged and there are more victims."
'UNACCEPTABLE'
Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said the ATA's handling of the case 15 years ago is "unacceptable." There is currently no obligation for the ATA to report incidents to police or the ministry, but LaGrange recently introduced Bill 85 that would mandate reporting of such findings.
"I fully expect that in any instance involving criminal allegations, or potentially criminal behavior, that the ATA and school authorities would bring that information to the proper authorities as soon as possible," LaGrange said.
In a statement released Tuesday, the ATA said the allegations that have surfaced recently were not part of the case it heard in 2006.
"The purpose of the association’s professional conduct review process is to determine whether a member’s conduct meets the expectations of the profession for acceptable conduct as a teacher," the statement reads.
"If we were to initiate a complaint in another arena, it could lead to an apprehension of bias and potentially jeopardise the outcomes of our legislative processes."
In its statement, the ATA also said its records show the RCMP were aware of Gregory during its disciplinary hearings. A spokesperson Wednesday said the ATA investigator reviewed a report submitted to RCMP related to Gregory back in 2005, but the report is not part of the file and there are no further details about what it said.
The RCMP says its database does not have any investigative occurrences involving Gregory prior to the Calgary Police investigation this year.
Gregory was charged by police with 17 counts of sexual assault and exploitation in February. He died by suicide days after the charges were made public.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.