Education Ministry to launch investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by Bishops’ High teacher

Speaking to News Source briefly this evening, Mr. Hutson said he received the complaint in the form of a letter from Cultural Advisor at the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Ruel Johnson. He said an investigation will be launched since the issues raised in the complaint cannot be brushed aside. 

Education Ministry to launch investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by Bishops’ High teacher

Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, has confirmed that he has received an official complaint of alleged sexual misconduct by a male teacher of the Bishops’ High School.

Speaking to News Source briefly this evening, Mr. Hutson said he received the complaint in the form of a letter from Cultural Advisor at the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Ruel Johnson. He said an investigation will be launched since the issues raised in the complaint cannot be brushed aside.

News Source has obtained a copy of the letter and in it, Mr. Johnson claims that he is in receipt of information and statements which point to the 39-year-old teacher allegedly being sexually involved with and sharing inappropriate relationships with students of the school just after they reached the consent age of sixteen.

Johnson wrote that he first learnt of alleged sexually inappropriate behaviour by the teacher a few months ago and has he probed the issue, more former female students came forward with stories of their own experiences.

The man has been teaching at the Bishops’ High School for the past 10 years but taught at a number of other secondary schools before that.

According to Johnson, “After inquiries, a former student confirmed for me that she had entered a sexual relationship with Mr. Jackson while she was in 5th form at the school. She related that he made sexually inappropriate contact with her a month before her 16th birthday, reminded her a few days before her birthday that she was approaching the age of consent and a few weeks after that, began a sexual relationship with her inclusive of penetrative sex. This would be a pattern I would come to recognize from multiple victims who have confided in me since.”

Johnson said he is prepared to provide the statements from the young women to the Education Ministry but not the school. He said he has no confidence in the school’s ability to deal with the issue.

“The most disturbing pattern concerns his tenure at the Bishops’ High School, where he has been for at least ten years. Not only do most of his victims seem to come from this institution but I have received multiple reports, some posted publicly on social media, that accusations of harassment and predation by (name provided) have been systematically met by mockery, disapproval, and even condemnation by the school administration”, Johnson wrote.

In addition to calling for a full probe of the allegations and the teacher’s removal from the school, Johnson is also recommending that the Ministry sets up a special committee to address the issue of sexual predation in the school system.

Johnson first highlighted the allegations of the teacher’s conduct over the weekend on his Facebook page. The teacher has since deactivated his profile.

Meanwhile, in a recording released by a student of the school, the headteacher of Bishops’ High could be heard berating senior female students of the school over the allegations leveled against the teacher.

At what sounded like an assembly or a meeting with senior students, the Headteacher could be heard telling them to “step out of the line” if there was any inappropriate behaviour by the teacher against them. She could also be heard referring to some students as “slackers” and being “loose”.

It is unclear whether any student stepped forward, but two female students could be heard whispering that the allegations might have been the reason why some private schools never wanted anything to do with the teacher.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login