The Tribune

BY KHRISNA VIRGIL

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

ANOTHER family island educator is under investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct, Ministry of Education Director Lionel Sands confirmed yesterday.

The man, who has been suspended since May 16 while ministry officials investigate, is the principal of a primary school, The Tribune has learned.

While he did not give a date or time of the allegations, Mr Sands said the ministry did receive a complaint and moved quickly to launch a probe.

Mr Sands said: "We did get a report of the sort and all other relevant ministries are involved. I should say that even though the accused has been placed on suspension, that is no indication of him being guilty.

"Whenever an investigation of this sort goes underway the person involved is placed on leave pending its completion."

Up to press time, officials said they were not in a position to offer anymore details. However, a source close to the incident said a 16-year-old female student of another high school reported to her parents that the man fondled and squeezed her breast.

He is the eighth educator to be investigated on sexual misconduct allegations since the Sexual Complaints Unit (SCU) of the ministry of education became functional in 2009 to uncover child abuse.

In February, an Abaco high school teacher was placed on administrative leave after a female student of Haitian descent reported that she and the teacher had engaged in sexual acts.

The Tribune later learned that the student claimed to still have text messages to prove a continuing relationship between them.

The SCU has investigated several other cases that involved public school teachers or support staff with students of various ages.

Ultimately, six men have been tried before the courts. A case in January of this year saw Trinidadian teacher Andre Birbal, 48, found guilty and convicted in the Supreme Court of having unnatural sexual intercourse with two of his former students at the Eight Mile Rock High School in Grand Bahama.

Former Governor's Harbour High School, Eleuthera teacher Orville Clarke, 37, was remanded to Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre in 2010 after he was accused of assaulting several female students months before his arraignment.

During that same year, two teachers in Freeport were placed on leave pending the findings of an investigation into student-teacher sex allegations.

Also in 2010, Oswald Poitier, a volunteer music teacher at the North Andros High School was told that he would stand trial after being accused of having sex with two female students.

In 2009, 55-year-old John Ingraham, a former Jack Hayward High School teacher was charged in the Magistrate's court with having sex with a 12-year-old girl.