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4mo ago

P.E.I. Implements Centralized Tracking After Teacher's Guilty Plea in Sex Abuse Case

Matthew Alan Craswell’s guilty plea to child pornography and sexual touching charges has prompted sweeping reforms to improve reporting and oversight in Island schools.

Tracy Beaulieu, director of the Public Schools Branch, says a provincewide system has started to track incidents and reports of misconduct in its schools.
P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz and  Education Minister Robin Croucher have both pledged to review PSB policies after court testimony revealed a substitute teacher was allowed to remain teaching in the public school system for months after a complaint was made involving inappropriate touching of a student.
Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly raised the details about complaints against former substitute teacher Matthew Alan Craswell in the legislature. McNeilly asked Education Minister Robin Croucher for an explanation as to why the Public Schools Branch did not report a complaint made against Craswell by a student to law enforcement.
P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz has apologized in the P.E.I. legislature following the release of details in court after a Public Schools Branch substitute teacher pleaded guilty to sexual interference and child pornography charges April 29. Some of the charges involved a student at an elementary school.

Overview

  • Substitute teacher Matthew Alan Craswell pleaded guilty to charges of child pornography possession and sexually touching a young student in a classroom setting.
  • Court documents revealed that school officials were aware of but did not report a sexual touching incident, allowing Craswell to continue teaching older students.
  • The Public Schools Branch has launched a retroactive, centralized system to track all staff misconduct complaints and completed mandatory staff training on recognizing and reporting inappropriate interactions.
  • The Department of Education has commissioned a third-party review to evaluate current safeguards and recommend measures to enhance student safety.
  • The PSB is advocating for expanded background checks to include interprovincial and international records, addressing gaps that allowed Craswell to pass prior screenings.