A rumour that colleagues threw a party for a teacher convicted of sexually assaulting and exploiting students at St. John’s Catholic High School has triggered plans for a protest at the school Tuesday, May 11.
Lily Trudel is calling on fellow students to protest by staging a virtual walk out or “log out,” since the school is physically closed due to the pandemic. In a Facebook post Monday, May 10 she asked students to show their support for the victims of former teacher Jeff Peters by logging out and refusing to attend any teams or school meetings, and encouraging others to do the same.
Trudel said she was moved to take action by the recent posting of an online open letter to the school and to the Catholic School Board of Eastern Ontario by former St. John’s Student Elizabeth Holmes. The former student took the school and the board to task for failing to make any public statement regarding the case of Peters, who was sentenced on April 29 to three-and-a-half years in jail for the sexual assault of one student and the sexual exploitation of another. Rumours that two fellow teachers hosted a going away party for Peters prior to the sentencing also fuelled her decision to protest.
The failure of the board to make a public statement or to take action against the teachers believed to have thrown a party for Peters shows “serious lack of support for the victims,” said Trudel.
Trudel’s mother, Lisa Brennan-Trudel, told the Hometown News that hosting a party for the convicted teacher was “totally unprofessional.
“It’s not even human.”
Trudel and her mother said they had heard about the party from sources they consider credible.
“I believe the source was a very valid source,” said Trudel. “I have no doubt it is true.”
As of Monday afternoon, Trudel reported that her call for an online walkout had gathered 60 shares on Facebook and 283 likes on Instagram.
