OCDSB Statement: Addressing Sexual Assault

OCDSB Statement: Addressing Sexual Assault
Posted on 02/02/2022
OCDSB Statement: Addressing Sexual Assault

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) has been informed that Majed Turk, an individual employed by the OCDSB, plead guilty to multiple charges, including sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual exploitation and criminal harassment. 

These crimes were abhorrent and a violation of trust and authority. The OCDSB will immediately terminate Mr. Turk’s employment based on the outcome of the court proceedings.

We recognize the traumatic experience of sexual assault for victims. No one should ever have to experience this, especially not at school. Our work to build awareness of and be proactive in addressing these issues continues.

The OCDSB has worked in partnership with the Ottawa Police Service since the start of this investigation. We contacted the authorities as soon as we became aware of allegations in November 2019. The employee was immediately removed from the classroom. The OCDSB will also work with the Ontario College of Teachers through their disciplinary procedures regarding this matter.

As an organization, we take our duty of care very seriously and are committed to providing a safe and caring learning environment. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board continues to work with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to create a culture of awareness and prevention. This includes training on professional boundaries, updating policies, creating a culture of reporting incidents of concern, and practices for investigating incidents of concern. As part of our ongoing work in this area, principals and other staff receive training on the duty to report and duty to protect under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act and share this training with all school-based staff.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection website includes a number of valuable resources for educators and parents, including information about Understanding and Identifying Child Sexual Abuse , resources to help Keep Kids Safe, information about Online Safety, how to Take Action, and resources to support Families of Survivors.

The OCDSB website also contains links for local resources and supports: https://ocdsb.ca/our_schools/mental_health/resources
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