Update – St. Anthony’s Issues Letter to Parents and Guardians Following Arrest of Teacher

Pete Fisher
3 months ago
• Categories: News

The principal of St. Anthony’s Catholic Elementary School in Port Hope sent a e-mail to parents and guardians following the arrest of a teacher.

Port Hope Police issued a release on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 stating grade eight teacher, Kelly-Anne Jennings is facing a number of charges in relation to former students at the school.

Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are reaching out to share some extremely difficult news regarding a situation at St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School that we know will be deeply concerning for our school community.
Late this afternoon, Port Hope Police Services issued a media release indicating that Grade 8 teacher Kelly-Anne Jennings has been arrested and charged with a number of serious charges related to former St. Anthony CES students.

We understand how upsetting this information is for our students, parents/guardians and staff. Please know that the safety and well-being of our students is always our top priority. We take all allegations of staff misconduct very seriously, and Board staff have been cooperating fully with the police throughout their investigation.

As the matter is now before the courts, and because the allegations involve minors, we are unable to provide any specific details about the nature of the charges.

However, we can confirm that Ms. Jennings has been removed from all Board workplaces and prohibited from any contact with students indefinitely.

Port Hope Police Services is encouraging any further victims or witnesses to contact the Port Hope Police Service in person, via phone at 905-885-8123 or via email at phps@phps.on.ca.

We know that situations like this can be distressing, and we want to assure you that additional mental health support will be available at the school this week and for as long as necessary for any student who may need it at both St. Anthony CES and St. Mary Catholic Secondary School.

We also encourage you to have conversations with your children about respecting the privacy of potential victims and witnesses and being cautious about sharing unverified information online or through social media.

To support you during this time, the Board’s mental health team has recommended the following resources:

How to talk to children about difficult news: Guidance from the American Psychological Association on discussing sensitive topics with children.
https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/talking-children

How do you know if you should be concerned about your child’s mental health: A tip sheet from School Mental Health Ontario to help parents identify signs of distress in their children.
https://smho-smso.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Tip-Sheet-How-Do-You-Know-If-You-Should-Be-Concerned.pdf

Protecting children through education and prevention: Resources from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection on safeguarding children.
https://protectchildren.ca/en/resources-research/#resources

In addition, we would like to remind you that Northumberland Hills Hospital offers a walk-in counselling option for children, youth and adults (aged seven and up) on Tuesdays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Thursdays, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at NHH’s Community Mental Health Services office located at 1011 Elgin Street West, Suite 200, Cobourg.

24/7 support is always available through the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or by texting CONNECT to 686868.

Please feel free to reach out to me directly at the school by phone (905) 885-4583 or contact126@pvnccdsb.on.ca if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we work together to maintain a safe and caring environment for our students.

Sincerely,

Jason Roberts

Principal

St. Anthony CES

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