Teacher at Alpine Public School facing two counts of assault: police

Kitchener -

A Waterloo Region teacher has been charged after allegations that a teacher had “taped two children with masking tape while in the classroom,” according to a news release from the Waterloo Regional Police Service.

The 52-year-old Waterloo woman is facing two counts of assault.

Police said they began their investigation on October 22 after receiving a report from Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region.

The families of the two children spoke with CTV News last week, and again on Thursday.

The parent of one child said his family is still in shock.

“We can’t sleep, we can’t absorb what happened.”

Almost two weeks after the incident at Alpine Public School, the parent said their child still lives in fear.

“He still feels that maybe somewhere it’s his fault because the teacher made him feel that way.”

CTV News is not identifying the families to protect the children involved.

“As a results of a joint investigation by a youth protection unit as well as Family and Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region a 52 year-old female has been arrested and charged with two counts of assault,” said Cst. Andre Johnson of the Waterloo Regional Police Service.

One family said their child was taped to a desk by his teacher. The other child said the teacher used tape as a punishment on him three times.

A spokesperson from the Waterloo Region District School Board says confidentiality prevents them from discussing the particulars of the case, but did email a statement to CTV News after the charges were made public.

“We are aware that Waterloo Regional Police Services made an arrest in relation to the reported allegations,” said Eusis Dougan-McKenzie, interim Chief Communications Officer at the Waterloo Region District School Board.

“The individual in question is an employee of the Waterloo Region District School Board, and when we were first made aware of the situation, the individual was assigned to home.”

CTV News was interviewing the father when he received a call from police, letting him know about the arrest.

The family said they are happy to see happy to see charges laid, but don’t believe it’s enough.

Both families have previously told CTV News they believe these incidents were racially motivated.

“I want the school, I want the school board and I want Doug Ford to take action on it,” said the father. “I want my MPP to take action on it. I want everyone to take notice of it. Make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone. It could be your kid.”

In an interview last week, the mother of the other child said she was considering changing schools due to impact of the incident on her family.

On Thursday she confirmed both her children will be transferring to online learning as of Monday.

The accused teacher is scheduled to appear in court on December 8.

Kitchener Top Stories

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse

More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.

Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality

A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.

Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say

A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.

B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization

The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.

OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.

An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York

An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.

Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering

George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.