Student safety ‘top priority’ in wake of teacher sex charges: U of W Collegiate
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/07/2019 (1894 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The dean of University of Winnipeg Collegiate says the school is “committed to providing a safe learning environment” in the wake of sex-assault charges against one of its former instructors.
On Friday, police laid two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation against Ishmael Mustapha, 46.
City police said two female students, who were 16 and 18 at the time of the alleged incidents, were assaulted between 2016 and 2018. Police also said Mustapha was ordered not to contact two other former students.
On Monday, Kevin Clace, dean of the downtown Winnipeg high school, referred any students seeking support to the U of W’s sexual violence response team.
“I expect the highest standards of conduct from our faculty and staff. I recognize the understandable concerns raised by news that the Winnipeg Police Service has laid charges against a former instructor at the collegiate,” Clace said in a written statement to the Free Press.
“While I am not able to speak directly about this police matter, I want to assure the collegiate community that student safety is our top priority and that we are committed to providing a safe learning environment,” he said. “We have a strong sexual violence prevention policy in place. And collegiate staff are trained to ensure a fast, appropriate response to all safety concerns that are brought forward.
“We are providing counselling services, through our guidance department and the university’s sexual violence response team, to any students who are seeking support.”
Mustapha taught math and coached the boys’ soccer team at the collegiate. He left the school shortly after the 2018-19 year began.
Chad Falk, executive director of the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association, said the organization was made aware of the situation Friday through media reports and has no further comment.
Mustapha had also been employed at other schools across the city.
From 1998 to 2000, he taught math and computer science at Maples Collegiate in the Seven Oaks School Division. The division’s superintendent said Seven Oaks is not currently looking into Mustapha’s time as a staff member there.
“His employment with ended in 2000, so at this point there’s nothing for us to add. It was a long time ago,” Brian O’Leary said Monday.
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In 2017, Mustapha coached a junior varsity basketball team at Fort Richmond Collegiate. An online employment profile shows he also coached the team in 2013 and 2011.
A spokesperson for the Pembina Trails School Division could not say whether it is looking into Mustapha’s role, but said the division “has and will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure our students are safe.”
“We have a number of practices in place, including criminal record checks, to keep our kids safe during extracurricular activities. We can tell you that the person mentioned, did volunteer with one of our schools’ male athletic teams. It is important to note, that there would have been a staff member supervising at all times,” superintendent Ted Fransen said.
One woman who had Mustapha as a teacher at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate for two years said he acted inappropriately toward her when she was a 16-year-old student. The woman, 20, said he gave her gifts, shared intimate details of his sex life and used his knowledge of her eating disorder to try to gain her affection.
The criminal charges and no-contact orders against him are not related to the woman.
“He would call me and tell me about how he was running with his shirt off and all his female neighbours were staring at him,” she said in a message to the Free Press. “It went from being the cool, chill teacher to being the teacher that crosses too many lines.”
— with files from Tessa Vanderhart
caitlyn.gowriluk@freepress.mb.ca
nadya.pankiw@freepress.mb.ca
