- Kelly-Anne Jennings was charged on Wednesday and faces 18 counts of child sexual abuse
- The parents were left in shock and described the 40-year-old as someone “who was loved by everyone”.
A 40-year-old teacher described as “loved by everyone” at a Catholic school in Canada is accused of more than a dozen child sex offences.
Kelly-Anne Jennings was charged Wednesday with sexual assault, sexual interference, luring a child and possession of child pornography after being arrested weeks earlier on similar charges.
Police began investigating Jennings last month after a student at St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School reported her.
They said the victim was a student at Jennings when they spoke to authorities.
Jennings was initially arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault and sexual interference on August 29.
Kelly-Anne Jennings, 40, was charged Wednesday with sexual assault, sexual interference, child enticement and possession of child pornography after being arrested weeks earlier on similar charges.
Police began investigating Jennings last month after a student at St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School reported his behavior.
His arrest prompted at least three other victims to come forward, local police said, and a search warrant was eventually issued.
Jennings was arrested again at her home in Ontario on Sept. 4 and charged with 16 additional counts of similar charges against the students, who were identified only as former students.
Parents of current students can’t really hide their disbelief after the arrests became public.
They described Jennings as a great teacher who was universally loved within the community before the child sexual abuse allegations came to light.
“You never know. She was a teacher that everyone loved,” one anonymous parent told Metroland.
“It’s a shocking and stark reminder that predators can be anyone and can be people everyone knows and trusts.”
“It’s a sad reality, but we need to keep the conversation open with our children and let them know that we need to monitor their devices.”
Jennings, who taught at the school part-time in 2008 before taking a full-time position in 2016, has been placed on administrative leave.
Parents of current St. Anthony’s students can’t really contain their disbelief after the arrests were made public. They described Jennings as a great teacher who was universally loved within the community before the child sexual abuse allegations came to light.
“We take all allegations of staff misconduct very seriously and board staff have been fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout their investigation,” the school board said in a statement.
“We know that situations like this can be distressing and we want to reassure families that additional mental health support will be available.”
Jennings is currently free after her husband posted $10,000 bail.