A 42-year-old Dartmouth man has been arrested after an incident involving a student at Cole Harbour District High School, and court documents show the teacher has faced assault charges in the past.
RCMP say the incident happened Oct. 3 and the suspect was arrested Nov. 9.
Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) has confirmed the suspect involved was a teacher at the school and the youth was a student.
According to police, the altercation happened when a man removed earbuds from a 15-year-old boy’s ears.
“The youth then removed the man’s lanyard that was attached to keys in his pants pocket. The man then pushed the youth into a wall and put him on the floor,” police said in a news release.
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The boy reported the incident to school administration and was checked by paramedics, but was uninjured.
RCMP say officers began a detailed investigation, which included statements from “many witnesses.”
HRCE spokesperson Doug Hadley says the teacher has been on leave since the morning of the incident.
“While no charges have been sworn at this time, the teacher is currently on unpaid leave and has voluntarily surrendered their teaching license,” he said in an email.
“The HRCE takes any matter potentially impacting the safety and security of our students very seriously and we are conducting our own investigation, independent of police. There is no timeline for when this investigation will be complete.”
Students say incident was ‘shocking’
Students at the high school have confirmed the teacher who was involved in the incident and is now on leave is English teacher Derek Stephenson.
Students who witnessed the incident say it was both “shocking and scary.” It was also caught on video and shared on Snapchat. A video appears to show the teacher holding the student in a chokehold.
“It was scary,” said Grade 10 student Ashari Smith. “I’ve never seen a teacher put his hands on a student like that.”
Fellow Grade 10 student Mateo Simons was also in the classroom and witnessed the fight.
Meanwhile, others say Stephenson is a good teacher.
“I thought he was a really good teacher. I thought he gave really good direction. He was preparing us for university and life,” said Grade 12 student Caleigh Baxter.
“I thought he was a great guy. He had trouble, but you could see he was a really nice person.”
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Teacher has criminal history, assault charges
Court documents show Stephenson had previously been charged with assault and uttering threats against former partners. The documents also show colleagues, including a former vice-principal at the school, were aware of the legal problems and acted as character witnesses.
In 2010, he was charged with assaulting his ex-wife. That charge was later dismissed and a judge ordered a 12-month peace bond.
In 2012, he was arrested for assaulting his ex-wife and their daughter. He pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex-wife and was given a conditional discharge in 2013. In his pre-sentence report, Barrett Khan, who was the vice-principal of Cole Harbour District High School at the time, provided a character reference letter.
The report notes that Khan said Stephenson had “demonstrated a great deal of creativity in working with adolescents. He has worked collaboratively on many video productions with students. He has taken many of the topics he is required to teach within the curricular area and created very unique projects and assessment tools that were highly engaging for the students.”
Another letter submitted by a former colleague and friend, David Zinck, said Stephenson was a “very honest and trustworthy” person with “integrity.”
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Stephenson had lived with Zinck and his family for two months during Stephenson’s separation from his wife.
“I have seen Derek in times of emotional and physical distress and I have always been amazed at his ability to restrain his emotions and actions,” the letter notes.
The pre-sentence report noted that Stephenson had sought out intervention to address his “impulsivity” and that he had support from friends, coworkers and family. It also stated he had given back to his community and strived to be a good role model to his children and youth in the school system.
He was given the discharge, received 18 months probation and ordered to attend a violence prevention program.
But in 2017, Stephenson was charged with mischief and uttering threats against an ex-girlfriend, and received a conditional discharge. He was put on 18 months probation, ordered to attend anger management counselling and stay away from his ex-girlfriend.
In the pre-sentence report on those charges, his ex-girlfriend said he made her feel “uncomfortable” and that she wanted no contact with him.
“I feel he has an anger problem. He needs help with anger and lack of memory over his behaviour,” the report quotes her as saying.
Concern among parents
Parent Laura Zolmer says she was upset to learn that a teacher with a violent criminal history was allowed to continue teaching. She points out that school volunteers like herself are subject to criminal checks.
“It makes me uncomfortable, absolutely. You just have to know you feel safe with your teachers and students in the class and as a parent I would rather have a criminal check,” she said.
At the time of the incident, the school’s principal, Dunovan Kalberlah, sent an email to parents to reassure them that safety was a priority.
“The matter is currently under investigation and is being taken very seriously. The staff member has been placed on leave pending the completion of the investigation. The safety of our students is always a top priority for us at Cole Harbour District High. If you have any concerns, please contact me at the school,” the email read.
Meanwhile, RCMP say the suspect has been released on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth provincial court on Dec. 12.