Winnipeg police have charged a teacher with sexual exploitation after they say she carried on a sexual relationship with a high school student.
Police say the 27-year-old woman was working at Grant Park High School when the offences happened between Dec. 1, 2019 and Feb. 8, 2020.
Investigators say the victim is a 16-year-old student from the school.
Police spokesperson Const. Rob Carver said police aren’t identifying the gender of the student in order to protect the identity of the alleged victim and other students involved.
“There are some other students who are potentially victims as well — charges may get broadened,” he said, adding that several students have been interviewed by police.
“We want to protect everyone’s identity, not just the specific victim, but any students we would have interviewed as witnesses.”
The woman is charged with sexual exploitation, sexual assault and supplying liquor to a minor.
The woman is accused of giving alcohol to a group of students aged 16 and 17 and having a sexual relationship with one of them, Carver said.
Police began investigating after parents became suspicious and spoke to school officials about their concerns, he added.
“From my understanding … kids were talking,” he told reporters Friday.
He said about five students have been interviewed and further interviews are expected.
The woman, who police have decided not to identify in order to protect the victim, has since been released with strict conditions.
Those conditions include not to contact the victim, not to possess or access any device capable of accessing the internet, not to have contact with anyone under the age of 18, and not to seek, obtain or continue working or volunteering in any capacity that involves being in a position of trust or authority with a person under the age of 18.