SASKATOON – A Saskatoon teacher has appeared in Provincial Court charged with luring a 16-year-old boy who was a former student.
Jayson Clarke Kennard, 38, was arrested Thursday morning accused of initiating sexual conversations with one of his former school students on the internet.
It’s understood Kennard was the boy’s teacher back when he was in the 6th grade at a Saskatoon elementary school.
The boy’s mother said she made the discovery on her son’s Facebook page and reported it to police.
Outside court she told reporters the man propositioned her son for sex on the internet more than once.
“I was nerve racked, shaking, throwing up I haven’t slept in two weeks,” she said.
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“I just opened up my son’s inbox on his Facebook and was reading messages and discovered messages from Mr Kennard some pretty graphic sexual things. He’s been messaging him for just about a year now from what I’ve been made aware of,” she added.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
In August the sex crimes and child abuse unit began an investigation in conjunction with the internet child exploitation (ICE) unit.
“As part of the investigation the ICE unit initiated contact with the male who continued his conversations with who he believed to be the youth and that was a substantial part of the investigation,” said Kelsie Fraser from Saskatoon Police Service.
Police then executed a search warrant and a laptop was seized.
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The Saskatoon Public School division says Kennard is not currently in the classroom and has been directed to have no contact with students or staff.
The division says its launched its own investigation
“He’s supposed to be a man of trust, a man of authority and he teaches young children,” said the mother.
When asked how her son was coping she said, “He doesn’t really want to talk about it, he’s quite embarrassed and disgusted.”
Kennard was released on bail under a number of conditions including no contact with anyone under the age of 16 and not to possess any device capable of accessing the internet.
He’s due back in Provincial Court on Sept. 19.
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