Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Parents, students and other stakeholders at the Adélard-Desrosiers school are in shock after the filing of some twenty charges against a 27-year-old teacher for various crimes of a sexual nature. Because for many of them, Dominic Blanchette was known for his closeness to young girls.
“Over time, he got closer and closer to the girls. He often attended their extracurricular activities. He gave them more permissions. He even made photos and videos with them. It was constant,” says a student who had Mr. Blanchette as a teacher in sixth grade. “Sometimes on sports teams, he made girls sit on him during breaks,” he continues.
Tuesday, The Press revealed that four more people had come forward in the case of Dominic Blanchette, this teacher at Adélard-Desrosiers elementary school, in Montreal North, already accused of sexual assault on an 11-year-old child. In total, the professor now faces more than 20 charges, including several of sexual assault.
From the Rivière-des-Prairies detention facility, Blanchette appeared on Wednesday to set the date for her release hearing, a preliminary step to her trial. A return to court is scheduled for July 21. At that time, Mr. Blanchette could be called to testify.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SPVM
Dominic Blanchette
“We strongly object to his release, for the safety of the public and the victims, but also so as not to undermine the public’s confidence in the administration of justice,” he told The Press Me Annabelle Sheppard, Crown Attorney.
A “disturbed” environment
“I have four children, three of whom have attended school. My children are in shock, my daughter cried a lot. It has been very hard for them and for me in recent weeks, ”says a mother on condition of anonymity, since some of her children still attend Adélard-Desrosiers school.
A teacher from the Adélard-Desrosiers school, for his part, affirms that the teaching staff is “upset” by the situation. Other speakers having gravitated around Dominic Blanchette are also shaken.
He was constantly cuddling, he was very affectionate with young people, sometimes too much. The line was thin often, shall we say.
A teacher from another school, who rubbed shoulders with the accused on a few occasions
“We felt that he was devoted to his young people. And he was very involved in the community. He also sold educational content by the ton on Better Teaching, a content creation site. Several teachers have also participated in an unsubscribe campaign on his page in recent weeks, ”notes a teacher from another school, who rubbed shoulders with the accused on a few occasions.
A former employee of the library located near the Adélard-Desrosiers school also testifies to inappropriate behavior observed in the exercise of her functions, and is especially worried about the young people of the school, already “very vulnerable and from of underprivileged families.
It was the kind to make nasty jokesto make somewhat inappropriate comments in general.
A former employee of the library located near the Adélard-Desrosiers school
According to the classification of primary schools according to their deprivation index published in February 2021 by the School Tax Management Committee of the Island of Montreal, the Adélard-Desrosiers school ranked among the most disadvantaged schools in the metropolis. .
Protecting students first
In a letter sent to parents on Wednesday, in response to revelations from The Press, the director of the Adélard-Desrosiers school, Lucie Aylwin, says she understands that parents may be shocked and worried. “Rest assured that the well-being and safety of our students are always our priority and that we are doing everything we can to comfort and support them”, she writes, specifying however that we have “the legal obligation not to reveal any information which could enable the victims to be identified.
At the Pointe-de-l’Île school service center (CSSPI), spokesperson Valérie Biron says that an intervention team has been mobilized for students and staff. All parents of students in Mr. Blanchette’s class were also contacted personally by telephone. The CSSPI also says it has recommended that parents “be attentive to their child’s reactions, to contact the school if they have concerns and to call on professionals if necessary”.
An investigation is still underway in the case of Dominic Blanchette.
In recent weeks, the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) had indicated that Mr. Blanchette “would have held jobs in more than one school” and said he was looking for other “potential victims”.
Liberal education critic Marwah Rizqy is calling for an investigation by the Ministry of Education into the case of Dominic Blanchette. She says she wonders “how this teacher was able to weave his web” and “if there are people who knew and who decided to hide in the sand” within the school.
For his part, the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, recalls that Dominic Blanchette’s teaching certificate has been revoked in recent weeks, which prevents him from practicing his profession again. “These behaviors are unacceptable,” he said on Tuesday.