Ottawa teacher facing sexual assault charges

An Ottawa Catholic District School Board teacher was arrested Aug. 10 and charged with five counts of sexual assault and sexual exploitation.

The 40-year-old teacher is alleged to have victimized one of her high school students between March and May of this year. The board said she was a teacher at St. Francis Xavier High School in Gloucester, Ont., and has been suspended without pay.

"The Ottawa Catholic District School Board is fully cooperating with Ottawa Police Services to conduct their investigation into allegations involving Shannon Marie Quinn, a high school teacher at St. Francis Xavier High School," the board said in a statement.

"The teacher has been suspended without pay and will remain on suspension until these charges have been resolved in a court of law.”

The accused is also known at Shannon Greffe.

Counsellors were at the school starting Aug. 14 to assist students in need. Pupils were invited to call the office to set up appointments.

Since 2017, this school district has been partnered with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. The non-profit was providing resources to enhance staff awareness about the risk of sexual abuse to children. The board is also a participant in the centre’s Kids in the Know initiative, an interactive activity program designed to help students build the skills to avoid in-person and online abuse.

“As a Catholic community, we acknowledge the gravity of this situation and offer our on-going support to those impacted,” said director of education Thomas D’Amico. “Our number one priority is the safety and well-being of our students. We urge anyone with information regarding these allegations to contact the Ottawa police to assist with their investigation.” 

Police investigators are concerned there may be other student victims and are asking anyone with information to contact police at (613) 236-1222, ext. 5944.