An ordinary family dinner turned into the start of a nightmare for a father, who discovered his son’s inappropriate relationship with his English teacher.
Text messages sent between them led to the arrest of the teacher, who was working for an elite Catholic boys school in Australia.
“We send our sons there trusting they’re safe,” said a local parent, who was stunned by the news of the teacher’s arrest.
An ordinary family dinner turned into the start of a nightmare for a teenage boy’s father
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Ella Clements, 24, was an English teacher at Brookvale’s St Augustine’s College, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, when she became the center of the controversy.
She was caught having an “inappropriate relationship” with a young boy and charged with a series of offenses, police said.
Ella’s alleged romance with the boy came to light after his father found suggestive text messages on his son’s phone.
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The family had enforced a “phones on the table” policy that led to his 15-year-old son’s phone being placed on the table at night.
The father then discovered text messages that had been exchanged between the boy and the English teacher.
A “phones on the table” policy led to the father discovering text messages between the teacher and his son
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Police accused the teacher of engaging in the “inappropriate relationship” for about 12 months before the arrest on September 16.
Ella was charged with three counts of aggravated se*ual intercourse with a child aged 14 to 16 and one count of intentionally se*ually touching a child aged 14 to 16.
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She is expected to appear for a bail ruling soon.
Parents and teachers were reportedly stunned by the revelations.
“Everyone’s just shocked. This is a respected school. We send our sons there trusting they’re safe,” a local parent said.
“We send our sons there trusting they’re safe,” a stunned parent said
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Ella was a former Catholic schoolgirl and drama student.
She studied at the all-girls Catholic secondary school, Brigidine College St. Ives, and served as drama captain during her final year.
After being part of several musicals at Brigidine, Ella went on to study to be a drama teacher at the University of Notre Dame.
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The school’s principal, Jonathan Byrne, said they are cooperating with police during the investigation.
He also confirmed that the disgraced teacher was fired after the allegations came to light.
Ella went to an all-girls Catholic school and studied to be a drama teacher
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“As a parent I acknowledge an investigation like this will cause anxiety,” he said in a letter to parents.
“We continue to work with police and relevant authorities and, in the meantime, our focus is on ensuring the privacy and wellbeing of the student and family,” he continued.
The principal urged parents not to share information about the alleged incident online and to allow the judicial process “to run its natural course.”
“However, I believe that the former teacher has betrayed the trust placed in them by the college and families,” he added.
He acknowledged that the investigation could be an “incredibly distressing time” for some.
“If you have not been contacted, your son is not currently part of the active investigation,” he added. “Please respect that in this instance we are legally limited in what we can share, and have a primary consideration to protect the safety and wellbeing of the student.”
In a letter to parents, the principal said the teacher “betrayed” the trust of the school and families
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Ella was granted bail by Magistrate Daniel Reiss last week on several strict conditions, including not having any contact with staff or students at the school and not using a smartphone or social media.
The conditions also expected her to live with her parents at a Northern Rivers address and not leave the house between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
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The court also ruled that two acceptable persons must each submit an amount of $100,000 surety for her release.
Ella’s release remained pending after police applied for the decision to be stayed.
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