For the second time in one day, officials with the Bonnyville-based Northern Lights Public Schools division are issuing a public statement regarding a staff member charged with crimes against children.
The latest statement was issued Wednesday afternoon, just half an hour after RCMP released information that a 24 year old Lac La Biche man had been charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. NLPS officials say the same person had been employed for the last two years with the school division as an educational assistant and an Out of School Care worker at the Vera M. Welsh Elementary School in Lac La Biche. The school offers classes from kindergarten to Grade 3.
In the police report about the arrest of 24-year-old Eric Sprecker on charges of child pornography possession and distribution, it was stated that the alleged victim was not believed to be from the local area.
Two statements
The latest statement from the school division's administration came just hours after they issued an earlier one to the public regarding charges of sexual assault and sexual interference against a 35 year old female teacher at Bonnyville's Duclos School. Janelle Arnold, a resident of Bonnyville, is set to make her first court appearance on those charges on October 1 in Bonnyville's Alberta Court of Justice. Duclos School caters to students from preschool to Grade 4.
In both statements to the public, NLPS officials say that neither Arnold nor Sprecker are currently employed with the school division.
"Out of respect for the legal process and the privacy of those involved, we will not be commenting further at this time," noted the most recent statement from the school division sent by the organization's communications department. "The safety and well-being of our students and staff are always our top priorities and we are focused on providing them with the support they need at this time."
School division officials say that supports are in place for students and staff who have been affected.
RCMP say Sprecker will make his first court appearance on the charges on October 7 in Lac La Biche's Alberta Court of Justice.
The Northern Lights Public Schools division oversees 28 schools across northeastern Alberta, including schools in Cold Lake, Bonnyville, Plamondon and Lac La Biche. The division has a student population of approximately 6,000.
