Kelly-Anne Jenning’s actions called ‘predatory, manipulative and deeply harmful' by Crown

The guilty plea of a former Ontario Grade 8 teacher — to multiple sex crimes involving her students — has highlighted the importance of robust safeguarding policies, digital conduct oversight, and proactive employee support systems in any workplace where children or vulnerable individuals are present.

On Thursday, Kelly-Anne Jennings, 41, appeared in a Peterborough, Ont., courtroom and pleaded guilty to six charges, including child luring, making child pornography, and distributing sexually explicit material to minors, according to a CBC report.

The charges stem from incidents in 2023, during which Jennings used Snapchat to send and solicit nude images from former students, all of whom were teenage boys she had previously taught, according to the report.

In 2022, a teacher’s poor professional judgment relating to his interactions with a few students was not just cause for termination when there was no evidence of any policy or code of conduct breaches, an arbitrator ruled.

Unpaid leave for Ontario teacher

The court heard that the teacher, while under the influence of alcohol, escalated her behaviour to include sending explicit videos and requesting nude photos from the boys.

The Crown described her actions as “predatory, manipulative and deeply harmful,” a sentiment echoed by the victims’ families.

One mother, in a statement read in court, said, “My son looked up to her as a second...

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