Staff member removed at Whitehorse's Selkirk Elementary School after 'allegations of harm' toward students

The Yukon government says an employee at Whitehorse's Selkirk Elementary School has been removed from their job after "allegations of harm towards students."

In an email to parents on Tuesday afternoon, obtained by CBC News, school principal Leslie Doran did not provide any more details about the nature of the allegations, the identity of the employee or how many students may have been affected.

She said she learned of the allegations on May 1, and officials are still gathering more information. She said police are involved, as required by education department policies.

"We are co-operating with the RCMP's efforts, and you or your child may see the RCMP at the school in the coming days," Doran's email reads. 

CBC News has contacted RCMP about the allegations but has not yet received a response.

Doran's email says the Department of Education would not provide any more details "to protect the privacy of staff and students." 

"I understand that learning of this information may be difficult, and your natural reaction is to want more information ... I would like to highlight the importance of not speculating or jumping to conclusions," she wrote.

"What I can say is that I, along with the Department of Education, take our obligation to protect students from harm at school very seriously."

Doran also said the department does not believe there are any ongoing student safety concerns with respect to the employee.

Ted Hupé, president of the Yukon Association of Education Professionals, said he is aware of the matter but is not discussing details. He said the RCMP's involvement is standard as part of the territory's Safer Schools Action Plan.

"If there is a matter that could be criminal, it always involves the RCMP — it's not indicative," Hupé told CBC News.

The Safer Schools Action Plan was launched in 2022 and the government says on its website that the plan has "made our staff more aware of, and accountable for, student safety."

It says all school staff are trained annually on "recognizing when children might need protection, reporting to authorities, and supporting children who have made disclosures."

Doran, in her email to parents at Selkirk school, said the school has followed the process in that plan.

"At this time, it's important to remember that the processes and policies we've put in place to keep your children safe at school were followed and are working," she said.