Nova Scotia Teacher Faces Charges for Alleged Assaults on Four Students
Matthew Robert Donahoe, a teacher from Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, has been charged with multiple counts of assault and sexual interference involving four students at Dr. W.A. MacLeod Consolidated School. He was released on $10,000 bail with strict conditions, while his employer placed him on unpaid leave and a law firm announced plans for a class-action lawsuit.
Matthew Robert Donahoe, a 53-year-old teacher residing in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, faces criminal charges related to alleged incidents involving four students at Dr. W.A. MacLeod Consolidated School in Riverton. The allegations stem from events that reportedly occurred between September 3 and September 10.
Donahoe is accused of sexual interference, sexual assault, and assault involving children under the age of 14. Specific allegations include touching a student for a sexual purpose, choking another student, assaulting a student with a chair, and administering the drug lorazepam to a third student.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received information regarding the alleged assaults on September 10. Following an investigation that identified additional victims, Donahoe was arrested on Wednesday. On Thursday, Judge Pam Williams granted bail in Pictou provincial court with the consent of the Crown. Donahoe was released on a $10,000 bond subject to strict conditions, which require him to reside with his surety in Dartmouth, observe a curfew between midnight and 6 a.m., avoid contact with anyone under the age of 18, and stay away from schools and public parks.
The Central Chignecto Regional Centre for Education (CCRCE), Donahoe’s employer, revoked his access to the school immediately after the initial report and placed him on unpaid leave. The CCRCE stated that support services were provided to the affected students.
In a separate development, MacGillivray Law issued a news release announcing its intention to file a class-action lawsuit against both the CCRCE and Donahoe in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Public records indicate that Donahoe previously ran for the Progressive Conservatives in the Halifax Needham district during the 2017 provincial election, where he finished third among four candidates.