Police have arrested a high school teacher in the Hunter reason who had earlier been placed on administrative leave by the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic diocese.Police have arrested a high school teacher in the Hunter reason who had earlier been placed on administrative leave by the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic diocese.Police said they arrested the 39-year-old teacher at All Saints’ College in Maitland at the local police station on 28 March.
The teacher was granted conditional bail to appear before Maitland local court at the end of the month, police said.At the time, the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic diocese released a statement saying the school’s leadership had been made aware of the allegations. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup“The diocese of Maitland-Newcastle places the safeguarding of children and vulnerable persons first,” it said in a statement. “All allegations are responded to and taken seriously.”“However, this must be balanced against ensuring the integrity of the investigations being undertaken and protecting the privacy of all other parties,” it said. “No further comment can be provided at this time.
The diocese said it would take “appropriate action” against the teacher once the investigation was completed. It said it was keeping the Office of the Children’s Guardian – the state’s child safety authority – updated on the situation.