A former high school biology teacher acquitted in 2008 of sexually assaulting a student is back before a disciplinary hearing.
Steven Anthony D’Amelio is accused by the Ontario College of Teachers of professional misconduct for engaging in a “personal and/or romantic and/or sexual relationship” with two students.
He is further accused of a raft of other sexual misconduct including looking up skirts and down tops, making sexual comments to female students and once having a female student crawl under his desk and hide between his legs so she would not be found by another teacher who was looking for her.
A student teacher assigned to D’Amelio in 2002 alleges his sexual comments caused her so much distress, she asked to be reassigned.
The allegations arise out of incidents said to have occurred between 1999 and 2006 when D’Amelio was a teacher at St. Joseph’s Catholic high school.
D’Amelio was arrested and charged with sexual assault in December 2005 for allegedly trying to kiss a female student and shove his hands down the front of her pants. He was fired by the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board on Feb., 28, 2006 and was subsequently acquitted of the charges.
He has not been back in a classroom, but has maintained his teaching licence. On the eve of his hearing, he was still listed as a teacher “in good standing” by the Ontario College of Teachers, the body that licenses teachers in publicly funded schools in the province.
D’Amelio has been before a disciplinary hearing before and in December was found not guilty of sexual misconduct. The allegations in those proceedings were based on the allegations from his earlier criminal trial.
“This is a separate matter, a separate hearing,” Brian Jamieson, college spokesman, said Monday.
D’Amelio’s hearing is scheduled for one day Tuesday.
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