Teacher charged with assault after incident at Musquodoboit Rural High School

Another Halifax-area school teacher is in trouble with the law.

A 55-year-old male teacher at Musquodoboit Rural High School in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S., has been charged with assault in connection with an incident at the school on Sept. 18.

Neither the school nor the RCMP will confirm the identity of the teacher but CBC News has identified him as Paul O'Toole.

O'Toole has been placed on leave since the incident. A statement by Doug Hadley of the Halifax Regional Centre for Education — the body which replaced the school board earlier this year — said an internal investigation has been launched and O'Toole is not currently being paid.

RCMP were called to an alleged altercation between the teacher and a 17-year-old male student.

O'Toole's case has been referred to restorative justice. It will return to Nova Scotia Provincial Court in Shubenacadie on Dec. 13. If he has met the terms of restorative justice by then, the case will be dismissed and O'Toole will have no criminal record. 

News of this incident comes just days after the arrest of a 42-year-old teacher from Cole Harbour District High School. Derek William Stephenson is facing charges in relation to an incident on Oct. 3 at the school involving a 15-year-old male student.

Stephenson is due back in court on Dec. 12.