THUNDER BAY – A Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board principal is facing a notice of hearing at the Ontario College of Teachers after being accused of professional misconduct.
Ryan Michael Gatto, principal at St. Margaret Elementary School, was referred to the OCT’s disciplinary committee after seven female colleagues came forward. Gatto also previously worked at Holy Family School.
Gatto is accused of inappropriate conduct and alleged to have massaged the shoulders of one of his accusers, to have hovered over her at her desk and to have touched her hips and buttocks while hugging her.
The report, posted to the Ontario College of Teachers site, indicates Gatto is accused of making comments to the woman, known as Person 1, about the colour of her underwear and asked her if she was going to “get some” when she went home for lunch.
Gatto is also accused of sending text messages to Person 1 at night, unrelated to school activities.
The incidents are alleged to have occurred between January 2021 and May 2022.
A second accuser alleges Gatto said words to the effect of “If (Person 2) can do it, we can all do it and “(Person 2) is not just a pretty face.”
Another accuser, known as Person 3, alleges Gatto used words to the effect of “going for a quickie.”
A fourth accuser alleges Gatto touched her shoulders inappropriately in the school library, and a fifth accuses Gatto of texting her to suggest some parents would like to see her in her pyjamas.
Still another accuser, Person 6, says Gatto made a reference to her computer running slowly because she was “watching too much porn.”
He was also accused, over a three-year period from 2019 to May 2022, of making comments about the physical appearances of mothers entering the school, and of deliberately engaging with the mothers he identified as physically attractive.
None of the accusations have been proven to be true.
TBNewswatch reached out to the accused for comment, but Gatto declined on the advice of the board and its legal counsel.
The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board issued a statement, acknowledging the complaints and the board’s response.
“These allegations were brought to our board’s attention. We immediately conducted a thorough investigation and dealt with this matter under the advisement of our legal counsel. As required, we submitted our findings to the Ontario College of Teachers, which in turn conducts their own internal investigation,” reads the statement, attributed to the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, whose director of education is Pino Tassone.
A hearing by the OCT’s disciplinary committee to determine whether or not the allegations against Gatto are true and if he’s guilty or not of professional misconduct will be held, although it has not been scheduled on the Ontario College of Teachers’ hearing calendar.
The board would not confirm whether or not Gatto is still on the job.
Catholic Board principal accused of professional misconduct - Tbnewswatch.com
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