Assault charge against former Sask. private school employee dropped

A private school employee accused of hitting a seven-year-old student in the head with a relay baton had her assault charge dropped on Wednesday after participating in alternative measures.

Forty-four-year-old Terra Macewan was charged with assault with a weapon in September after a parent reported to police that Macewan hit her son on the head with a baton at Legacy Christian Academy, a private school at the centre of a flurry of abuse allegations.

When the new charges came to light, the victims’ mother told CTV News her second-grade son, who has autism, had a goose egg on his head as a result of the incident and was fearful of returning to school.

The mother pulled him out of the school, declining a meeting with the principal. Instead, she filed a report with the Saskatoon police, who launched an investigation in June. Macewan turned herself in to face charges on Sept. 16.

On Wednesday in Saskatoon, court heard Macewan completed a restorative justice program that included an apology to the family, community service, counselling and a donation. As a result, the criminal charges were dropped.

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When the charges were laid, the Ministry of Education told CTV News Macewan was no longer employed at the school, now rebranded as Valour Academy.

The ministry said she was working as an educational assistant at the time of the incident, although former students who have come forward with their own stories of abuse also allege staff who are not licenced to teach are often put into teaching roles at the private school.

Macewan was the fifth employee of Legacy Christian Academy to face criminal charges including assault with a weapon and sexual assault.

A former coach at the school pleaded guilty to sexual assault last year.

-With files from John Flatters and Laura Woodward