Protocol Not Followed in Firing of Teacher Now Accused of Sexual Abuse

By Glenn McEntyre
10TV
October 5, 2015

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2015/10/05/columbus-ohio-school-e-mail-admits-mistakes-in-teachers-sex-abuse-case.html

Brian Sze was arrested last week in Seattle for crimes that allegedly happened while he was a teacher at Bishop Watterson in Columbus.

The Catholic Diocese of Columbus says it fired Sze for inappropriate communication with a different student.

An email sent to parents of St. Brigid of Kildare students said, "Protocols...were not followed" in Sze’s case. The email obtained by 10TV is signed by Monsignor Joseph Hendricks and St. Brigid Principal Kathy O'Reilly. St. Brigid is a feeder school for Bishop Watterson and Brian Sze taught at both.

Kathy O'Reilly is one of the people who gave a positive reference that allowed Sze to get a job at a private school in Seattle, even after he was fired from his job here in Columbus. In the letter, O'Reilly says she and the Monsignor "had no knowledge of Mr. Sze's termination for cause" prior to hearing the news of his arrest Wednesday evening.

The letter refers to a meeting Thursday night where Regina Quinn, the Diocesan Safe Environment Director, told parents "There is not a good reason that the protocols....were not followed at the Diocesan level."

It was only after Sze was arrested last week that the Diocese told law enforcement that it fired him for inappropriate texting with a different student.

"Matters such as this should be reported to the authorities, and Bishop Watterson did not do that,” said a man whose grandson attends Lakeside School in Seattle, where Sze was hired after leaving Bishop Watterson.

The grandfather did not want to be identified for fear of repercussions for his grandson.

Lakeside sent a letter to parents blasting Watterson for "having knowledge that Sze had exchanged sexually themed messages with a student" and "(giving) him glowing references." The Diocese notified the Ohio Department of Education it had fired Sze, but told 10TV the texts "did not fall under the Ohio mandatory reporting statute" to notify police.

"Oh, forget mandatory reporting!” said the grandfather. “This is a moral duty!"

The Diocese says it had no knowledge of any sexual abuse at the time it fired Sze.

10TV has tried to speak with school officials involved in this case. They have either declined comment or not returned our calls. A spokesperson for the Diocese has not responded our requests for an interview.

Sze is in custody in Seattle and will be returned to central Ohio to face charges.