Teen expelled to protect elite Calgary school’s reputation, court told

Former student is suing private school after she was kicked out because she was seen with boyfriend in a bathroom

In order to protect the reputation of a prestigious Alberta private school, officials expelled a 16-year-old student after a relative of former premier Peter Lougheed was outraged upon believing she had spotted the Grade 11 student allegedly engaged in an “inappropriate act” with her boyfriend in a washroom at a school dance, a court heard Wednesday.

Testifying at a $400,000 civil suit launched by the former student and her parents against Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, a former principal said it didn’t matter whether the teen was actually having sex in the public place. It was enough that a “prominent member of the community” witnessed “inappropriate behaviour” to result in removing student Julia Oram from the school.

“I felt it warranted an expulsion,” Blayne Addley told the Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary, “It wasn’t in her best interest and the school’s best interest [that she stay].”

Ms. Oram, now 20, was kicked out of school in December 2006, three days after the Christmas formal at the swish Calgary Golf and Country Club.

She admitted in court this week that she had been drinking before the dance - actions that would normally result in a reprimand or possible suspension - but simply fell ill and asked her boyfriend at the time to accompany her into the women’s washroom.

That’s when Doreen Lougheed, who is married to Mr. Lougheed’s brother, Don, and is a member of the country club, walked in and saw the teens.

Mr. Addley told the court that he spoke with Ms. Lougheed the next day who told him she was “shocked and disgusted” by what she witnessed.

“She said, ‘I saw her on the counter, her dress hiked up, legs apart and him in between,’” Mr. Addley recalled, adding that Ms. Lougheed “didn’t say they were having sex.”

During a subsequent meeting with Ms. Oram, the young woman admitted she had been drinking, but denied any sexual conduct, he said.

“She acknowledged that’s what the woman would have seen, but that doesn’t mean it was sex,” Mr. Addley said.

The court heard this week from the former boyfriend that he was merely cleaning vomit from Ms. Oram’s shoes when Ms. Lougheed walked in. He denied touching her in any affectionate or sexual manner.

The Orams’ wrongful expulsion lawsuit argues that the teen did not break any school rules to warrant expulsion, that she wasn’t given a fair hearing and that the defendants acted “wantonly and capriciously” in expelling the teen.

The lawsuit also alleges that the episode affected the young woman’s education and embarrassed her family.

“The stress and stigma of the wrongful expulsion have caused emotional stress and nervous shock to the plaintiffs,” it alleges.

Mr. Addley said the incident at the dance “caused damage to the school’s reputation” and that there was no need for further investigation. He had spoken to both a “credible witness” and Ms. Oram had made admissions.

“As far as I was concerned it was inappropriate behaviour for a student,” he explained.

“Whether it was sex or not ... to this day I don’t know whether it was.”