Photo courtesy of Manfred Joehnck
A former high school basketball coach and principal at a La Ronge high school has been found guilty of two of four professional misconduct charges that were filed against her, and one of her victims is speaking up.
Martina Cain’s teaching certificate has been suspended for six months, and she has been ordered to pay $5,000 in fines.
Alter a February hearing, Cain’s student-involved sleepovers, strip basketball, petty theft, and a nude hot-tub encounter were the subjects of weeks of deliberation for the Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board.
The allegations go back to the mid-1980s when Cain was in her early 20s. She allowed one of her former students to have sleep overs at her apartment over a three-year period from 1986 until 1989. While there was nothing untoward about the sleep overs, the pair did share the same bed.
This was inappropriate and violated boundaries, according to the regulatory board. The victim who filed the complaint against Caine did not want to comment on the penalty, saying that was not her place, but she does say the fight was worth it.
“Yes, it definitely was worth it. The whole process was very difficult,” she said. “But in the end it is a very freeing feeling and I wouldn’t change anything about it.”
She says the big relieve for her came when she decided to file the complaint and open up about something that has bothered her for decades.
“I told my truth. I told what had occurred and professionals took it from there,” she said.
“It still matters to me, even though it happened many, many years ago it has had an impact on me throughout my life.”
The second allegation against Cain involved conducting basketball drills with the girls where they had to remove an item of clothing if they missed a shot. Cain told the hearing it involved only the removal of shoes and socks, while several of the girls testified it went much further. The regulatory board ruled it did go further, but only on one occasion when Cain was not in the gym.
Nonetheless, it found her guilty of professional misconduct for initiating the practice in the first place.
Two other allegations against her were found unsubstantiated. One of them involved a nude hot tub with the female student, and the other was encouraging her to steal a food tray from an A & W restaurant.
The board ruled the allegations failed to meet the burden of proof and Cain was found not guilty. Cain retired from teaching last year.