DETROIT (MI)
Detroit Free Press
January 29, 2021
By John Wisely
A former longtime teacher claims Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Preparatory High School fired him after he relayed a student’s account of being sexually assaulted by older classmates.
Donald Ambrose taught literature at the Catholic school for more than 20 years until May 2019. He claims in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that he was fired after pressing school officials to investigate the assault, which occurred on a weekend religious retreat.
The school, which had enrolled only boys until 2020, claimed Ambrose was terminated because of parental complaints about his performance and a run-in with a student who had been disciplined.
“The stated reasons for Donald Ambrose’s termination are mere pretext for unlawful retaliation for Donald Ambrose complaining of the unlawful sexual assault … and the deliberate indifference of the administration,” the lawsuit claims.
The Free Press generally doesn’t name, without permission, individuals who claim sexual abuse.
School officials wouldn’t comment on the dismissal but disputed the claims in the lawsuit.
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