Kadina Memorial School whistleblower says ‘nothing was ever said or done’ to stop child-abusing teacher Thomas Robert Ackland

The woman who unmasked child-abusing teacher Thomas Robert Ackland has spoken out in support of a victim who is suing the state government for $500,000.

A Kadina school accused of failing to protect its students from a pedophile teacher told staff to “shut down” children or parents talking about the crimes, a whistleblower claims.

The former Kadina Memorial School staff member who first reported Thomas Robert Ackland to police has spoken out after a student filed a $500,000 lawsuit against the state government.

The woman is not a party to the lawsuit.

She reported Ackland to Crimestoppers on June 14, 2020 after learning he had groomed her son via social media messages.

Ackland was arrested 10 months later – speaking to The Advertiser on Thursday, the woman claimed “nothing was ever said or done” by the school during that time.

“All that happened was a 10-second reminder, in amongst a weekly staff meeting, to not be on social media with students … I was shocked and disappointed,” she said.

Former Kadina Memorial School teacher Thomas Robert Ackland. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

“(After Ackland’s arrest) we were told not to talk to anybody about the matter and to shut down conversations if students were talking about it.

“Students were telling their parents ‘I’m not allowed to talk about it’, and that’s exactly what Ackland had told his victims – don’t tell anyone, don’t talk to anyone about it.”

Ackland, 32, is serving a 14-year prison term, having pleaded guilty to 14 offences committed against 11 students.

In court, Ackland’s victims labelled him “abhorrent”, “a monster” and “malicious”.

He apologised, from the dock, for any harm he “may have caused” them – while also insisting he is not a pedophile.

One of those students, known as “Dennis”, is suing the state government for $500,000, alleging the school knew of Ackland’s sexualised social media chats but failed to act.

On Thursday, the former staffer said that, even after the school learned of Ackland’s actions, he “was retained in a senior position”.

She claimed students, parents and police received inadequate support from the school.

Ackland is serving a 14-year prison term. Picture: Facebook

“In March 2021, we told the school our son was a victim and asked ‘what do we do now?’,” she said.

“We never heard from police, so we went to them … they said our son’s name was not on the victim list.”

Two months later, she said, the school arranged counselling for the students and a staffer said she “didn’t know why my son’s name was on the list”.

“The school knew our son was a victim but had not told the person arranging the counselling … I was furious.”

The woman said she was speaking out to ensure the state government and the school were “made accountable” for their decisions surrounding the case.

“These issues are in addition to exposing the school’s negligence after being made aware of abuse,” she said.

“I believe it is important to highlight the lack of support provided to victims and families, the silencing of staff and students, and the failure to pass information to police.”