Private school parents complain Megan Skye Blancada continues to attend site despite being charged with child sex offending
Families at an elite private school say a man facing the same charges would not be allowed to drop their kids off at school like she has.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Parents at an elite private school are angry self-described “beauty icon” Megan Skye Blancada has been allowed to drop her son off despite being charged with child sex offending.
In a letter to The Advertiser, parents have expressed concerns about the model, actor, author and former reality TV contestant’s presence at the school, at which her child is enrolled.
While the parents accept Ms Blancada is innocent until proven guilty, they point out that if she were a man facing the same charges, she would likely be treated differently.
They further claim their concerns about Ms Blancada have been “ignored” by leadership at the school – which cannot be named for legal reasons – and criticised its dealings with parents.
“This woman currently has easy access to children at our school and I am very worried about the other children,” the letter states.
“I can’t help believe that if (Ms Blancada) was a male, (she) too would be banned from the school grounds and engaging with children (until the charges were resolved).”
The school’s principal, however, insists Ms Blancada was “banned” from its grounds “in a two-step process” that was guided by SA Police and the Department for Child Protection.
Ms Blancada, 34, of Salisbury East, has yet to plead to one count of knowingly being in possession of child exploitation material.
She also has yet to plead to one count of being an adult who has sexually abused a child.
Court documents allege those offences were committed against a male under the age of 16 at various locations between January 2021 and November 2023.
Ms Blancada’s credits include the show Who Wants To Be a Supermodel and the films Wolf Creek and Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger.
In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday, counsel for Ms Blancada flagged their intent to resolve her case by plea bargain – she will next face court in May.
In the letter, the parents express dissatisfaction with the school’s response to Ms Blancada having been charged with child sex offending.
“A teacher told us that Megan has been reported to (school leadership) and concerns raised about her, but they were ignored,” the letter says.
The school’s principal said Ms Blancada is “a current parent but banned from all of” the grounds and facilities.
“We were made aware of her charges last year and received an update this year from the Department for Child Protection,” the principal said.
“(The banning) occurred in a two-step process with her banned from (part of) our site from November or December … police were fully informed and offered us guidance on this.
“Ms Blancada was able to drop her own child to school but was banned from all of (the grounds) once we became aware her charges were upgraded in February of this year.”
The principal stressed the charges against Ms Blancada relate to alleged offending “not in the school environment”.
Exposed: The costly crimes of SA’s con-artists and fraudsters
From accountants fleecing millions from clients to dodgy doctors, lawyers and tradies, these criminals all ended up proving crime doesn’t pay.
Read more
Man tried to set woman on fire, days after jail release, court told
A day after being released from jail, a man allegedly poured acetone on a woman and tried to set her on fire – but his lawyer claims the alleged victim has “serious credibility issues”.
Read more