Loyola College sorry for ‘triggering’ pictures of Joseph Favrin in magazine

Loyola College has apologised after “triggering” photos of suspended principal Joseph Favrin were printed in the school’s magazine.

Loyola College principal Joseph Favrin has been charged with sexual offences.

Loyola College has been forced to apologise for sending out a “triggering” alumni publication containing photos of former principal Joseph Favrin.

As the Herald Sun reported on June 13, Mr Favrin is facing two counts of sexual activity directed at a person and one charge of sexual exposure.

The charges date back to alleged offences from April and led to Mr Favrin taking “annual leave” in the same month.

This week the school was forced to apologise for including numerous photos of Mr Favrin in The Companion, a publication that was received by thousands of current and former students on Monday.

The alumni magazine contains five photos of Mr Favrin from the school’s Annual Awards Ceremony dating back to December last year.

He is also pictured on the last page at the opening of the school’s Visual Arts and Technology Centre.

Loyola College was forced to apologise for including photos of principal Joseph Favrin, second from left, in the school magazine. Picture: Supplied

Photos of suspended principal Joseph Favrin were dotted throughout the publication.

Acting principal Alison Leutchford wrote to the college community on Friday to say the “disappointment and concern shared by members of our alumni over the inclusion of the images is entirely justified”.

“This was a regrettable oversight after the publication went to the printers in May and was subsequently sent directly to alumni via a mail distribution centre.

The publication will not be distributed through any other channel,” she wrote.

The letter sent to the Loyola College community by acting principal Alison Leutchford.

The school has been slow to distance itself from Mr Favrin, taking nearly two weeks to remove his prominent Principal’s Welcome and photo from its website.

One former student said it was astonishing the school distributed thousands copies of the publication.

“I felt angry and my anxiety was heightened. It was very triggering for me to see images of that man,” he said.

The father of a current student said it was “surprising”.

“You’d think they might have edited it,” he said.

The magazine was sent to the printers some weeks after the sudden disappearance of Mr Favrin, but before news of his charges were made public.

The school’s leaders have already come under criticism from parents for telling them about Mr Favrin’s interim suspension by the teaching regulator two weeks ago, but failing to include details of his pending charges and upcoming court appearance.

The news was publicly available as Mr Favrin is scheduled to appear in the Magistrate’s Court in September but not disclosed by the school.

In the letter sent on Friday Ms Leutchford acknowledged that “some members of our community have expressed concern and disappointment over the way the interim suspension of Mr Favrin’s Victorian Institute of Teaching’s registration was communicated to the community”.