Former St. Matthew High School teacher Rick Despatie, who now goes by the name Rick Watkins, was released on $5,000 bail on Monday. Three other individuals had to guarantee $5,000 each which they will have to forfeit should Despatie fail to comply with the conditions set out by the court for his release.

According to court documents, the conditions include staying away from St. Matthew High School where he taught Grade 7 and 8 math from 1994 until this past March when he was initially suspended by the Ottawa Catholic School Board; having no contact with his alleged victims, their families or any wirnesses in the case; and staying away from any public parks or other places where children might be present. He is also prohibited from being in a position of trust including coaching, whether paid or volunteer, in which minors under the age of 18 are involved.

Despatie, 57, faces 16 counts of sexual assault, 16 counts of sexual interference, 11 counts of criminal harassment, six counts of voyeurism, three counts of sexual exploitation, one count of assault and one count of assault with a weapon.

Three counts each of sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation were laid in connection with the alledged assualt of three students, all under the age of 14, September 2019 and March 2021.

The remaining charges were laid last week in connection with further allegations that were brought forward by 14 current and former students who claim to have been assaulted by Despatie since 2004.

News of Despatie's release on $5,000 bail was greeted by incredulous disbelief by followers of the Orléans Crime Spotting Facebook page, some of whom are parents of current and former students at the school.

"How is bail even possible with all these charges?", wrote one person rhetorically.

"Beautiful System......How the hell is this piece of (expletive) out????", wrote another.

Despatie's next court appearance is scheduled for July 16.

New's of Despatie's release was also met with fresh demands that former school administrators be made to account for failing to address past complaints about Despatie that were brought to their attention over a number of years going back as far as the late 90s.

In a statement released by OCSB spokesperson Sharlene Hunter, the board says that it is "committed to providing a safe and caring learning environment".

The statment also says that the OCSB has been working with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to provide training on professional boundaries, update policies, create a culture of reporting incidents of concern, and investigate incidents of concern.

The board has also promised to review any previous complaints against Despatie. Current and former parents and students can provide information to the board by contacting the board's human resources department at 613-224-4455 or by e-mailing human.resources@ocsb.ca.