Former Kitchener principal found guilty of sexually assaulting students
Posted May 28, 2025 07:25:37 AM.
Last Updated May 28, 2025 12:29:47 PM.
A former Kitchener elementary school principal has been found guilty of sexually assaulting multiple students, with instances happening over three years.
The former principal, Rodney Eckert, 60, has been found guilty on two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference, and one count of invitation to sexual touching.
Those incidents include two in-person interactions across 2021 and 2022, as well as an online occurrence after Eckert had retired in 2023.
He is a former principal with Saint John Paul II Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener, where he was an educator between 2014 and 2022. He began his teaching career in 1991.
At the Waterloo Region Courthouse, local media outlets report that Eckert was fairly quiet during the proceedings, with his defence working to question the credibility and validity of the 15 and 17-year-old students’ testimonies.
The first occurrence happened in 2021 and was centred around an incident where a boy was hurt after an accident during recess. The testimony stated that Eckert examined the boy with his pants down, with the student saying the then-principal made sexual comments about his genitals.
Eckert pleaded guilty to sexual assault for that specific incident, but reportedly stated he was not guilty of sexual interference.
The second occurrence took place in 2022 while Eckert was still acting as principal of the school, happening in a changeroom. It involved a student who was covered in mud, with Eckert giving the student a change of clothes. The student stated that Eckert pulled down his shorts and made comments about his buttocks.
Eckert’s lawyers refuted the claims, saying Eckert pulled down his shorts to show just how low they were sitting on the student.
In both instances, the Crown Attorney specified that Eckert was alone with the children and none of the actions taken by Eckert were necessary, in line with sexual interference.
Ultimately, the judge ruled in favour of the Crown Attorney, who insisted that the events all met the definition of sexual assault and sexual interference.
The third centred around an online conversation between Eckert and a student in 2023, after he had retired. He is said to have messaged the student saying, “Just promise me that you are masturbating to release the pressure.”
His lawyers said this was in reference to a joke with the student, working to make them laugh. The crown specified that joking about sexual conduct constitutes a form of grooming, while the judge stated this was an example of invitation of sexual touching, with motive not required in the charge.
The judge is also noted as saying there was “nothing funny” about the jokes and noted of Eckert’s “ongoing efforts to groom and cultivate a sexual relationship” with the students involved.
It all culminated in the two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference, and one count of invitation to sexual touching.
Now, the case will move towards sentencing, with the judge, admittedly, saying it will be a complicated matter in determining the length of time Eckert will serve. They stated that it could take weeks to come to a decision, with those proceedings set to begin at the Region of Waterloo Courthouse on July 18.
