Two teachers from the Edmonton area are facing charges in connection to child sexual abuse material. Katz Dawson, 36, has been charged with possessing and accessing child pornography. The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) says he was a teacher at Lillian Osborne High School. Allan Nelson, 32, has also been charged with possessing and accessing child pornography. Police say he offered music lessons at Fiddle & Fugue, a business he operated out of his home. The two men shared a home that was searched by police on Sept. 11 after a tip from the RCMP’s National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip was related to a person sharing child sexual abuse materials through the social media application Kik. Computers and electronic devices belonging to both men were seized from the home, and police say child sexual abuse materials were found. Nelson and Dawson were charged on Sept. 16 and 18 respectively. Police say it’s important for parents of children who may have been students of the men to talk to them about the arrests. “We always encourage conversation. And the thing is, these are tough conversations, and it’s probably something that kids aren’t gonna bring up because they don’t know how to navigate it, which is totally understandable,” Const. Stephanie Bosch of ALERT told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday. “This is big news, kids are going to be talking about it in school. “So instead of children filling that gap and creating maybe fears that don’t exist, it’s really important for us as adults to get in front of that and maybe not ask specific, poignant questions, but just general questions about, have you heard about Mr. Dawson? Have you heard about Mr. Nelson? Do you have any questions?” She added that parents who need resources for talking to their kids about these kinds of difficult situations can check out the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for further information. Bosch says the charges are related to online incidents, but because the men’s work put them in a position of trust and authority with children, they are being publicly identified. Both men have been released on a number of court-imposed conditions, including not having contact with anyone under the age of 16. A spokesperson for Edmonton Public Schools says the division is cooperating with police during the investigation. “The safety and well-being of students is at the core of our commitment as a school division; it’s a responsibility we take extremely seriously,” Kim Smith wrote in an email to CTV News Edmonton. “The teacher is not working in any division schools or buildings. At this time, we do not have additional details to share.” Anyone with information about the investigation is encouraged to contact their local police department or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nicole Weisberg
