Some parents are still in the dark about a convicted sex offender living near an elementary school in Dartmouth, N.S. but word is getting around.

“I didn’t know, nobody informed us,” says one concerned father.

“I think the school should have notified the parents, sent home a newsletter or something, that there’s going to be a meeting at the very least,” says mother Candace Bertrand.

The Halifax Regional School Board says the issue is a police matter, and police are now reviewing how the situation was handled.

They stopped by South Woodside Elementary about a week ago to inform staff a convicted sex offender had moved into the area.

They also left a photo of the man, which has not been released to the public.

However, no one informed the students’ parents.

“That disgusts me too. They’ve known for over a week and we weren’t told about anything,” says Shawna Strowbridge. “I found out on Facebook.”

Court records in Newfoundland show the man at the centre of the controversy was convicted of four counts of sexual assault with a penalty of sexual assault in 2004.

His name was placed on the sex offender’s registry for 10 years.

Nova Scotia’s justice minister wasn’t aware of the situation when asked about it Tuesday, but he did voice some concerns.

“In general, if there’s a sex offender in an area, there is a process with the police and the court, and the courts can address that issue,” says Justice Minister Ross Landry.

“At all times we want to make sure that our children are safe. Putting a fox in a hen house is not a healthy thing, in my opinion.”

However, the process only applies to high-risk offenders, and was not used in this case.

It is usually activated only when officials with Correctional Services indicate the release of a high-risk offender is imminent, but police can activate it themselves.

“That information now is being reviewed to make sure that it was done the proper way,” says Halifax Regional Police Const. Pierre Bourdages. “We are also reviewing if the release of the high-risk offender protocol could have been used.”

Police visited the school today to talk to the students about “stranger danger.”

However, they say the talk was planned before they received word a sex offender had moved into the area.

Depending on the outcome of the police review, a photo of the man may be released to the public.

Police expect to have more information Wednesday.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell