Quebec’s Education Department appointed two monitors at Bedford school in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges district to address a “toxic climate” of fear and intimidation at the primary school.
The new monitors started working Tuesday and will have to report back to the education department by Nov. 30.
The province’s measures follow a report made public last week concluding that a “dominant clan” of teachers imposed a stringent, autocratic rule over students.
The government’s report said children were subjected to physical and psychological violence and that teachers refused to teach or paid little attention to subjects such as oral communication, science, religion and sex education. It also said teachers refused to allow children with special needs to get help from specialized professionals.
Quebec launched its investigation after radio reports by 98.5 FM delved into the school’s climate.
An investigation will determine whether 11 teachers allegedly engaging in concerning behaviour committed severe misconduct and whether or not their teaching certificates should be suspended or revoked.
Education Minister Bernard Drainville ordered audits at three other schools — two elementary schools and a high school — under the governance of the same service centre as Bedford, allegedly with similar problems.
Union calls report ‘damning’
The Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE) says it “does not condone” what happened at Bedford.
“The report, it’s damning,” FAE President Mélanie Hubert told The Canadian Press on Tuesday.
“It’s hard to imagine that in 2024, in our public schools, situations like this could go on for so long,” she said.
Hubert also lamented that the principle of professional autonomy was invoked by certain teachers at this school who refused, for example, to discuss pedagogy and their teaching methods.
“Professional autonomy is not about being able to do what you want when you want, and not having to answer to anyone. On the contrary, professional autonomy is exercised while respecting our legal frameworks,” said Hubert.
The president recalls that her federation demanded that students with learning or adjustment difficulties get help from qualified professionals, such as speech therapists.
The Alliance des professeures et professeurs de Montréal represents Bedford School teachers as a union. The Alliance is affiliated with the FAE.
With files from The Canadian Press