How much should parents be able to find out about teacher discipline?
Marketplace finds disciplinary action against teachers often kept hidden from public
A Marketplace investigation into how provinces handle teacher discipline suggests decisions are often kept secret, can take years to resolve and that credentials are rarely revoked.
- Marketplace finds disciplinary action often kept hidden from public
- Public shaming or welcome transparency: the unresolved question of teacher discipline
Depending on the province, there may be no information publicly available, including past disciplinary measures. Even guilty findings are kept private across most of Canada by bodies responsible for keeping students safe.
On the other hand, the B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch website keeps permanent and discoverable records online for transgressions as small as a misused sick day or borrowing gym equipment — something the retired education minister who ushered in B.C.'s disciplinary process in 2011 said is punishment "further down the line than I think a casual observer would think reasonable or appropriate." The intent had been for smaller disciplinary hearings to be handled by the principal.
How much should parents be able to find out about teacher discipline?
Readers let us know in today's CBC Forum — a live, hosted discussion about topics of national interest.
(Please note that user names are not necessarily the names of commenters. Some comments have been altered to correct spelling and to conform to CBC style. Click on the user name to see the full comment in the blog format.)
Some readers felt it was important that teachers' discipline be as transparent as possible
"I have a small child currently enrolled in junior kindergarten. I'd expect to be informed of any teacher transgressions that had even a slight impact on students ... If I drink and drive in Ontario my name will be published in the local papers for the world to see. I expect that a teacher, supervising our most valued accomplishments (and the future of our nation), will be held to the same standard." – Transfarmy
"I feel that if I make a complaint about a teacher, I should be able to see it through to its conclusion, just like any other complaint. I am frustrated: we complained to the school board about a teacher's conduct. Although my child was removed from the classroom, I do not know the results of the investigation that took place. Closure is an important part of the process, and children and their parents deserve to know the results." — Dan
"My young, autistic son was mentally abused by his ignorant teacher over four months. The abuse pushed my son into suicidal thoughts and his grades dropped to D's. The school board and school stand behind the teacher's behaviour. It's plain child abuse but it's legal. No one has apologized, no one will admit that they did anything wrong. My son is now afraid to go to school. He says he doesn't want his teacher to hurt him. There's nothing we can do but home school. The system is set up to protect the adults, not the children." — AutismMom
Others felt discretion was important, when not dealing with matters of safety
"Not everything needs to be sent to the public. Sometimes a parent has an axe to grind with a particular school or teacher. And that teacher's career need not be placed out into the public. Every event is not a major crime. A mistake — which we all make — can result in a second chance. But when there are serious allegations then the due process needs to be followed, the process needs to be transparent and the whole process need not take up to three years. A teacher's, parents' and student's lives hang in the balance." — Kemacd
"Parents should be able to know information relevant to them and their child, such as whether a safety issue has been rectified, perhaps if an apology is in order, etc. But the discipline meted out to a teacher is a private concern between the teacher and their chain of command, no one else. If the matter is criminal, it goes to our criminal justice system, where matters are made public. Generally speaking, I think busybodies need to back down! And no, I'm not a teacher." — J Mandin
You can read the complete discussion below.
With files from Megan Griffith-Greene, Marketplace and Steve Lus