Classes resume with replacement teachers after 11 suspensions at Montreal school

MONTREAL — Eleven Montreal teachers suspended for allegedly creating a climate of fear and intimidation within a Montreal elementary school were replaced Monday as the union that represents them rejected criticism from the Minister of Education that he hadn’t done enough to correct the problem.

Quebec’s largest school service center announced the suspensions Saturday evening after a government investigation revealed that a “dominant clan” of teachers imposed a strict, autocratic regime on students and intimidated colleagues who opposed it. , at the Bedford school, in the multicultural district of Côte-des-Neiges. .

During an appearance Sunday on Radio-Canada’s “Tout le monde en parole” show, Education Minister Bernard Drainville said the union was aware of the school’s problems but had not did not defend teachers who opposed the so-called “dominant clan”.

Drainville said it was unclear what officials at the Center de services scolaire de Montréal, which oversees the school, knew about the situation, but he said the union was aware that some teaching staff feared reprisals from their colleagues.

Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre, president of the Montreal Teachers’ Alliance teaching union, accused the minister of throwing union leadership into oblivion. “It is either dishonesty, or beyond that, a lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the union, but also of the employer.”

The government report describes the group of problematic teachers as being primarily of North African origin, some of whom attended a local mosque together. Among those who opposed it were teachers from the same background.

The investigation revealed that the teachers were allegedly influenced by the local mosque. They subjected children to physical and psychological abuse and refused to teach or paid little attention to subjects such as science and sex education, a situation that went back at least seven years.

The 11 teachers were replaced Monday as a new school week began and they will be paid pending the outcome of disciplinary hearings.

The union said it has not yet filed grievances challenging the suspensions, adding that it does not have all the information for each case. Beauvais-St-Pierre said last week that while the union has a duty to represent its members, it would not defend actions in which they participated.

The situation came to light after a report from Montreal’s 98.5 FM in 2023 triggered a government report highlighting that the situation had persisted for seven or eight years.

The service center — similar to a school board — said the 11 teachers would remain suspended pending another investigation mandated by the education minister to determine whether they committed serious misconduct or dishonored the teaching profession.

Speaking in Quebec, Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon called for stricter rules on secularism to combat “religious infiltration and ideological infiltration.” He said his party would dedicate this week to strengthening secularism in schools as politicians return to Parliament.

“We are saying that we have to realize that this is a problem of religion entering our schools… (and) that the current law and the current mechanisms are obviously not working well,” St said -Pierre Plamondon during a press conference.

“Across the Western world, the question is currently being asked of how to ensure that there is acceptable space for everyone in schools,” he added. “And, in the case of Bedford, obviously, there was only room for a religious approach to schooling.”

The government has appointed monitors to monitor the school and report by November 30.

The Ministry of Education is also conducting audits in three other Montreal schools — two elementary schools and a secondary school — which have reportedly experienced similar problems related to the school environment and governance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 21, 2024.

— With the files of Lia Lévesque

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press