11 Montreal teachers suspended with pay over allegations they mistreated students

A class at a Toronto elementary school is seen on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. Eleven teachers at Bedford School have been suspended at the request of the director general of the Montreal School Service Centre, who made the announcement in a press release on Saturday evening. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young)

Eleven Montreal teachers who were suspended for allegedly creating a climate of fear and intimidation inside a Montreal primary school were replaced Monday as the union that represents them rejected criticism from the education minister that it didn't do enough to correct the problem.

Quebec's largest school service centre announced the suspensions on Saturday night after a government investigation found a "dominant clan" of teachers imposed strict, autocratic rule over students and intimidated colleagues who opposed them, at Bedford school in the city's multicultural Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood.

During an appearance Sunday on Radio-Canada talk show "Tout le monde en parle," Education Minister Bernard Drainville alleged the union knew about the issues at the school but did not defend teachers who were opposing the so-called "dominant clan."

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

Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre, president of the Alliance des professeurs de Montréal teachers' union, accused the minister of throwing union leadership under the bus. "It is either dishonesty, or beyond that, a lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the union, and also of the employer."

The government report described the group of problematic teachers as mainly being of North African descent, some of whom attended a local mosque together. Those who opposed them included teachers from the same background.

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

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

The union said it hasn't yet filed grievances to challenge the suspensions, adding that it doesn't 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 the actions they are alleged to have taken part in.

The situation came to light after a report by Montreal's 98.5 FM in 2023 triggered a government report, which noted the situation had persisted for seven or eight years.

The service centre — similar to a school board — said the 11 teachers will remain suspended for the duration of another investigation mandated by the education minister to determine whether they committed serious misconduct or dishonoured the teaching profession.

Speaking in Quebec City, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon called for tougher rules around secularism to fight "religious infiltration and ideological infiltration." He said his party would devote this week to reinforcing secularism in schools as politicians return to the legislature.

"We're saying we need to take notice that it's a problem of religion entering our schools … (and) that the current law and the current mechanisms are obviously not working well," St-Pierre Plamondon told a news conference.

"There's a question everywhere in the Western world right now as to how you make sure that there's an acceptable space for everyone in schools," he added. "And, in the case of Bedford, obviously, there was no space for anything but a religious approach to school."

The government has appointed monitors to keep tabs on the school and report back by Nov. 30.

The education department is also conducting audits of three other Montreal schools — two elementary schools and a high school — that allegedly had similar problems related to the school environment and governance.

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

— With files from Lia Lévesque