Students humiliated and sent to the wall: eleven teachers will be investigated for toxic climate and incompetence

For years, elementary school students were yelled at and called “lost causes” by a clan of teachers who imposed a toxic climate in their school, reveals a report that leads Minister Drainville to investigate 11 teachers.

“Students from other groups are prohibited by their teacher from speaking to students in their group, depending on conflicts between the teachers.”

It’s one of many disturbing facts contained in an investigative report about Bedford Elementary School, which will be released Friday.

“It’s a devastating report,” summarizes the Minister of Education Bernard Drainville in an interview with The Journal.

The Bedford school is located in a very disadvantaged area, in the Côte-des-Neiges district of Montreal. The Spark Plug was a 98.5 FM report broadcast in May 2023.

The ministry’s investigation lasted six months and required the interviews of 70 people. The facts examined go back to 2016.

Autism “doesn’t exist”

“Overall, the level of competence of teachers at the Bedford school is worrying,” we can read in the findings.

Subjects were taught little or not at all, such as sciences, ethics and religious culture courses and sexuality education.

Teachers would affirm that learning disabilities or autism do not exist, that students in difficulty must be “broken”.

The report found that teachers not only shouted, but also used “humiliation-based techniques” such as sending students “to the wall” for punishment or putting work back in order. of success.

Many young people were reportedly deprived of educational services, in particular because teachers prohibited other professionals from coming to observe them in class.

“Some even go so far as to block the windows” to avoid surveillance, it is reported.

“Majority clan”

Over the years, a “majority clan” managed to impose its “traditional” vision of education, excluding teachers who did not share this vision.

Several members of this clan were of North African origin, but culture does not explain everything. Teachers from the same culture have in fact resisted and tried to denounce the actions of this clan, the report adds.

Minister Drainville also reiterated these nuances in an interview.

In May 2019, management had to send a letter inviting teachers to speak French in the school’s common areas.

“That shouldn’t happen,” says Mr. Drainville, who recalls that teachers in French-speaking schools have a “duty to set an example.”

Over 8 years, neither successive managements, nor the investigation by an industrial psychology firm, nor the creation of committees and mandatory training have resolved the problems of climate and inadequate teaching.

Teachers in the spotlight

Two escorts from the ministry will therefore be sent to the Bedford school and 11 teachers will be the subject of an investigation which could lead to the revocation of their teaching certificate, announced the minister.

How can we explain that the problem has persisted for so long? “The fear of reprisals,” supposes Mr. Drainville.

Three other establishments of the Montreal School Services Center will also be subject to audits for similar issues. These are Saint-Pascal-Baylon and Bienville primary schools, as well as La Voie secondary school.

“It’s fortunate that we voted for Bill 47, which allows me to trigger investigative committees,” says the minister. Because without that, he would still have to wait to receive “written and sworn” complaints.

“We must send a strong signal […] in all schools in Montreal and Quebec,” underlines Minister Drainville, who encourages witnesses of similar behavior to file a complaint.

SOME EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT

• “A few interventions had to be carried out to allow young girls who wanted to play soccer because [nom caviardé] would have mentioned that this sport was reserved for boys.
• “Some young people are sent to the corridor, sometimes for considerable periods of time, over more than a day.”
• «[Un enseignant] gives certain students ungraceful names, calling them extra-terrestrials for example.”
• “The testimonies report several teachers mentioning that students are lost causes, that nothing is possible for them. These mentions would have been made to other teachers, to parents, but also, sometimes, directly to the students.
• “For these teachers, children in difficulty would in fact be children showing laziness, capriciousness and not wanting to make the necessary effort.”
• “According to some teachers, ASD [trouble du spectre de l’autisme] does not exist.”
• “Teachers from the dominant clan expect that no comments or suggestions will be made about their practices, whatever they may be.”
• “In some classes, lectures are limited to reading the box that precedes the exercises in the textbook.”
• “Several staff members indicate that students at Bedford School are not performing to the standard that would be expected of students their age.”