Quebec government unveils measures to address ‘toxic climate’ at Montreal school
Quebec’s Education Department has appointed two monitors who started working Tuesday at Bedford school in the city’s multicultural Côte-des-Neiges district, who have to report back by Nov. 30.
Kkritika Suri
Corrective actions are being implemented to address a "toxic climate" of fear and intimidation at a French-language primary school in Montreal.
Quebec’s Education Department has appointed two monitors to Bedford School, located in the multicultural Côte-des-Neiges district. The monitors began their work on Tuesday and must submit their report by November 30.
These measures follow the release of a government report last week, which revealed that a "dominant clan" of teachers exercised strict, autocratic control over students. The report detailed instances of physical and psychological abuse and noted that teachers either refused to teach or neglected subjects such as oral communication, science, religion, and sex education.
The investigation was launched after 98.5 FM aired a series of radio reports highlighting the troubling atmosphere at the school.
Authorities are now investigating 11 teachers accused of misconduct to determine if they committed serious offenses and whether their teaching certificates should be suspended or revoked.
Education Minister Bernard Drainville has also ordered audits at three additional schools—two primary schools and one high school—within the same service centre as Bedford, which are reported to have similar issues.
