Teachers' union at Montreal elementary school under investigation pushes back against education minister
11 teachers suspended for school's toxic climate, minister says union didn't do enough
Kkritika Suri
The teachers' union associated with Bedford elementary school in Montreal, where 11 teachers have been suspended for allegedly creating a toxic work environment, denies any responsibility for ongoing psychological and physical harm to students at the institution.
In a Monday interview with Radio-Canada's Tout un matin, Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre, president of L'Alliance des professeures et professeurs de Montréal, countered criticism from Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville.
She explained that when the union first learned of issues related to classroom management and conflicts among teachers, it directed teachers to the school administration for filing complaints.
Bedford elementary, located in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, is the focus of a 90-page government report. This report from the Education Ministry claims that the 11 teachers formed a "dominant clan" that has intimidated students and staff since the 2016-17 school year. Witnesses cited in the report allege that some teachers denied the existence of autism and learning disabilities, stating that struggling students are "lazy" and "don't want to make the necessary efforts."
Following the publication of the investigative report on October 11, the Education Ministry assigned two provincial employees to the school to oversee the situation and prepare an action plan by the end of November.
Drainville suggested that teachers may not have reported incidents due to fear of retaliation. In an interview on Radio-Canada's Tout le monde en parle on Sunday, he criticized the union for supposedly being aware of the situation at the school and failing to support teachers opposed to the "dominant clan."
However, Beauvais-St-Pierre stated on Monday that it is the responsibility of school administrators, like any employer, to protect staff and students from harassment. "We did what we had to do," she asserted. "No, we will not blame ourselves because we care about schools. We care about students."
Beauvais-St-Pierre confirmed that the union delegate at the school was also mentioned in the complaints raised during the investigation. When asked why the union did not remove this delegate from their position, she explained that the teachers' alliance cannot replace delegates as they are democratically elected by the schools.
The 11 teachers named in the investigative report were suspended on Friday evening, more than a week after the report's release. Drainville noted that the suspensions could not be executed until the service center identified the teachers involved and mentioned that substitutes had been assigned to the affected classes. He indicated that the head of the investigation committees had recently informed the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) executive director Isabelle Gélinas of the teachers' identities.
On Sunday, Drainville remarked that it remains unclear what the CSSDM knew about the situation at Bedford, yet he reaffirmed his confidence in Gélinas.
Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy, who urged the Education Ministry to investigate the school following coverage by Quebec radio station 98.5 FM, disagrees with Drainville. Since Tuesday, she has been calling for Gélinas's resignation.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Rizqy referenced excerpts from the ministry's investigation report, stating that "several staff members" had reported the situation to the CSSDM. However, these reports were "not necessarily considered formal complaints" that required follow-up.
On Monday's Tout un matin, Rizqy accused Gélinas of attempting to dismiss an earlier report from 2021 that highlighted the troubling atmosphere at the school. Gélinas began her role in 2022.
She also expressed skepticism regarding the idea that Gélinas only recently discovered the names of the 11 teachers under investigation.
Additionally, three other schools within the CSSDM—Bienville and Saint-Pascal-Baylon elementary schools and La Voie high school—are currently under monitoring by the provincial ministry for issues related to a potentially toxic environment.
Beauvais-St-Pierre mentioned that the school service center has refused to share information with the union regarding interventions at the three other schools currently being investigated by the ministry.
