Bedford Elementary School is shown in Montreal on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Eleven teachers at a Montreal elementary school have been suspended after a government investigation found they fostered a "toxic" climate of fear and intimidation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
MONTREAL – Eleven Montreal teachers who were suspended for allegedly creating a climate of fear and intimidation inside a primary school are being paid pending the outcome of disciplinary hearings.
Their union says it hasn’t yet filed any grievances to challenge the suspensions, adding that it doesn’t have all the information for each case against the 11 teachers at Bedford school in the city’s multicultural Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood.
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.
The investigation revealed that the teachers were allegedly influenced by the local mosque and subjected children to physical and psychological violence, and refused to teach or paid little attention to subjects such as science and sex education.
The service centre has 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.
Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre, president of the teachers’ union, says its possible it will file grievances challenging the suspensions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
