Quebec government imposes measures to address ‘toxic climate’ at Montreal school

MONTREAL — The Quebec government has appointed monitors to address a “toxic” climate of fear and intimidation at a French-language Montreal primary school, where some teachers allegedly subjected students to violence and claimed autism didn’t exist.

Two monitors started working on Tuesday at Bedford school in the city’s multicultural Côte-des-Neiges district, Quebec’s Education Department said. They will investigate the allegations at the school and report back by Nov. 30 with recommendations and an action plan.

Quebec’s corrective measures follow a report made public last week concluding there was a “dominant clan” of teachers who imposed a very strict, autocratic rule over students, and intimidated and ostracized anyone who opposed them.

Detailing events between 2016 and 2024, the education department’s report says children at the school were subjected to physical and psychological violence, and teachers refused to teach or paid little attention to subjects such as oral communication, science, religion and sex education. Learning difficulties and autism didn’t exist for some teachers, it said.

“The evidence gathered tends to show that some teachers at Bedford school would benefit from developing their knowledge and understanding of learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders,” the report said, noting that some teachers believed excessive discipline and control would work and denied kids additional help to which they were entitled.

“They act with the idea of ​​’breaking’ the student and getting them back on the right path.”

The government’s investigation was triggered by a series of radio reports by Montreal 98.5 FM beginning in May 2023 about a toxic climate at the school. Education department employees conducted more than 102 hours of interviews with 73 people, and attended a governing board meeting. Their work was carried out between November 2023 and last April.

The testimonies provided a portrait of the situation spanning about seven or eight years, and revealed that quick succession of school directors came in and went during that period. The vast majority of students at the school were allophone; only about 20 per cent spoke French at home.

The report described the group of problematic teachers as being of North African descent, some of whom attended a local mosque together. It says a representative of the mosque met one year with the school’s administration, explaining “the importance of having good relations with the Muslims of the neighbourhood and of the school.” Witnesses told the government investigators that the local Muslim community carried a “strong influence” on several of the school’s staff members.

However, the report mentioned that there were staff members of North African descent who opposed the way the “dominant clan” was acting.

Eleven teachers who allegedly engaged in concerning behaviour will be investigated to determine if they committed serious misconduct and whether their teaching certificates should be suspended or revoked.

The union representing the school’s teachers — Alliance des professeures et des professeurs de Montréal — said it was not aware of all the details outlined in the report.

“We have the duty, we have the responsibility, even, the legal framework, which requires us to represent each of our members,” said union president Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre. “On the other hand, ‘defend’ is another word, we are not going to defend the indefensible.”

Education Minister Bernard Drainville has ordered audits at three other schools — two elementary schools and a high school — under the governance of the same service centre as Bedford, and allegedly with similar problems related to climate and governance.

“School exists for our students,” Drainville said last week. “Their interests and needs must come first at all times and in all schools in Quebec.”

The school service centre — Centre de services scolaire de Montréal — said it was committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment at the school and welcomed the other audits announced by the education department.

“This investigation highlights unacceptable educational practices that have been in place over the years and the importance of reporting inappropriate situations without delay,” the service centre said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.

— With files from Lia Lévesque in Montreal.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press