investigations

The College investigates and considers complaints about members that relate to alleged professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity. If the Investigation Committee concludes that a complaint does not relate to one of those three matters or is frivolous, vexatious or an abuse of process, it does not proceed with the complaint.

Approximately four out of five complaints are not referred to the Discipline Committee but are dismissed or resolved by other means. Examples of cases considered by the Investigation Committee and not referred to a hearing are provided here.

Case #1

Complaint: Racist comments
Outcome of investigation: Written caution

A parent complained to the College about a Grade 3 teacher’s alleged racist comments, made to the class during a unit on Aboriginal Canadians, as reported to the parent by the parent's child. According to the student, the teacher stated that Aboriginal Canadians begin smoking at age eight, sit around drinking alcohol all day, don’t work and permit their children to "run around wild" until late at night.

After a full investigation, the Investigation Committee panel reviewing the complaint sent a written caution to the member to be cognizant of the age and level of the students being addressed when dealing with sensitive subject matter.

Case #2

Complaint: Incompetence
Outcome of investigation: Not referred (dismissed)

A Grade 8 student's parent sent a complaint to the College about the alleged incompetence of the student's teacher. The parent alleged that the teacher: failed to use classroom time effectively by taking up time on other matters, taught a class using a non-curriculum textbook, blamed students for not understanding what was taught, set up students to fail by reducing time initially given to read a book, failed to understand the curriculum, failed to apply varied teaching methods, failed to get involved in the teaching process, used a personalized marking system, engaged in verbal abuse of students, used inappropriate vocabulary, yelled and lied.

Following a full investigation of the complaint, a panel of the Investigation Committee refused to refer the matter to a hearing because many of the allegations did not amount to incompetence, in its opinion, and no information was obtained regarding the remaining allegations.

Case #3

Complaint: Inappropriate unprofessional practices and conduct
Outcome of investigation: No investigation

The parent of a Grade 6 student wrote to the College to complain about the alleged unprofessional practices and conduct of the member, such as: failing to give deserved marks, failing to provide the documentation for the marks to the complainant, failing to respond to the complainant's phone calls, making personal phone calls in class, deliberately "holding back" the parent's child, failing to address bullying of the child, ignoring the child, sending the child's bully to the parent's home to collect the child's homework, "singling out" the child and sitting the child next to other students with whom the child had a conflict of interest.

The complaint was considered by a panel of the Investigation Committee which instructed staff not to investigate it because most of the allegations did not relate to professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity; no information was provided regarding the alleged "holding back"; and the parent's information did not support the report of the alleged failure to respond to bullying.

Case #4

Complaint: Physical retaliation against student
Outcome of investigation: Written caution

A school board notified the College regarding the conduct of one of its teachers, pursuant to an obligation to do so under the Ontario College of Teachers Act. The board had received a complaint from parents of a student at the school where the member taught, saying that the member had retaliated after an altercation between the member's child, who attended the same school, and the parents' child. An investigation by the Children's Aid Society found that the amount of force used by the member was not excessive.

The complaint was considered by an Investigation Committee panel, which cautioned the member in writing to always avoid physical contact with students unless acting in self-defence or in defence of another student or member of staff.