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Panels of the Discipline Committee ordered the summaries of recent disciplinary cases to be published in Professionally Speaking. Member: Danny
Norman Bondy A panel of the Discipline Committee held a public hearing on September 17, 2001 into allegations of professional misconduct against Danny Norman Bondy, of Kingsville. Bondy, 53, was certified to teach in 1972 and is employed as a teacher by the Greater Essex County District School Board. Bondy attended the hearing and was represented by counsel. The allegations of professional misconduct against Bondy included engaging in conduct unbecoming a member. The panel accepted an agreed statements of facts stating that Bondy assisted the then-vice-principal of the school in performing a strip search on nine students after another student complained that money had been stolen from his gym bag during a physical education class. Some students had to briefly remove their underclothing as part of the search. As a result of the incident, Bondy was suspended without pay for 10 teaching days and transferred to another school. The panel found Bondy guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that he be reprimanded by the Committee. The panel also ordered Bondy to pursue education and counselling with respect to student management at his own expense. The education and counselling provider must be acceptable to and report to the College Registrar upon completion of the requirement. The decision of the panel appears on the College’s public register. Member: Keith
Stephen Garebian A panel of the Discipline Committee held a public hearing on October 1, 2001 into allegations of professional misconduct against Keith Stephen Garebian, of Mississauga. Garebian, 57, was certified to teach in 1982 and was employed as a teacher by the Peel Board of Education, now the Peel District School Board. Garebian attended the hearing and was represented by counsel. The allegations of professional misconduct against Garebian included engaging in conduct unbecoming a member. The panel accepted an agreed statement of facts and found that Garebian guilty of professional misconduct in that he befriended a 14-year old male student and took him to his home to show him pornographic movies. Garebian has not taught since 1994 and agreed in the statement of facts to resign as a member of the College and never to re-apply for an Ontario teaching certificate. The decision of the panel appears on the College’s public register. Member: Suzanne
Marie Herbin-Baker A panel of the Discipline Committee held a public hearing on October 15, 2001 into allegations of professional misconduct against Suzanne Marie Herbin-Baker, of Burlington. Herbin-Baker, 40, was certified to teach in 1987 and was employed as a teacher by the York Region District School Board. Herbin-Baker attended the hearing and was represented by counsel. The allegations of professional misconduct against Herbin-Baker included failing to maintain the standards of the profession, abusing a student physically, sexually, verbally, psychologically or emotionally; failing to supervise adequately persons under her supervision; failing to comply with the Ontario College of Teachers Act and the Education Act; committing acts that would be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional; engaging in conduct unbecoming a member and displaying a lack of judgement and disregard for the welfare of students. The panel accepted an agreed statement of facts in which Herbin-Baker acknowledged inappropriate relationships with members of the school’s basketball team and in particular with two students. A science and physical education teacher, Herbin-Baker admitted to having long telephone conversations and parking late at night with students in secluded areas. She also picked up and dropped off students before and after basketball practice and took them on shopping trips to the U.S. or within Canada to buy them sports clothing. On one occasion, Herbin-Baker allowed a student to drive her car although she knew he didn’t have a driver’s licence. She also allowed another student to drive members of the basketball team to a tournament without his parents’ consent. Herbin-Baker also treated students inappropriately by asking them personal questions about themselves and their relationships with the opposite sex. She didn’t speak to students for weeks at a time if they refused to answer her questions and didn’t apologize for not answering. Herbin-Baker began a relationship with a 15-year-old male student between 1994 and 1997. She permitted him to stay at her residence overnight for long periods of time, purchased gifts for him, took trips with him in Ontario and to the U.S. without direct permission of his parents and engaged in a sexual relationship with him. She maintained the relationship despite the student’s father telling her that she had caused the family great pain and that she should leave the student alone. Herbin-Baker gave birth to a child fathered by the student. The panel found Herbin-Baker guilty of professional misconduct and ordered her Certificates of Registration and Qualification revoked. The decision of the panel appears on the College’s public register. Member: Rieso James
Pellegrini A panel of the Discipline Committee held a public hearing over three sessions through the spring, summer and fall of 2001 into allegations of professional misconduct against Rieso James Pellegrini, of Richmond Hill. Pellegrini, 49, was certified to teach in 1977 and was employed as a teacher by the York Catholic District School Board and its predecessor the York Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board. Pellegrini attended the hearing and was represented by counsel. The allegations of professional misconduct against Pellegrini included failing to maintain the standards of the profession; failing to comply with the Ontario College of Teachers Act and the Education Act; contravening a law that is relevant to his suitability to hold Certificates of Registration and Qualification; committing acts that would be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional; engaging in conduct unbecoming a member. The panel heard evidence related to a number of incidents during the six-day hearing. In the first matter, witnesses from the board testified that Pellegrini hired his brother to write a music curriculum for the board at a cost of $13,824 without the board’s approval. The majority of the music curriculum document produced was copied from at least two well-known music books. Pellegrini also put his brother’s name on time sheets submitted for the payment of music instructors despite the fact that his brother was not qualified to be an instructor and was not on the list of instructors for the board. The member would, in turn, receive these monies from his brother. The panel also heard evidence that Rieso Pellegrini signed, on behalf of the board but without authorization, a contract with International Follow Spot Limited (IFS) on March 1, 1994 to produce the Sound of Music II. IFS was to manage the production and all proceeds were to go to the board. Pellegrini failed to remit $67,029 from ticket sales of the production to the board. The panel also heard testimony that Pellegrini was employed as a principal with the Great Lakes College, a private school, while he was an employee of the board and spent two or three half or full days a week at Great Lakes College. Pellegrini had been found guilty of one count of defrauding the board of more than $5,000 under the Criminal Code of Canada. The panel ordered Pellegrini’s Certificate of Qualification and Registration revoked and noted its concern that the member showed no regard for the consequences of his actions and no remorse that his actions affected the Board, the students and parents. The decision of the panel appears on the College’s public register. Member: Richard
Joseph Poremba A panel of the Discipline Committee held a public hearing on September 24, 2001 into allegations of professional misconduct against Richard Joseph Poremba, of Brantford. Poremba, 48, was certified to teach in 1978 and was employed as a teacher by the Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk Catholic District School Board. Poremba attended the hearing and was represented by counsel. The allegations of professional misconduct against Poremba included failing to maintain the standards of the profession and engaging in conduct unbecoming a member. The panel heard evidence that, while Head of Mathematics during the 1999-2000 school year, Poremba engaged in inappropriate Internet communications with a Grade 12 female student in his math class. These communications were of a sexual nature and included sexual innuendoes and sexual overtones. The panel heard that the student curtailed her school activities to avoid coming in contact with Poremba and stopped attending his classes, which forced her to take summer courses and prevented her from having a summer job. The panel found Poremba guilty of professional misconduct and ordered his Certificates of Registration and Qualification suspended from September 26, 2001 to January 6, 2002. The panel also ordered Poremba to attend psychological counselling sessions for a minimum of one year. The decision of the panel appears on the College’s public register. Member: Ross
Lauchlin Wood A panel of the Discipline Committee held a public hearing on November 29, 2001 into allegations of professional misconduct against Ross Lauchlin Wood, of Brantford. Wood, 55, was certified to teach in 1970 and was employed as a teacher and guidance counsellor by the Peel District District School Board. Wood chose not to attend the hearing but was represented by counsel. Wood was previously charged under the Criminal Code and found guilty of touching for a sexual purpose a young person over whom he was in a position of trust and authority. He resigned from the board in May 2000 and was given a conditional discharge and 18 months probation, on the condition that he would not communicate with the student, would not teach or counsel young women 17 years old and under and would perform 150 hours of community service. The panel found Wood guilty of three of the allegations against him, namely abusing a student physically, sexually, verbally, psychologically or emotionally; committing acts that would be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional and engaging in conduct unbecoming a member of the College. The decision of the panel appears on the College’s public register. |
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