Share this page
Three-member panels of the Discipline Committee conduct public hearings into cases of alleged incompetence or professional misconduct. Panels are composed of elected and appointed Council members. The certificate of a member found to be incompetent or guilty of professional misconduct may be revoked, suspended, and/or made subject to terms, conditions or limitations. In findings of professional misconduct, the committee may also reprimand, admonish or counsel the member, impose a fine, and order the member to pay costs.
Summaries of recent disciplinary cases are published on the following pages. Copies of the full decisions are available at oct.ca → Members → Complaints and Discipline → Decisions.
The College publishes professional advisories, available at oct-oeeo.ca/ advisories, which are intended to inform members’ professional judgment and practice. For more information about the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession, please visit oct-oeeo.ca/ethical.
Member: James Allan Biss
Registration No: 463213
Decision: Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the teaching certificate of a high school teacher after he was convicted of the sexual exploitation of a female student.
James Allan Biss, who was certified to teach in July 2003, did not attend the December 17, 2013, hearing and was not represented by legal counsel.
Biss was employed by the Peel DSB in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 academic years. In the summer of 2010, he was also employed by the Toronto Catholic DSB.
Biss and a student began to correspond electronically in February 2010 and developed an inappropriate relationship. They exchanged personal emails and texts, including sexual messages, and he bought her a dress and shoes. He allowed the student to stay in his hotel room and had a sexual relationship with her.
Biss was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in October 2010, the panel heard.
Peel Regional Police arrested Biss in February 2011 and charged him with sexual exploitation and sexual assault. He pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation at his trial in June 2012. The Crown withdrew the sexual assault charge. In September 2012, Biss was sentenced to 14 months in prison and three years of probation.
College counsel advised the committee that an agreement of the facts had been reached and introduced a guilty plea to professional misconduct. Biss denied that he engaged in the sexual abuse of a student.
Having considered the evidence, the onus and standard of proof, and submissions made by College counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Biss guilty of professional misconduct. The panel directed the Registrar to revoke Biss’s Certificate of Qualification and Registration.
“Conduct of a sexual nature involving a student represents the most heinous breach of trust from a person in a position of trust and authority over a student,” the panel’s written decision said. “The member demonstrated complete lack of care and safety for the student in imposing a relationship of a sexual nature that could leave psychological and emotional scars for life on the student.”
Member: Richard S. Buckley, OCT
Registration No: 438110
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Bluewater DSB teacher Richard Buckley in connection with a criminal conviction for criminal harassment.
Richard Buckley, who was certified to teach in June 2000, attended the May 2, 2014, hearing with legal counsel.
After pleading guilty to a criminal charge in March 2009, Buckley received a conditional discharge and 12-month probation.
In 2007, Buckley became infatuated with a colleague and engaged in repeated unwanted contact with her over 18 months, including calling her home on several occasions and attempting to approach her. Finally, during a staff party, Buckley had a verbal altercation with the colleague during which he threw at her the letter she had written to him advising him to stay away from her. This behaviour resulted in the criminal harassment charge and guilty plea.
Based on an agreed statement of facts, a guilty plea, a joint submission on penalty and the submissions of legal counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Buckley guilty of professional misconduct. He was ordered to face the panel after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In addition, Buckley was ordered to complete a course of instruction pre-approved by the Registrar on appropriate boundaries with respect to colleagues, at his own expense.
“The member’s actions comprised a serious breach of trust and showed a blatant lack of professional judgment, causing another member of the College to fear for her safety,’’ the panel said in its written decision. “The Committee denounces the Member’s behaviour and is confident that the penalty, with its many elements, is in the public interest.”
Member: Barbara Ann Cameron
Registration No: 281435
Decision: Suspension, reprimand
A Discipline Committee panel suspended and reprimanded Upper Canada DSB teacher Barbara Ann Cameron for criminal convictions for fraud, theft and forgery.
Certified to teach in October 1997, Cameron attended the March 7, 2014, hearing with legal counsel.
As the treasurer of the Upper Canada local of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Cameron wrote 93 cheques to herself between July 2005 and October 2007 totalling $55,943.94, and paid for purchases on her personal credit card and gas card from federation funds. A police investigation revealed that Cameron forged signatures nine times and made efforts to undermine any potential investigation by removing financial documents.
She turned herself into police in July 2010 and was charged with theft over $5,000 and knowingly using a forged cheque from the EFTO Upper Canada account. In November 2011, she pleaded guilty to charges of theft over $5,000 and uttering a forged document. In April 2012, she received a conditional sentence of two years less a day, including 18 months’ house arrest followed by three years of probation. As part of the criminal proceedings, Cameron agreed she had fraudulently taken $39,835.59 and agreed to pay an additional $14,000 back to ETFO. As agreed, she made restitution.
Aware of the criminal proceedings and outcome, the Upper Canada DSB returned Cameron to the classroom in September 2012 before her house arrest was completed. She has been teaching successfully with the board since.
The panel found Cameron guilty of professional misconduct based on the evidence, an agreed statement of facts, a guilty plea, a joint submission on penalty and the submissions of legal counsel. The panel directed the Registrar to suspend Cameron’s teaching certificate from March 8, 2014, to August 17, 2015. Further, she was ordered to face a reprimand from the panel immediately following the hearing.
“The member betrayed the ethical standards of the profession to an extreme level,” the panel said in its written decision. “The member consciously attempted to deflect the blame by trying to demonstrate that others were partly to blame for her behaviour. [She] knew that what she was doing was wrong, fundamentally illegal and criminal. This element of knowing the nature of her misconduct and not stopping herself make a reprimand even more appropriate.”
Member: Ronald James Curridor
Registration No: 261178
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel ordered London District Catholic SB principal Ronald James Curridor to receive a reprimand and a suspension for professional misconduct.
Curridor, who was licensed to teach in June 1991, attended the May 8, 2014, hearing with legal counsel.
From 2007 to 2010, Curridor breached the rules regarding the administration of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) tests. He removed test materials from the package and provided them to teachers prior to the day of the assessment; modified the multiple choice answer sheet of at least one Grade 6 student; permitted or directed students who did not meet the requirements for accommodations to have scribes assist them with the test; and allowed students who did not have an Individual Education Plan or other permitted circumstances to leave the classroom to assist them with the test. He also told teachers that he had discretion in administering the test even though no such discretion was permitted.
As a result of Curridor’s actions and following the school board’s investigation, the EQAO withdrew its reporting of the school’s results for the 2007 to 2010 school years.
Having considered the evidence, onus and standard of proof, an agreed statement of facts, a joint submission on penalty, a guilty plea, and the submissions of legal counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Curridor guilty of professional misconduct, ordered that his certificate be suspended for not less than three months and that he appear before the panel immediately following the hearing to receive a reprimand. In addition, Curridor was ordered to complete a course of instruction pre-approved by the Registrar on professional ethics at his own expense.
“As a school leader, the member was given the responsibility for the ethical administration of the EQAO test in his school. He failed to do this and consciously undermined their integrity,’’ the panel said in its written decision. “The Committee considers the member’s behaviour to be serious and warrants significant sanctions.”
Member: Jeremy Russell Davidson
Registration No: 475976
Decision: Reprimand
A Discipline Committee panel ordered Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB teacher Jeremy Russell Davidson to receive a reprimand for professional misconduct.
Davidson, who was licensed to teach in September 2004, represented himself at the May 22, 2014, hearing.
During the 2010–11 school year, Davidson left school early without notifying administration, made inappropriate and offensive comments of a sexual nature to his colleagues and publicly disrespected the administration.
Having considered the evidence, onus and standard of proof, an agreed statement of facts, a guilty plea, a joint submission on penalty, and the submissions of College counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Davidson guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that he appear before the panel immediately following the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In determining whether the joint submission represented a sufficient penalty, the Committee took into account the member’s undertaking. The member agreed to provide the Registrar with a report from his physician regarding his ability to return to teaching and has undertaken to successfully complete a course or courses of instruction pre-approved by the Registrar in lesson planning, student assessment, classroom management and appropriate boundaries, at his own expense.
“Student safety is of paramount importance in the teaching profession. The Committee takes the member’s neglect of this responsibility very seriously. Leaving school early or failing to attend without notification to administration is unacceptable. Furthermore, a teacher is expected to be a role model for students by treating colleagues with dignity and respect,’’ the panel said in its written decision.
Member: Timothy Matthew Scott Dingwall, OCT
Registration No: 275665
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Toronto DSB teacher Timothy Matthew Scott Dingwall for engaging in an unprofessional relationship with a student.
Dingwall, who was certified to teach in March 1997, attended the March 7, 2014, hearing with legal counsel.
During the 2009–10 school year, Dingwall went for coffee, meals and a movie with a female student. He also talked to her in person and on the phone about personal matters and gave her the gift of a book. There were no discussions or conduct of a sexual nature, but Dingwall hugged the student regularly as a form of greeting and farewell. He told her that their relationship was wrong and that they should not see each other outside of school. In August 2011, the school board suspended Dingwall for 20 days. Since then, he has been teaching in another school for four years without further issue.
Based on the evidence, onus and standard of proof, an agreed statement of facts, a partial joint submission on penalty, a guilty plea, and the submissions of counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Dingwall guilty of professional misconduct. He was directed to face the panel immediately after the hearing to face a reprimand. Further, he was ordered to take a pre-approved course regarding boundary violations at his own expense and report to the Registrar upon its completion.
In determining penalty, the panel noted that Dingwall had already been suspended by the board, understood that he breached the profession’s ethical standards, instigated his rehabilitative coursework and accepted a transfer to another school where he successfully re-established his teaching career.
Member: Rick William Doran
Registration No: 484774
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended, reprimanded and imposed conditions on a Windsor-Essex Catholic DSB teacher for assaulting students in his care resulting in a criminal conviction.
Rick William Doran, who was certified to teach in November 2004, attended the May 7, 2014, hearing with legal counsel.
The panel heard evidence that Doran, who taught at two of the board’s schools, used his wet thumb to clean around the mouth of a student, and patted or slapped the buttocks of three other students several times in incidents occurring between 2005 and 2009.
The school board fired Doran in May 2009 and, in October 2009, the College’s Registrar suspended his teaching certificate until such time as the Discipline Committee could hear the complaint. In November 2010, Doran pleaded guilty in criminal court to assaulting the students for which he received a suspended sentence and two years’ probation.
Having considered the evidence, onus and standard of proof, an agreed statement of facts, a joint submission on penalty, a guilty plea, and the submissions of legal counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Doran guilty of professional misconduct. He was ordered to appear before the panel to receive a reprimand following the hearing. Doran’s Certificate of Qualification and Registration was suspended retroactively from February 4 to May 6, 2014.
Prior to starting any position that requires a teaching certificate, Doran must successfully complete, at his own expense, a pre-approved course regarding boundary issues and violations and give written proof from the provider to the Registrar of its successful completion.
“The reprimand and coursework serve an educational function as they provide the member with an assessment of his conduct and reinforce the necessity to maintain appropriate professional boundaries,” the panel said in its written decision. “Coursework focusing on appropriate boundaries between teachers and students ensures the rehabilitation of the member and the protection of the public.”
Member: Joseph René Gilles Gosselin
Registration No: 299215
Decision: Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the teaching certificate of Joseph René Gilles Gosselin, an assistant principal and teacher with the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial in Nova Scotia, for unacceptable conduct with students and colleagues.
Gosselin was certified to teach in Ontario in November 1988 and in Nova Scotia where he was employed by the Nova Scotia Department of Education. He did not attend the February 4, 2014, hearing and was not represented by legal counsel.
While teaching in Nova Scotia between 2007 and 2009, Gosselin talked with students about his relationship with his wife and other women, and his sister’s abortion. He made sexual comments to female colleagues and rubbed up against one in the school hallway. He also went to dinner with a female student and conducted experiments in the classroom, which included the use of chemicals such as mercury. Following due process, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Education cancelled Gosselin’s teaching certificate in February 2011.
Based on the exhibits filed, evidence — including the finding of professional misconduct by the NS Department of Education — and the submissions of College counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Gosselin guilty of professional misconduct and directed the Registrar to revoke his Certificate of Qualification and Registration.
“The revocation of the Certificate of Qualification and Registration is warranted by the decision of the Nova Scotia Department of Education,” the panel’s written decision said. “The (panel) is not convinced that the member fully comprehends the importance of respecting the boundaries between students and teachers, which should not be crossed. The revocation is necessary for the purposes of ensuring students’ safety and of serving and protecting the public interest.”
Member: Timothy Richard Jarzylo
Registration No: 176741
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded former Near North DSB teacher Timothy Jarzylo for repeated use of inappropriate physical contact to discipline students.
Jarzylo, who was certified to teach in June 1983, did not attend the March 6, 2014, hearing, but was represented by legal counsel.
The panel heard evidence that Jarzylo sent two male students out of his class for talking in the fall of 2011. While they were in the hall, Jarzylo approached one of the students, placed his hands on the student’s chest and pushed him away from the lockers. He then told him to stop talking and go to the office.
In April 2011, Jarzylo was previously admonished by an Investigation Committee panel for a complaint involving two incidents of inappropriate physical intervention with students that occurred on December 1, 2008, and April 3, 2009.
Having considered the evidence, the onus and standard of proof, a plea of no contest, a statement of uncontested facts, and the submissions of legal counsel, the panel found Jarzylo guilty of professional misconduct.
Jarzylo retired from teaching in April 2012. “The member has demonstrated a pattern of behaviour that speaks to a recidivist nature of using inappropriate physical contact in disciplining students,” the panel said in its written decision. “This behaviour was demonstrated during a time when the member was under review by the Investigation Committee for the same inappropriate approach to discipline.”
Jarzylo was ordered to appear before the panel to receive a reprimand. He was also directed to complete a course, at his own expense, about appropriate discipline interventions before working at any school. Jarzylo must provide the Registrar with a written certificate from the course provider within 30 days of successfully completing the course and before returning to work as a teacher. Within 30 days of returning to work, Jarzylo must provide the Registrar with proof of the date he started and the name of his employer.
Member: Not identified
Decision: Conditions
A Discipline Committee panel found a Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien teacher guilty of professional misconduct for receiving three unsatisfactory performance appraisals.
The member, who was certified to teach in August 1990, attended the February 27, 2014, hearing with legal counsel.
The panel heard evidence that the member was appraised three times in 2005, 2006 and 2010. On each appraisal, his performance was unsatisfactory in course planning, knowledge of the program and his assessment of student achievement.
The member was on medical leave from November 2002 until April 2005. He returned to teach full time in September 2005. During his leave, the Ministry of Education introduced a new curriculum and a new policy on assessing student achievement.
The member’s lawyer maintained that the teacher tried to improve his performance and succeeded. She said the member has retired and has no intention of returning to teaching.
After considering the exhibits, a statement of uncontested facts, plea of no contest and submissions of counsel, the committee found the teacher guilty of professional misconduct.
The panel ordered the Registrar to impose conditions on the member’s Certificate of Qualification and Registration. Before accepting a position that requires a teaching certificate, the member must complete a course, at his own expense, pre-approved by the Registrar that focuses on lesson planning, classroom management, student assessment and record keeping. The course must be equivalent in length to an Additional Qualification course. The member must provide written proof to the Registrar within 30 days that he successfully completed the course.
The member must also advise the Registrar he is resuming teaching at least 10 days before starting to work, and he must take reasonable steps to ensure his employer conducts two performance appraisals of him within 24 months.
“The order constitutes a rehabilitative measure for the member if he wishes to return to teaching and allows him to carry out his professional responsibilities,” the discipline panel said in its written decision.
Member: Dale Vincent Gerald Maheux
Registration No: 537156
Decision: Publication
A Discipline Committee panel ordered the publication of additional findings concerning Lambton Kent DSB teacher Dale Vincent Gerald Maheux whose certificate was already revoked in connection with a criminal conviction for sexual assault and sexual exploitation.
Maheux, who was licensed to teach in September 2008, did not attend the hearing held on May 8, 2014, nor was he represented by a lawyer.
In April 2013, Maheux was found guilty of sexually exploiting a 15-year-old female between January 2008 and November 2012. He pleaded guilty in criminal court and was sentenced to three years in jail.
Having been convicted of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a young person, Maheux, while waiting for the imposition of a sentence in that matter, repeated the sexual interference with another young person.
Although a Discipline Committee panel had revoked Maheux’s certificate on December 11, 2013, the second panel had an obligation and right to make public Maheux’s ongoing misconduct.
Having considered the evidence, onus and standard of proof, and the submissions of College counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Maheux guilty of professional misconduct. Had Maheux’s certificate not already been revoked, revocation would have been the result.
“The conduct of the member towards a young person sinks to the level of abhorrence and was fundamentally reprehensible, in fact it was vile,” the panel said in its written decision. “Publication of the findings with the member’s name serves to advise the profession and the public that sexual misconduct will result in the severest penalty available and certain public denunciation.”
Member: Uwe Dieter Neumann, OCT
Registration No: 247666
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Bluewater DSB teacher Uwe Dieter Neumann for failing to adequately supervise students and maintain appropriate safety standards in his shop classroom.
Neumann, who was certified to teach in June 1994, attended the February 21, 2014, hearing with legal counsel.
Despite multiple concerted efforts to address the severe health and safety issues in his classroom, Neumann’s misconduct continued from 2004 to 2007.
In 2004, he failed to prevent students from using an electric grinder outside the shop while the ground was wet. Following an anonymous complaint about conditions in the classroom, an inspector for the Ministry of Labour, Occupational Health and Safety visited the school to investigate.
In April and May of 2005, the school board’s health and safety officer investigated after a student suffered welder’s flash to his eyes (inflammation of the cornea) in Neumann’s class. The safety officer’s report concluded that Neumann did not prevent three students with insufficient equipment from welding in an area that did not adequately protect them.
In December 2006, the school’s vice-principal requested a meeting with Neumann to ensure that he was clear about his responsibility to address health and safety issues. However, in April 2007, another student suffered welder’s flash to the eye while in Neumann’s manufacturing technology class. That same month, Neumann did not properly maintain a clear passage to fire exits or remove obstructions in his class.
In June 2007, he allowed students to dismantle and move three pieces of heavy equipment from the classroom, including a band saw, metal shaper and lathe. He also had the lathe removed to a private facility without authorization from the school administration.
The board suspended Neumann for seven days without pay in June 2007. He has continued teaching since then, but not in a manufacturing technology classroom.
Having considered the evidence, onus and standard of proof, a statement of uncontested facts, a plea of no contest and submissions of legal counsel, the panel found Neumann guilty of professional misconduct.
“The member engaged in repeated inappropriate misconduct over several years,” the panel said in its written decision. “He failed to adequately supervise and maintain appropriate safety standards in the shop classroom. This blatant disregard by the member for the health and safety of his students resulted in students being seriously injured over this four-year period.”
Neumann was ordered to appear before the Discipline Committee to receive a reprimand. He must successfully complete a course pre-approved by the Registrar that focuses on manufacturing-based technology, at his own expense, before teaching in that area. He must also successfully complete a course on classroom management with an emphasis on supervision and classroom safety.
Member: Trace Russell Teeple
Registration No: 250173
Decision: Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the certificate of Halton DSB teacher Trace Russell Teeple for possessing child pornography.
Teeple, who was licensed to teach in January 1987, did not attend the hearing held on May 2, 2014, and was not represented by a lawyer.
In September 2012, Teeple was found guilty of the charge that he possessed child pornography during the 2009 calendar year. He pleaded guilty in the criminal proceedings and, in April 2013, he was sentenced to 45 days in jail and 24 months’ probation. He was also prohibited for 10 years from using a computer to communicate with anyone under 16.
Having considered the evidence, onus and standard of proof, and the submissions of College counsel, the Discipline Committee panel found Teeple guilty of professional misconduct and ordered the Registrar to revoke his certificate.
“The member has exhibited such an insidious breach of trust that he has forfeited the right to be a member of the teaching profession,’’ the panel said in its written decision. “The College will not tolerate such behaviour and will ensure that this type of misconduct is dealt with severely.
Member: Stephanie Marie Vaillancourt, OCT
Registration No: 265808
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel found Algoma DSB teacher Stephanie Marie Vaillancourt guilty of professional misconduct for a breach of supervision during a class trip and for posting student photos from the trip on her personal Facebook page without permission.
The member, who was certified to teach in June 1993, did not attend the April 14, 2014, hearing but was represented by legal counsel.
The panel heard evidence that, during a class trip in June 2010, Vaillancourt slept in the cabin where she was supervising five female students. Each of the cabins had an adult chaperone. Vaillancourt allowed students to leave the cabin unsupervised for a short period in the early morning hours to go to a trampoline, which was in an open field. After the trip, Vaillancourt posted pictures of her students from the trip on her personal Facebook page without parental permission.
The school board suspended her for five days without pay.
After considering the evidence, the agreed statement of facts, joint submission on penalty, the member’s guilty plea, the onus and standard of proof, and the submissions of counsel, the panel found Vaillancourt guilty of professional misconduct.
Vaillancourt was ordered to appear before the Discipline Committee to receive a reprimand. The Registrar was directed to impose conditions on the member’s Certificate of Qualification and Registration. She must complete a course pre-approved by the Registrar regarding appropriate boundaries at her own expense. The member must provide written proof from the course provider to the College that she successfully completed the course within 30 days of finishing.
“Breaches in student supervision and student privacy will not be tolerated in the profession. The protection and safety of students, on or off school property, must be upheld at all times,” the Discipline Committee panel said in its written decision.
Copies of the full decisions are available at oct-oeeo.ca/decisions.