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: Ken Ishwar Beebakhee
Registration No: 404188
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended Toronto District School Board teacher Ken Ishwar Beebakhee for failing to adequately supervise students on a school trip.
Certified to teach in June 1996, Beebakhee attended the January 14, 2016, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
Beebakhee was a chaperone for a school trip through Education First Tours in March 2010. The group bought and consumed alcohol during the trip. The students made too much noise and acted in a disruptive manner at the hotel.
The school board suspended Beebakhee without pay for six days in September 2010.
The Discipline Committee panel found Beebakhee guilty of professional misconduct and suspended his certificate for six days. He was directed to appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In addition, Beebakhee must successfully complete, at his own expense and within three months of the committee’s order, a course regarding boundaries and boundary violation issues and appropriate supervision of students. The coursework will remind the member of his obligations as a teacher and the importance of effective supervision to ensure the safety and well-being of his students.
The committee was troubled that students in the member’s charge, and Beebakhee himself, purchased and consumed alcohol throughout the 10-day trip. As a result, students were noisy and kept others at the hotel awake.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The Committee accepts the submission of College counsel that when teachers accompany students on school trips, the group members are ambassadors for their school, their school board and, in this case, their country.”
Member: Denis Sinai Blier
Registration No: 447741
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended the teaching certificate of Denis Blier, a teacher and former principal at the Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario for failing to maintain the standards of the profession, using inappropriate disciplinary measures, and failing to provide adequate supervision for his students.
Blier, who was certified to teach in June 2001, did not attend the January 19 and 20, 2016, hearing and was not represented by legal counsel.
Blier failed to adapt his lessons so that all students would have an equal opportunity to learn and achieve, and was often late for his class and supervisory shifts.
Blier used inappropriate disciplinary measures with his students on several occasions. He pulled the chair out from under a student, who fell to the ground, and grabbed the student by the neck of his T-shirt to drag him out of the classroom when he would not pay attention. The member also sent the same student out into the hallway unsupervised on several occasions as a disciplinary measure. Blier also failed to provide adequate supervision for his students during a period of computer work, leaving them free to view inappropriate websites, including the Bloody Mary site.
The Discipline Committee panel found Blier guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his teaching certificate be suspended for three months from the date of the committee’s order. The committee also directed him that, prior to accepting any teaching position requiring a Certificate of Qualification and Registration, he must appear before the panel to receive a reprimand.
In addition, Blier was directed to complete coursework, at his own expense, including one or more courses on classroom management and effective student discipline techniques.
In its written decision, the panel members said that “the purpose of the penalty is to serve and protect the public interest, uphold the standards of the teaching profession and promote public trust in the teaching profession.”
Member: Wendy Joy Champion
Registration No: 214896
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended Keewatin Patricia District School Board teacher Wendy Joy Champion for sending inappropriate text messages to two male students and supplying a 26-ounce bottle of whisky to one of them.
Certified to teach in September 1996, Champion did not attend the November 17, 2015, hearing but was represented by legal counsel.
During the 2008–09 school year, Champion sent numerous text messages to a student even after his parents asked her to stop texting with their son. The inappropriate communications were reported to school and board administrators. The school board reprimanded Champion and suspended her for five days.
In June and July of 2009 — two months after the board disciplined her — Champion became involved in a second inappropriate texting relationship with a student. She also supplied him with alcohol, watching him drink and smoke marijuana before he left their meeting point by boat.
She was found guilty of knowingly supplying liquor to a person under 19 years of age, contrary to Section 30(1) of the Liquor Licence Act.
Champion resigned from the school board on September 10, 2010.
The Discipline Committee panel found Champion guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that her Certificate of Qualification and Registration be suspended for nine months.
Prior to returning to a teaching position, she must appear before the committee to receive a reprimand and successfully complete a course in appropriate boundaries and boundary violation issues at her own expense.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The member’s conduct was inappropriate, unprofessional, and it jeopardized the safety of one of her students.”
Member: Kenneth Chesley James Curtis
Registration No: 519304
Decision: Suspension
A Discipline Committee panel suspended the teaching certificate of Kenneth Chesley James Curtis for repeatedly failing to ensure the safety of his students and colleagues.
Curtis, certified to teach in July 2007, was employed by the Avon Maitland District School Board. He did not attend the hearing on November 30 and December 1, 2015, nor was he represented by legal counsel.
The committee found that there were an inordinate number of serious safety issues in the member’s classroom between the spring of 2012 and the winter of 2013, including a fire incident involving an oil spill that Curtis failed to report.
The evidence demonstrated that Curtis repeatedly failed to maintain adequate safety conditions in his classroom, and that he did not remedy these safety violations despite being given many opportunities to address them. He also did not adequately teach his students about safety.
The Discipline Committee panel found the member guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be suspended for three months.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “A three-month suspension is reasonable and appropriate given the nature of the member’s misconduct. … This component of the committee’s penalty order will remind the profession of the importance of maintaining safe classrooms at all times.”
Member: Scott Andrew Dempster
Registration No: 434248
Decision: Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the teaching certificate of Scott Andrew Dempster for engaging in inappropriate relationships with three young male students.
Dempster, a former Halton District School Board teacher at a Milton school, was certified to teach in May 2000. He did not attend the November 18, 2015, hearing, nor was he represented by legal counsel. He did provide written submissions to the committee.
Two of the males were former students of the school while the third was a student at the school.
In April 2011, Dempster took a student to dinner without his family. The member and the family were friends. In February 2012, Dempster was at the student’s family home for dinner. After dinner, they all decided to go into the hot tub. He and the student undressed and changed into bathing suits while alone in the student’s bedroom.
From January 2008 to March 2012, Dempster had an inappropriate personal relationship with another student. He bought items for the student, took him snowboarding and to the movies, chatted on Facebook and texted him to “hang out.” When the student started high school, they “hung out” alone about twice a month.
During the 2011–12 school year, Dempster took a third student for haircuts, to the movies, skating, a play, dinner, and they edited movies together.
Dempster resigned from the school board on June 30, 2012.
The Discipline Committee panel found him guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be revoked. The panel noted Dempster’s repeated pattern of inappropriate behaviour toward young male students was “very troubling.”
In its decision, the panel wrote, “Although the Committee is aware that the member would say, if he were to testify, that these relationships developed through his personal relationships with the students’ parents, he ought to have known that members of the teaching profession are to conduct themselves in a professional manner both inside and outside of the classroom. These relationships were not within the scope of appropriate teacher-student relationships.”
Member: Réjean Desjardins
Registration No: 261322
Decision: Suspension, reprimand
A Discipline Committee panel suspended Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario teacher Réjean Desjardins for repeated dishonest conduct, including the theft of approximately $600 from a school’s small-cash box.
Certified to teach in June 1993, Desjardins attended the November 23, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
Among other acts, Desjardins entered a school where he used to work, outside work hours and without permission, to take approximately $600 from the petty cash in a teacher’s room and a sports bag containing a pair of snowshoes.
The school board suspended Desjardins without pay and subsequently dismissed him on November 13, 2012. He eventually repaid the full amount taken from the cash box.
The Discipline Committee panel found Desjardins guilty of professional misconduct and directed that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be suspended for three months. He was also ordered to appear before the committee immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “Although the mitigating factors demonstrate that the member has taken responsibility for his actions, this does not excuse the fact that his actions were very serious and undermined public trust in the teaching profession.”
Member: Nicole Desrosiers-Houde, OCT
Registration No: 183420
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario teacher Nicole Desrosiers-Houde for using physical force to discipline two students under her care.
Certified to teach in June 1985, Desrosiers-Houde did not attend the October 19, 2015, hearing but was represented by legal counsel.
An investigation by the school board found that Desrosiers-Houde grabbed a student by the neck when he refused to put away a box of crayons when told to do so on November 14, 2011. The member stated she did not grab the student but merely touched his shoulder.
Desrosiers-Houde also smacked a student on the cheek after breaking up a scuffle between him and another student. The member stated that she stepped in to separate the students but denied smacking the boy.
The two incidents were reported to the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) of Algoma, which concluded that the incidents had occurred. The Ontario Provincial Police were briefed concerning the CAS investigations but no criminal charges were laid.
The Discipline Committee panel found Desrosiers-Houde guilty of professional misconduct and directed that she appear before the committee to receive a reprimand within eight months of the hearing.
In addition, she must successfully complete, at her own expense, a course in the theory and practice of classroom management prior to returning to her current or any other teaching position.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The committee is satisfied that the resolution in this matter is appropriate under the circumstances and serves and protects the public interest.”
Member: Grant Gerhard Gedies, OCT
Registration No: 438873
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Toronto District School Board teacher Grant Gerhard Gedies for making numerous inappropriate and offensive comments to six of his young students.
Certified to teach in October 2000, Gedies attended the November 20, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
During the 2010–11 school year, Gedies’s comments included calling students gay, cream puff, fat and crybaby. He told one student that “no one likes you.” When another student asked Gedies not to take a photo of him, he said, “I won’t. I don’t want my camera to break.”
Gedies received a warning letter and two suspensions from the school board as a result of his treatment of students.
The Discipline Committee panel found Gedies guilty of professional misconduct and directed that he appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
Gedies must also successfully complete, at his own expense, a course in professional boundaries and respect for student sensitivities.
The Discipline Committee noted the repeated nature of the member’s misconduct, that he targeted many students with his insensitive comments, and that the board needed to intervene three times for Gedies to recognize his conduct was unacceptable.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The member targeted students by insulting or demeaning them with a variety of comments that the member knew, or ought to have known, were discriminatory and hurtful. Through his actions, the member abused his position of trust and created an atmosphere that was not nurturing or conducive to building or maintaining students’ self-esteem.”
Member: Kim Doris Gervais/ Kim Doris Brousseau
Registration No: 426789
Decision: Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the teaching certificate of Kim Doris Gervais, previously known as Kim Doris Brousseau, in connection with criminal convictions for sexually abusing four young male students.
Certified to teach in August 1999, Gervais did not attend the October 6, 2015, hearing, nor was she represented by legal counsel.
Gervais was a teacher with the Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes Rivières in Timmins. Between September 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011, she engaged in inappropriate personal and sexual relationships with four students.
She sent text messages with sexual connotations, French kissed one student and showed photos of herself in various states of undress. She invited three students to her home to watch a porn video and invited two of them to fondle her breasts.
On April 23, 2014, she was sentenced to seven months in jail and two years of probation after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual interference and one count of invitation to sexual touching.
College counsel submitted that both her names be published because, according to her probation officer, the member moved to British Columbia and intends to change her name and return to a teaching career. “Publication of both of the member’s names is therefore necessary to protect the public interest.”
The Discipline Committee panel found Gervais guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that her certificate be revoked and both her names appear in the College magazine’s disciplinary summary.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The member’s conduct towards young children was abhorrent and reprehensible. The member’s multiple, repeated acts of sexual misconduct warrant the Committee’s most severe penalty available: an order of revocation.”
Member: Peter David Giaschi
Registration No: 458483
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended teacher Peter David Giaschi for inappropriate language, teaching techniques and interactions with colleagues, including offering erotic monologues for students to perform and using crude sexual language in class.
Giaschi, certified to teach in August 2002, was employed by the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board. He did not attend the October 19, 2015, hearing but was represented by legal counsel.
In September 2008, a female student performed an erotic monologue in front of the class. It was one of the options Giaschi offered to the class. He suggested she perform the monologue while lying on the floor and “having the best orgasm of her life.”
From September to December 2008, Giaschi made sexual references when instructing his students on how to act out a scene, rolled on the floor with students, including full-body contact, and performed the George Carlin monologue “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.”
In May 2009, he confronted an occasional teacher about an issue in front of students and left his school computer open to a Facebook conversation that included inappropriate comments about school administrators. He posted inappropriate comments about school staff on his personal website.
Giaschi received discipline letters from the school and board and was suspended for a total of five days without pay. He also met with the board administration for a discipline meeting in November 2009 after he had a class participate in the re-enactment of a gang rape that occurred in California.
Giaschi resigned from the school board, effective April 1, 2010.
The Discipline Committee panel found the member guilty of professional misconduct and suspended his teaching certificate for two months. He was also directed to appear before the panel to receive a reprimand.
Prior to returning to a teaching position, the reprimand must be delivered and Giaschi must successfully complete a course, at his own expense, regarding appropriate boundaries and boundary issues.
In its written decision, the panel described the member’s conduct as “disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional.”
Member: Lisa Lynn Gillott, OCT
Registration No: 538325
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Limestone District School Board teacher Lisa Lynn Gillott for inappropriate conduct and boundary violations with students despite warnings from the school administration and board.
Certified to teach in November 2008, Gillott attended the January 18, 2016, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
Between January and May 2013, Gillott extended special privileges to a student, such as communicating with him via the Internet outside school hours and allowing him to stay inside during recess.
School administrators warned her regarding boundaries in the late spring of 2013, and the student’s parents asked that she “back off” in August 2013.
Gillott also made inappropriate disclosures regarding sexual activity to students during the 2012–13 school year.
Gillott was placed on administrative leave with pay in September 2013 pending the outcome of the board’s investigation into misconduct allegations. Family and Children’s Services investigated and had “not verified any child protection concerns.”
In October 2013, the school board suspended her for five days without pay, transferred her to a different school and advised that any further incidents of misconduct will result in her termination. She has taught successfully for two years.
Gillott attended three workshops dealing with professional boundaries and the use of social media in January 2014.
The Discipline Committee panel found Gillott guilty of professional misconduct and directed that she appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
She must also successfully complete, at her own expense, a course in maintaining professional boundaries with students and the use of social media.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The member’s conduct was serious and sustained over a significant period of time.”
Member: Joseph Anthony Graziano
Registration No: 274327
Decision: Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the teaching certificate of Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board teacher Joseph Anthony Graziano who was criminally convicted of sexual offences against a student.
Certified to teach in August 1997, Graziano did not attend the December 16, 2015, hearing, nor was he represented by legal counsel. However, he made written submissions regarding the publication of his name.
Based on evidence in court documents, Graziano began grooming a student by assisting him on an exam in January 2011. He then told the student “you owe me” insinuating a sexual favour in exchange for the help provided.
On February 9, 2011, Graziano brought the student into his classroom under the guise of discussing the exam and engaged the student in a conversation of a sexual nature. He blocked the door to prevent the student from leaving and then touched the student’s penis over his clothes.
Graziano was found guilty of sexual interference and sexual assault in May 2013 and sentenced to six months in jail and two years of probation.
The Discipline Committee panel found Graziano guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be revoked.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The member’s acts of sexual misconduct warrant an order of the Committee’s most severe penalty available: revocation.”
Member: Jennifer Elizabeth Green-Johnson
Registration No: 187439
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended teacher Jennifer Elizabeth Green-Johnson for unprofessional behaviour toward her students, her use of profanity in the classroom and various inappropriate comments made to students.
Green-Johnson, employed by the Grand Erie District School Board, was certified to teach in June 1996. She attended the January 12, 2016, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
The misconduct included telling her students in January 2011 that she had been “raped” and therefore did not trust men around her children. When one student jumped on another student’s back during play wrestling, she said words to the effect of “so you like it from behind.”
Between September 2011 and December 2011, Green-Johnson made inappropriate comments to students in her class, such as “stop bitching and sit down” and using the words “stupid” and “idiots.”
Green-Johnson served two school board suspensions without pay for her repeated misconduct.
The Discipline Committee panel found Green-Johnson guilty of professional misconduct and suspended her certificate for one month. She was directed to appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand. Green-Johnson must also successfully complete, at her own expense, courses in appropriate boundaries with students and appropriate classroom management within three months of the oral decision.
“In particular, the Committee is concerned with the pattern of behaviour displayed by the member and the fact that the member’s conduct did not improve, even after several interventions by her board,” the panel said.
Member: Nicolae Gusita, OCT
Registration No: 206378
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded teacher Nicolae Gusita for failing to comply with an order from his prior disciplinary hearing.
Certified to teach in June 1994, Gusita attended the November 2, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
Gusita contravened conditions that a Discipline Committee panel imposed on his Certificate of Qualification and Registration at a February 28, 2013, disciplinary hearing. He failed to successfully complete either an Additional Qualification course in Special Education or a course to address deficiencies outlined during that hearing.
The Discipline Committee panel found Gusita guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that he appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In addition, he cannot return to teaching or any job that requires a teaching certificate until he successfully completes, at his own expense, a Special Education AQ course or a course that addresses the deficiencies outlined in the 2013 hearing. He must enrol in the course within 60 days of November 2, 2015, and complete it by July 1, 2016.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The Committee is concerned that the member, by his failure to comply with the terms of the prior order, demonstrated contempt for the governing authority of his profession, the Ontario College of Teachers. The terms, conditions or limitations ordered in the present matter will ensure that the member does not return to teaching until he complies with the Committee’s orders.”
Member: Robert James Harkes
Registration No: 170236
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded former Durham District School Board teacher Robert James Harkes for repeated misconduct and boundary violations with students.
Certified to teach in June 1990, Harkes attended the November 11, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
The member’s misconduct occurred throughout the 2012–13 school year. It included inappropriate touching and language, and remarks of a racist nature. Harkes also “displayed a troubling lack of self-control,” the panel noted in its written decision. He yelled at students, kicked furniture, and was unable to establish or maintain appropriate boundaries with his students.
Harkes retired from the school board on December 31, 2013.
The Discipline Committee panel found Harkes guilty of professional misconduct and directed that he appear before it immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In addition, Harkes must also successfully complete courses, at his own expense, regarding boundaries and boundary violation issues and anger management prior to returning to a teaching position.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The Committee finds that the courses of instruction regarding boundaries and boundary violation issues and anger management will assist the member, in the event of his return to teaching, to better communicate with his students in an appropriate and more sensitive manner.”
Member: George Bohdan Kolos, OCT
Registration No: 139062
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded former Toronto Catholic District School Board vice-principal George Bohdan Kolos for inappropriate conduct toward female colleagues at his school.
Certified to teach in May 1976, Kolos attended the November 17, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
In August and September of 2013, Kolos made inappropriate comments to female colleagues, which had a negative impact on the work environment of staff at the school. The comments included putting his hand on the back of a female colleague’s shirt and tucking in the exposed tag, saying words to the effect, “I will be like your husband and tuck your tag in.” Another colleague to whom he offered chocolate responded, “No thanks, I’m good,” to which the member replied “Oh, I know you are good.”
On March 17, 2014, following the school board’s investigation of the complaints, Kolos received a one-day, unpaid suspension, was administratively transferred to another school and was directed to take a one-on-one sensitivity course. Kolos retired from the board on June 30, 2014.
The Discipline Committee panel found Kolos guilty of professional misconduct and directed that he appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In addition, Kolos must successfully complete, at his own expense, a course in boundaries and boundary violation issues with respect to colleagues prior to taking any teaching position.
The committee recognized that Kolos had a lengthy and unblemished teaching career prior to these proceedings; however, his conduct was serious, repeated and directed at numerous colleagues.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “Although the member may not have intended for his comments or gestures to be offensive, his conduct demonstrated a troubling pattern of behaviour that he ought to have known was offensive, inappropriate and unprofessional.”
Member: Evgeny Kopylov, OCT
Registration No: 449018
Decision: Reprimand
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded occasional teacher Evgeny Kopylov for a “pattern of dishonest behaviour for personal gain” after he took personal illness days from one school board to maintain his employment with another board, and was paid by both.
Certified to teach in February 2004, Kopylov attended the December 8, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
Kopylov had been an occasional teacher with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board since April 2008. To maintain his position on the board’s occasional teachers list, he was required to teach at least seven full days every five months during the 2011–12 and 2012–13 school years.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board employed Kopylov as a long-term occasional teacher for the entire 2011–12 school year. During this time, Kopylov took 11.5 personal illness days from the Toronto board to work as an occasional teacher for the Dufferin-Peel board.
Kopylov was paid by both boards for those 11.5 days. He has since made full restitution to the Toronto board for those absences.
The Toronto board removed Kopylov from its long-term occasional teachers list for three years. The Dufferin-Peel board removed him permanently from its occasional teachers list.
The Discipline Committee panel found Kopylov guilty of professional misconduct and directed that he appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The Committee is troubled that the member was paid by both boards for these days and it finds the member’s conduct to have been deceitful and self-serving. The member did not appear to show concern for the disruption that his repeated absences caused to either the Toronto board or his students.”
Member: Yvan Rhéal Michaud
Registration No: 507999
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’Ontario teacher Yvan Rhéal Michaud in connection with a criminal conviction for drug trafficking.
Certified to teach in July 2006, Michaud did not attend the December 9, 2015, hearing, nor was he represented by legal counsel.
Michaud sold one pound of marijuana to an undercover police officer for $2,400 on June 12, 2012, while he was a full-time teacher, according to court documents.
He pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled substance in 2014 and was given a 12-month conditional sentence.
The Discipline Committee panel found Michaud guilty of professional misconduct and suspended his Certificate of Qualification and Registration for 24 months. He was directed to appear before the committee to receive a reprimand prior to accepting a teaching position.
He must also successfully complete, at his own expense, a professional ethics course and inform the Registrar of any other drug-related criminal charges filed against him for the two-year period following the committee’s order.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “Firstly, the member became involved in drug trafficking, which undermined the public’s trust in the teaching profession. He knew or ought to have known the harmful effects of drugs on our communities. Secondly, he knew or ought to have known that the drug he sold could end up on the street and thus in the possession of young students, which could compromise their academic and social development. Thirdly, the member was motivated by greed.”
Member: Brian David Pennycook
Registration No: 310685
Decision: Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the certificate of Brian David Pennycook, a former Thames Valley District School Board secondary teacher, for engaging in a sexual relationship with a female student at his school.
Certified to teach in June 1969, Pennycook did not attend the January 27, 2016, hearing, nor was he represented by legal counsel.
Pennycook was involved in a sexual relationship with the student in the 1986–87 school year. He resigned from the school board in March 1987. Pennycook and the student later married and divorced.
The Discipline Committee panel found Pennycook guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be revoked.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The member abused the authority and trust vested in him in his role as a teacher, without regard for the well-being of the student. The member’s conduct was unacceptable and in conflict with the duty of a teacher to protect students.”
Member: Tiffany Dawn Sacco
Registration No: 472802
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended the certificate of teacher Tiffany Dawn Sacco for providing false information about her professional qualifications to her school board.
Certified to teach in March 2004, Sacco did not attend the May 14, 2013, hearing, nor was she represented by legal counsel.
Sacco, who was employed by the District School Board of Niagara, falsely advised the board in May 2011 that she had completed the Additional Qualification course French as a Second Language (FSL), Part 1, at Queen’s University. She also provided information and documents to the board that she falsely claimed to have received from Queen’s.
The false information was discovered when a principal checked Sacco’s resumé against the member’s qualifications on the College’s public register, and found she did not have FSL. Sacco resigned from the school board, effective August 31, 2011.
The Discipline Committee panel found the member guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that her teaching certificate be suspended for four months.
She was also directed to appear before the committee to receive a reprimand and to successfully complete a course in professional ethics, at her own expense, prior to starting any job that requires a teaching certificate.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The public expects to have qualified members of the profession teaching their children in the classroom.”
Member: Not identified
Decision: Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the Certificate of Qualification and Registration of a former teacher at the Halton District School Board for engaging in continuous sexual abuse of a student.
Licensed to teach in June 2004, the member did not attend the hearing on September 24, 2015. The member had legal counsel, but he was not present at the hearing.
The panel heard that in May 2005, following the member’s six months of communication with the student, she began to see him on a personal level. In the spring of 2007, they started to engage in sexual intercourse. They continued to have sexual intercourse many times over the next three years.
In July 2014, she was found guilty of a criminal charge related to her actions with the student. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail to be served intermittently and three years probation.
The court ordered a publication ban to restrict publication of information that could identify a complainant, a witness and the accused. The Discipline Committee is required to uphold this ban.
The committee panel found the member guilty of professional misconduct and directed the Registrar to revoke her Certificate of Qualification and Registration.
In its written decision, the panel said, “The member has forfeited the privilege of holding a teaching certificate and being a member of the profession.”
Member: Robert Joseph Towler
Registration No: 168087
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended former Halton Catholic District School Board teacher Robert Joseph Towler for repeated inappropriate conduct despite multiple warnings and sanctions by his school board.
Certified to teach in June 1986, Towler attended the November 9, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
In September 2009, Towler struck one student in the back of the head with a binder and hit another student in the back of the head with a book. Five students complained about the member’s class. Towler was suspended with pay pending an investigation regarding inappropriate behaviour.
The school board had previously disciplined Towler for inappropriate conduct toward students. On October 20, 2009, he was suspended for five days without pay as a result of the investigation. Following Towler’s October 27, 2009, return to the classroom, he yelled at students and made inappropriate and demeaning comments. Students complained to the school administration about his conduct. On December 14, 2009, the board’s director of education received a petition signed by the parents of eight students objecting to Towler’s return. He was terminated by the board on February 16, 2010.
The Discipline Committee panel found Towler guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be suspended for six months, from September 1, 2010, to March 1, 2011. He was also ordered to appear before the panel after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In addition, Towler must also successfully complete courses in anger management and classroom management, at his own expense, prior to returning to teaching.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The committee notes that the member missed opportunities to correct his behaviour and his teaching practices prior to this hearing and that he did not learn from his mistakes, even after being sanctioned by his board.”
Member: Lorna Stacey Van Duyse, OCT
Registration No: 183998
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Ottawa-Carleton District School Board teacher Lorna Stacey Van Duyse for inappropriate student discipline, classroom management issues and failing to properly supervise students.
Certified to teach in June 1991, Van Duyse attended the November 19, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
The member’s misconduct occurred over the course of two school years — 2009–10 and 2012–13 — and included a transfer to another school. During this time, the school board received numerous complaints from students and parents about the member’s treatment of students. She repeatedly engaged in the unfair treatment of students, which included yelling, giving unsuitable timeouts and making students stand in the hall for inappropriate amounts of time.
Van Duyse also made comments that humiliated and put down students. At times, she also failed to properly supervise students and to ensure their safety.
The Discipline Committee panel found Van Duyse guilty of professional misconduct and directed that she appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
Within 120 days of the decision, Van Duyse must also successfully complete a course, or courses, at her own expense, in classroom management with an emphasis on supervision and classroom safety, and effective student discipline.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The Committee finds that the member’s inappropriate conduct warrants a reprimand by her peers. The reprimand will allow the College to directly address its concerns with the member and will serve as a specific deterrent.”
The coursework will assist in the rehabilitation of the member, the committee added.
Member: Not identified
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded a Toronto Catholic District School Board teacher for being illprepared for the administration of an EQAO assessment and failing to adequately supervise students during the testing.
Certified to teach in June 1993, the member attended the December 10, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
EQAO testing took place at the member’s school from May 25 to June 5, 2009. During the administration of the EQAO language assessment in his classroom and contrary to EQAO policies and procedures, the member:
The member did not pick up his EQAO materials until the day of the test, not giving himself adequate time to read the materials and prepare for it.
The Discipline Committee panel found the member guilty of professional misconduct and directed that he appear before it immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
The member must also successfully complete, at his own expense, a course regarding ethics in the profession.
In its decision, the committee stated, “The member’s misconduct warrants a reprimand. The reprimand will serve as a specific deterrent and it will allow the College to address its concerns with the member.”
Member: Meghane Elizabeth Webster, OCT
Registration No: 469001
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Durham District School Board teacher Meghane Elizabeth Webster for inappropriate communications with students that crossed professional boundaries.
Certified to teach in June 2003, Webster attended the November 20, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
Webster taught at an Oshawa school and was a trainer on a school team. She engaged in inappropriate conversations with students on Facebook and continued to correspond with students after she was warned about this issue by her vice-principal in November 2011. She also:
Following parent complaints to the authorities concerning the inappropriate texts, the police initiated an investigation and notified the Children’s Aid Society. Ultimately, the police decided to not lay charges and the Children’s Aid Society closed its file without taking action, but found evidence that Webster had become “too involved” with a student.
Board administrators met with Webster on December 15, 2011. She was advised to remove her Facebook page, to refrain from further discussion of this type through any form of communication with students and to take a boundaries course, which she has completed. She was no longer permitted to be a staff adviser or coach of any boys’ sports teams. She was transferred to another school.
The Discipline Committee panel found Webster guilty of professional misconduct and directed that she appear before it immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand. It also ordered her to complete a course on professional ethics, at her own expense, to remind the member of the standards expected of her as a teacher regarding maintaining boundaries with students.
In its decision, the panel noted Webster’s “recurrent inappropriate communications” and “her repeated disingenuous, manipulative and self-serving behaviour.” It found that these and other aggravating factors far outweighed the mitigating factors in this case.
Member: Derek Martin Winer, OCT
Registration No: 495352
Decision: Reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel reprimanded Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board teacher Derek Martin Winer for his inappropriate comments and conduct toward female colleagues and for taking his class into a store displaying marijuana paraphernalia.
Certified to teach in November 2005, Winer attended the December 8, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
During the 2011–12 school year, Winer made comments to several female colleagues that often drew attention to their bodies or physical appearance and sometimes involved overt sexual connotation. Inappropriate touching also occurred.
On October 18, 2012, he took three students to the public library and, en route, he decided they had to stop and regroup because the students needed to calm down. He moved the students into a convenience store that displayed devices such as water bongs and pipes to smoke marijuana.
Winer received two discipline letters from the school board in May 2013, was suspended for a total of 15 days without pay and was required to complete a boundaries course. He was transferred to another school in the board at his own request for the 2013–14 school year.
The Discipline Committee panel found Winer guilty of professional misconduct and directed that he appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In addition, Winer must successfully complete, at his own expense, a course regarding communication skills with colleagues and the maintenance of professional boundaries.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The member demonstrated a pattern of behaviour that involved inappropriate verbal and physical interactions with his colleagues … One colleague told the member to ‘back off’ and he failed to respond appropriately.”
The committee also found that Winer exercised poor judgment when he entered a store displaying marijuana paraphernalia with his students.”
Member: Not identified
Decision: Suspension, reprimand, conditions
A Discipline Committee panel suspended and reprimanded a Limestone District School Board teacher for failing to adequately supervise students during a trip.
Certified to teach in June 1987, the member attended the October 29, 2015, hearing and was represented by legal counsel.
The member and an educational assistant chaperoned a male and a female student to a conference. The trip, from November 18 to 29, 2010, included the weekends before and after the conference.
For part of the trip, the member allowed the two students to share a hotel room instead of assigning the rooms by gender. Neither the students’ parents nor the school board agreed to this arrangement. He permitted the students to drink alcohol and he also consumed alcohol in their presence. This is against board policy.
The school board suspended the member for five unpaid working days during April 12 to 18, 2011.
The member was diagnosed with Lyme disease in August 2009. He believes that it impaired his judgment and contributed to the misconduct.
The Discipline Committee panel found the member guilty of professional misconduct and suspended his certificate for five working days. He was also ordered to appear before the panel immediately after the hearing to receive a reprimand.
In addition, he must successfully complete a course, at his own expense, in the appropriate supervision of students and professional boundaries.
In its decision, the panel wrote, “The Committee finds that the member’s misconduct warrants a reprimand. The reprimand will serve as a specific deterrent and will allow the College to address its concerns with the Member.”
Copies of the full decisions are available at oct-oeeo.ca/1NWS629