Investigation Committee Case Study

What Would You Do?

The College's Investigation Committee considers all complaints made to the College about its members and reviews all information resulting from investigations. The committee can dismiss a complaint or refer the matter, in whole or in part, to the Discipline or Fitness to Practise committees for a hearing.

The Investigation Committee may also caution or admonish the member in writing or in person, or provide written reminders or advice, or ratify a Memorandum of Agreement reached through the complaint resolution process.

By law, cases under investigation are confidential. For the education of members, the following account, based on facts from real cases, raises important questions about teacher conduct, such as what is appropriate and what is not. Details have been altered to respect confidentiality.

The College Registrar initiated a complaint against Jim, a high school teacher charged with assaulting and threatening his spouse.

Jim denied the allegations and said they had nothing to do with his work as a teacher.

Jim had never been the subject of these types of allegations before, nor had anyone ever expressed concern about his work at school or in the classroom.

The allegations, which involved physically and verbally assaulting his spouse, included the following:

• pushing his husband against the wall;
• slapping him with an open hand four times on the back of the head;
• pulling his husband by the hair and punching him on the shoulder; and
• saying to his husband, "I am going to break your neck" and "You deserve to be hit every day."

If you were a member of the Investigation Committee panel, what would you do? Would you refer the matter to the Discipline Committee?

The Outcome

The panel decided to refer the matter to the Discipline Committee.