Kimberley Westfall-Connor

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member for professional misconduct.

The allegations included consuming alcohol on a field trip, making inappropriate comments about rape, miscarriage, and vaginal tearing to a Grade 8 class, and sending inappropriate Facebook messages to a former student.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including verbal, psychological, and emotional abuse.

The Committee also found that the Facebook messages were of a sexual nature, constituting sexual abuse of a student under the Act.

An interim order suspending the member's certificate was issued pending the penalty phase.

The Ontario College of Teachers alleged that the Member engaged in professional misconduct by advising her school board that she was medically unfit to return to work, while simultaneously accepting a teaching position with another school board in a different province.

The Member requested and received sick leave benefits from her original employer while working for the new employer.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member issued false and misleading medical notes, failed to comply with the ethical standards of the profession, and failed to fulfill her duties under the Education Act.

The Committee concluded that the Member's actions constituted disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct, and made a finding of professional misconduct.

The member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for engaging in inappropriate electronic communications with two students via Instagram.

The member admitted to the allegations in an Agreed Statement of Facts and Guilty Plea.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including psychological or emotional abuse, failing to maintain professional boundaries, and conduct unbecoming a member.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a three-month suspension of the member's certificate, and the successful completion of a course on boundary violations.

The member, a teacher, faced disciplinary proceedings for professional misconduct involving boundary violations with two students.

The member admitted to meeting privately with a vulnerable student, hugging students, providing unqualified counselling, and disclosing personal struggles, which caused emotional harm.

The member also breached a school board directive by contacting the student while reassigned home.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, finding the member guilty of professional misconduct.

The member was reprimanded, suspended for six months, and ordered to complete a course on professional boundaries.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a motion seeking leave to withdraw allegations of professional misconduct against the Member.

The College cited evidentiary challenges and noted that the Member had resigned, surrendered her certificate, and signed an undertaking never to teach again in Ontario.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion, finding that the withdrawal of the allegations in exchange for the undertaking was reasonable and served to protect the public interest.

The Member, a school principal, engaged in a personal and sexual relationship with a subordinate teacher.

When the teacher ended the relationship, the Member retaliated by orchestrating her transfer to another school against her wishes.

The Member pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a five-month suspension, and the completion of a course on boundary violations and professional ethics.

The College brought a motion seeking leave to withdraw the allegations against the member set out in a Notice of Hearing.

The member consented to the motion.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion, noting that the member's case had already been dealt with by another Committee of the College and that the withdrawal was reasonable and served the public interest.

The Member, a teacher, was convicted of sexual interference and sexual exploitation under the Criminal Code for touching a young person for a sexual purpose.

At a discipline hearing, the Member pled guilty to professional misconduct based on these convictions.

The Discipline Committee accepted an agreed statement of facts and a joint submission on penalty.

The Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct and ordered a written reprimand and the immediate revocation of the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for inappropriate physical contact with two students in separate incidents.

In the first incident, he swept a student's legs out from under him to force him to sit.

In the second, he restrained an agitated student by the wrists and folded his arms across his chest.

The Member pleaded no contest to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found him guilty of professional misconduct, including physical abuse of students.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a one-month suspension, and the completion of a course on professional boundaries.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for professional misconduct.

The member repeatedly used instructional time to present personal, one-sided views about vaccines and made dismissive comments about mental health conditions, telling students that depression and anxiety were not real and that vaccines cause autism.

He also used disrespectful language, telling students to 'shut up' when they disagreed.

The member pleaded no contest to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including verbal and psychological abuse of students.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and a six-month suspension, noting that the member had also irrevocably resigned and undertaken never to teach again in Ontario.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member for professional misconduct, alleging inappropriate interactions with a student and several female colleagues.

The member pleaded no contest to the allegations, which included play-fighting and poking a student, and engaging in unwanted touching and inappropriate comments towards colleagues.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including physical and emotional abuse of a student, sexual misconduct, and conduct unbecoming of a member.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a four-month suspension of the member's certificate of qualification and registration, and the successful completion of a course on boundary violations.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought discipline proceedings against a member who submitted a forged reference letter when applying for a teaching position and was subsequently convicted of arson for setting fire to a neighbour's vehicle.

The member did not attend the hearing but entered into an Agreed Statement of Facts and Guilty Plea, admitting to professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering the immediate revocation of the member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration and a written reprimand, finding the conduct demonstrated a complete lack of integrity and trustworthiness required of the teaching profession.

The Member, a school principal, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct relating to the administration of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).

The Member failed to properly administer the test, failed to cooperate with an EQAO investigation into collusion and plagiarism, and submitted false test results to the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) after the EQAO withheld the actual results.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a five-month suspension of the Member's certificate, and the completion of a course on professional ethics.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for verbally and physically abusing a student.

The Member pleaded no contest to the allegations, admitting to raising her voice in anger at students and making unnecessary physical contact with a student that caused him to fall off his chair.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a four-month suspension of the Member's certificate, and the completion of coursework addressing professional boundaries and classroom management.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a teacher for failing to maintain appropriate boundaries with students, including communicating on social media against directions, allowing students to apply lotion to her back, and playing videogames in class.

The member pleaded no contest to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct and accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a one-month suspension, and mandatory coursework on professional boundaries and social media communication.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for making inappropriate comments and engaging in inappropriate physical contact with students.

The Member pleaded no contest to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, including verbal, physical, and psychological abuse, as well as sexual misconduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a 10-month suspension of the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration, and the completion of a course on professional boundaries.