Pauline Smart

At a discipline hearing, the member attempted to enter a plea of no contest pursuant to an agreement with the College.

However, the member made statements to the panel that raised concerns about the validity of the plea and the agreement.

After giving the member an opportunity to speak with counsel, the member maintained his position.

On its own motion, the panel declined to accept the Statement of Uncontested Facts and Plea of No Contest, and adjourned the matter to be heard as a contested hearing before a newly constituted panel.

The Member brought a motion for the production of third-party records from the Children's Aid Society, the York Regional Police, and the York Catholic District School Board, as well as for the disclosure of contact information for two student witnesses.

The Discipline Committee applied the O'Connor test and ordered the production of police records, finding them likely relevant and that the balance of interests favoured production.

The Committee denied the production of CAS records for lack of relevance, and denied the production of student grades from the Board, finding them privileged under the Education Act.

The Committee also ordered the College to disclose the students' contact information to the Member's counsel only, to balance the Member's right to make full answer and defence with the witnesses' privacy interests.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for professional misconduct, alleging physical, verbal, and psychological abuse of students, as well as making racist, sexist, and inappropriate comments.

The member pleaded no contest to the allegations and entered into an agreement with the College.

The Discipline Committee accepted the uncontested facts and found the member guilty of professional misconduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a written reprimand, noting that the member had already resigned his membership and undertaken never to seek reinstatement or teach in Ontario again.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member following his criminal convictions for sexual assault and sexual exploitation of several students and individuals.

The member admitted to the allegations and pled guilty to professional misconduct, including sexual abuse of students.

The Discipline Committee accepted the agreed statement of facts and found the member guilty of professional misconduct.

Pursuant to the mandatory penalty provisions in the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996, the Committee ordered that the member be reprimanded and that his certificate of qualification and registration be immediately revoked.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member for professional misconduct, alleging verbal, psychological, and emotional abuse of students.

The member admitted to the facts, which included yelling, swearing, throwing a chair, and making culturally insensitive comments.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct.

The parties agreed on a reprimand, coursework, and terms, conditions, and limitations related to the member's medical condition, but contested the length of the suspension.

The Committee ordered a five-month suspension, finding it proportionate to the gravity of the misconduct, which involved a pattern of aggressive and abusive behaviour that compromised student safety and well-being.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member for professional misconduct, alleging a pattern of inappropriate conduct towards female students between 2009 and 2017.

The member pleaded no contest to the allegations, which included making sexually suggestive remarks, staring at students' bodies, and engaging in unwanted physical touching.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse as defined in the Ontario College of Teachers Act.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the member's teaching certificate and issued a written reprimand, noting that revocation is mandatory for findings of sexual abuse.

The member, a teacher, engaged in an inappropriate personal relationship with a student, which included providing the student with alcohol and cigarettes, engaging in sex talk, and committing indecent acts in the student's presence.

The member was criminally convicted of exposure and invitation to sexual touching.

At the discipline hearing, the member pleaded no contest to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse of a student.

Pursuant to the mandatory penalty provisions of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, the Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the member's teaching certificate and a written reprimand.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought professional misconduct allegations against the Member for engaging in an inappropriate personal and sexual relationship with a student.

The matter proceeded by way of an Agreed Statement of Facts and Guilty Plea.

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

Pursuant to the mandatory penalty provisions of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996, the Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration and directed that she receive a written reprimand.

The Member, who was self-represented, brought two motions before the Discipline Committee of the Ontario College of Teachers: a motion for an indefinite adjournment of his discipline hearing, and a motion for the production of third-party records to compel a doctor to author a medical report.

The College consented to an adjournment but opposed it being indefinite.

The Panel granted the adjournment to allow the Member time to retain counsel and obtain medical evidence, but imposed a six-month timeframe and conditions, finding that an indefinite adjournment was not in the public interest.

The Panel dismissed the production motion, ruling that it was not the appropriate mechanism to compel a third party to create an expert report.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member who had been criminally convicted of communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual services for consideration.

The member had approached a person under 18 years old on the street and offered money for oral sex.

The Discipline Committee found that the member's conduct constituted professional misconduct, including sexual abuse of a student, as the victim met the statutory definition of a student.

Pursuant to the mandatory penalty provisions of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996, the Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the member's certificate of qualification and registration, and directed that the member receive a written reprimand.

The Member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after repeatedly engaging in aggressive, violent, and threatening behaviour towards his Principal and colleagues.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and Joint Submission on Penalty, finding the Member guilty of professional misconduct.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a three-month suspension of his teaching certificate, and the completion of a conflict resolution and anger management course.

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

The member consented to the motion.

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

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

The member admitted to making inappropriate comments to students, treating female students differently, and giving expensive gifts to two female students, which made them uncomfortable.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including failing to maintain professional standards and psychological or emotional abuse.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and requiring the member to complete a course on appropriate boundaries with students.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a high school teacher for professional misconduct, alleging boundary violations with multiple female students and the sexual abuse of one student.

The Discipline Committee found that the member engaged in inappropriate personal relationships with students, including driving them in his personal vehicle and spending time alone with them.

Furthermore, the member engaged in a sexualized email relationship with a student, groomed her for sexual contact, and ultimately had sexual intercourse with her after she graduated.

The Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse, failing to maintain professional standards, and disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The member's certificate of qualification and registration was revoked, and a summary of the decision was ordered to be published with his name.

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

The member consented to the motion.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion, noting that the member would be directed to be dealt with by another committee of the College, and found that the withdrawal was reasonable and served to protect the public interest.

The Member, a teacher, pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct after she aggressively confronted, yelled at, and threatened two young students following a schoolyard incident involving her own child.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, including verbal and emotional abuse of a student.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and the completion of an anger management course.

The Committee also ordered that the Member's name be published in the College's official publication, finding that the serious nature of the misconduct outweighed the mitigating factors.

The Discipline Committee of the Ontario College of Teachers held an undefended hearing regarding allegations of professional misconduct against the Member.

The Committee found that the Member committed acts of professional misconduct contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97 and the Education Act.

The Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration, publication of the decision, a $5,000 fine, and $10,839 in costs.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a motion seeking leave to withdraw allegations of professional misconduct against the Member, citing insufficient evidence and no reasonable prospect of obtaining a finding.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion pursuant to Rule 13.13 of its Rules of Procedure, finding the withdrawal reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances.

The Member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for teaching a long-term occasional assignment while his teaching certificate was suspended by a previous order of the Discipline Committee.

The Member failed to notify his employer of the suspension.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a five-month suspension of the Member's certificate, and publication of the decision with the Member's name.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a shop teacher for multiple incidents of verbal, physical, and psychological abuse of students, as well as endangering student safety.

The Discipline Committee found the teacher guilty of professional misconduct, noting he used profane language, threw objects at students, pushed a student's head onto a table saw, and deliberately scratched a student's safety glasses before instructing him to weld.

The Committee ordered the revocation of the teacher's Certificate of Qualification and Registration and directed publication of the decision with his name.