Pauline Smart

The member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct and incompetence after failing to adequately supervise a student who went missing from class for approximately one hour.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and imposing terms, conditions, and limitations on the member's certificate, including the completion of an Additional Qualification course focused on classroom management and student supervision.

The Committee also ordered that a summary of the decision be published in the College's official publication without the member's name, finding that mitigating factors, including the member's guilty plea and the isolated nature of the incident, outweighed the aggravating factors.

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

The parties agreed to withdraw the allegations in exchange for the Member's undertaking to resign immediately, never seek reinstatement, and never teach again in Ontario.

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

The member was found guilty of professional misconduct for falsely reporting to school administrators that a colleague had physically and sexually abused a student.

The Discipline Committee found that the member had no reasonable grounds to suspect abuse and that her false allegations were extremely damaging to her colleague's career and personal life.

At the penalty hearing, the College sought revocation of the member's teaching certificate, while the member argued for a lesser penalty, citing her unblemished record and the potential chilling effect on the duty to report.

The Committee concluded that the aggravating factors, including the severity and repeated nature of the false allegations, significantly outweighed the mitigating factors.

The Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration and directed that the decision be published with her name.

The Member, a teacher, pled guilty to professional misconduct arising from a school trip where he arranged for a male and female student to share a hotel room, allowed an unapproved adult to stay in his room, and consumed alcohol with the students.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and Joint Submission on Penalty.

The Member was reprimanded, suspended for five days, and ordered to complete remedial coursework.

The Committee ordered publication of the decision without the Member's name, noting his prior unblemished record and the fact that he had already served a suspension from his school board.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member for posting photographs of two grade [XXX] students on his personal social media without parental permission and for giving inappropriate gifts to students.

The member did not attend the hearing.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, noting that his actions crossed professional boundaries and violated student privacy.

Given the member's prior discipline history for similar conduct, his failure to cooperate with the investigation, and the seriousness of the boundary violations, the Committee ordered the immediate revocation of his Certificate of Qualification and Registration.

The member, a teacher, pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct involving physical, verbal, and psychological abuse of three young students.

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 reprimand and requiring proof of successful completion of behavioural management, restorative practices, and anger management training.

The Committee also ordered that the member's name be published in the College's official publication, rejecting the member's argument for publication without name, to serve as a specific and general deterrent.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for allegedly making false reports about a colleague.

The member was accused of calling the colleague a liar in front of students and staff, falsely reporting that the colleague stepped on a special needs student's toes, and falsely reporting that the colleague inappropriately touched the student.

The Discipline Committee found that while the 'liar' incident occurred, it did not amount to professional misconduct.

However, the Committee concluded that the member falsely reported the physical and sexual abuse allegations without reasonable grounds.

The Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct for making groundless allegations that tarnished her colleague's reputation.

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

The withdrawal was sought in exchange for an undertaking and acknowledgment signed by the member, in which he agreed to resign his membership immediately and never seek reinstatement or teach again in Ontario.

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

The Member, a high school teacher, pled guilty to professional misconduct for using inappropriate language towards students, failing to supervise students, and taking students off school property in his personal vehicle without permission.

The Discipline Committee accepted the guilty plea and the joint submission on penalty.

The Member was reprimanded, ordered to complete a course on professional ethics and boundaries, and the findings were ordered to be published with his name.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for professional misconduct relating to her use of excessive discipline, including yelling at and pushing students.

The member pleaded no contest to the allegations and admitted to the facts.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct for failing to maintain the standards of the profession, unprofessional conduct, and conduct unbecoming a member.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, required the member to complete a course on classroom management and discipline strategies before returning to teaching, and directed publication of the decision with the member's name.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member who had been convicted of attempted murder, harassment, and other criminal offences.

The member had struck his former girlfriend's new partner with a motor vehicle and breached a restraining order.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, noting that his actions fell far below the standards expected of teachers.

The Committee ordered the revocation of the member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration, emphasizing the need for public protection and general deterrence.

The Member, a teacher, pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct arising from an inappropriate personal relationship with a depressed student.

The relationship involved late-night phone calls, text messaging, and giving the student letters and cards expressing love.

The Discipline Committee accepted the plea and found the Member guilty of professional misconduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the Member's teaching certificate.

The Committee also ordered that the decision be published with the Member's name, finding that publication was necessary for specific and general deterrence, transparency, and accountability.

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

The College advised that the key witness and his parents had not responded to repeated attempts to communicate, leaving no reasonable prospect of obtaining a finding of professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion, finding the withdrawal to be reasonable, appropriate, and in the public interest.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for engaging in boundary violations with students, including taking them to a movie, driving them in her vehicle, and having lunch with them.

The member pleaded no contest to the allegations and admitted that her actions constituted professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering the member to receive counselling and complete a course on boundary violations.

The Committee also ordered publication of the decision in summary form without the member's name, noting her unblemished 24-year career and early acceptance of responsibility as mitigating factors.

The member faced allegations of professional misconduct after police found child pornography on his home computer.

Although criminal charges were stayed due to a Charter violation (delay), the member signed an agreed statement of facts and pleaded guilty to professional misconduct before the Discipline Committee.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering the immediate revocation of the member's teaching certificate and publication of the decision with his name, emphasizing that possession of child pornography renders an individual unsuitable for a position of trust over children.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member following his criminal conviction for sexual interference involving a former student.

The member did not attend the hearing.

Relying on the certificate of conviction and court documents, the Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse of a student.

The Committee revoked the member's certificate of qualification and registration, noting that his conduct brought the profession into disrepute and required the maximum penalty to protect the public interest.

The member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct and sexual abuse of students after admitting to taking upskirt photographs of female students in his classroom.

The member had previously pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of accosting or annoying persons of the opposite sex in Massachusetts.

The Discipline Committee accepted the agreed statement of facts and joint submission on penalty, ordering the revocation of the member's teaching certificate.

The Committee also ordered that the member's name be published in the College's official publication, finding that transparency and deterrence outweighed the member's mitigating factors.

The Member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for using pseudonyms to send emails and post online comments falsely alleging that a student was bullying her child, and making false allegations about the student's parents.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and the completion of courses on ethics and professional boundaries.

The Committee also ordered that the findings and order be published with the Member's name in the College's official publication, rejecting the Member's request for anonymity given her disregard for the privacy and reputation of others.

The member, a teacher, engaged in an inappropriate Facebook chat with a student about drinking alcohol at the member's home.

The member pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of failing to maintain the standards of the profession, engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct, and conduct unbecoming a member.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and the completion of a course on appropriate boundaries.

The Committee also ordered that the findings and the member's name be published in the College's official publication.

The Member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after allowing an underage student to attend an adult party at her home, consume alcohol, and sleep over.

The Member also posted inappropriate photos of herself on Facebook identifying herself as a teacher, and subsequently misled her employer during the investigation.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, completion of an ethics course, and publication of the decision with the Member's name.