Rebecca Forte

The Discipline Committee held a penalty hearing after finding the member engaged in professional misconduct by having an inappropriate relationship and sexual intercourse with a vulnerable student, and failing to report the student's mental health issues.

The College sought revocation, while the member sought a suspension, citing her religious conversion and remorse.

The Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration and a written reprimand, emphasizing the egregious nature of the conduct, the profound impact on the student, and the need for specific and general deterrence.

The Committee confirmed the member could apply for reinstatement after one year, as the conduct pre-dated the mandatory revocation provisions for sexual abuse.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against the Member, who was an educational assistant at the time of the alleged misconduct.

The Member admitted to engaging in an inappropriate personal relationship with a vulnerable student, which included giving him her personal phone number, lending him $3,000 to pay a gambling debt, and having sexual intercourse with him at her home.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member's conduct constituted physical and emotional abuse of a student, and was disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional under the regulations in force in 2004.

The Committee held that although the Member was not a registered teacher at the time, her conduct as an educator breached professional boundaries and constituted professional misconduct.

The member was previously found to have engaged in professional misconduct involving child pornography.

At the penalty hearing, the Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty.

Pursuant to the mandatory penalty provisions in the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996, the Committee ordered that the member be reprimanded and directed the Registrar to immediately revoke the member's certificate of qualification and registration.

The Member, an occasional elementary school teacher, was subject to a COVID-19 immunization disclosure policy requiring unvaccinated employees to submit rapid antigen test (RAT) results.

The Member repeatedly submitted false information and duplicate photographs of RAT results to her school board, even after being reminded of the proper procedures.

The Member pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of failing to keep records, issuing false documents, falsifying records, and engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, unprofessional, and unbecoming conduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand and required the Member to complete coursework on ethical practice.

The Member, a teacher, pled no contest to allegations of professional misconduct stemming from a sexual relationship with a student.

The Member had previously pled guilty to criminal charges of sexual assault regarding the same student.

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

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a written reprimand and the immediate revocation of the Member's teaching certificate, in accordance with the mandatory penalty provisions of the Ontario College of Teachers Act.

The member, a teacher, pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse of a student.

The member engaged in an inappropriate personal relationship with a student, which included making sexual remarks, buying gifts, and spending time alone.

After the student graduated, the member took her out for dinner and drinks, and kissed her.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct and sexual abuse.

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

The member, facing discipline proceedings for alleged sexual abuse of a student, brought a motion for the production of third-party records, including the student's attendance records from the school board.

Applying the second stage of the O'Connor test, the Discipline Committee panel found that the attendance records were relevant to the member's ability to make full answer and defence regarding the dates of the alleged inappropriate conduct.

The panel ordered the production of the attendance records, subject to redactions of the specific reasons for the student's absences to protect privacy interests.

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

The College submitted that the primary witness was unable to participate due to health and well-being concerns, leaving no reasonable prospect of obtaining a finding of professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion, finding that it was not in the public interest to proceed without sufficient evidence.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for engaging in inappropriate interactions and boundary violations with multiple female students, including physical touching, exchanging personal messages, and fostering personal relationships.

The Member pleaded no contest to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, including physical, psychological, and emotional abuse of students.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and an eight-month suspension, noting that the Member had already resigned and undertaken never to teach again.

The Member, a teacher facing allegations of professional misconduct including sexual abuse of a student, brought a motion for the production of third-party records.

The Member sought the complainant's mental health records and portions of his Ontario Student Record (OSR), including transcripts, attendance records, and Individualized Education Plans.

The Discipline Committee applied the Mills test to the mental health records and denied production, finding them not likely relevant and that the complainant's privacy interests outweighed any probative value.

Applying the O'Connor test to the school records, the Committee found that transcripts and IEPs were privileged under the Education Act.

However, the Committee ordered the production of the complainant's attendance records and the dates he had an IEP, as these existed outside the OSR, were not privileged, and were likely relevant to establishing the timeframe of the alleged relationship.

The Member, a teacher facing allegations of professional misconduct including sexual abuse of two students, brought two pre-hearing motions before the Discipline Committee.

First, the Member sought to sever the allegations relating to Student 1 from those relating to Student 2, arguing that hearing them together would cause prejudice through propensity reasoning.

Second, the Member objected to the College's intention to hold the hearing electronically, arguing that an electronic hearing for key witnesses violated section 7 of the Charter and breached his right to procedural fairness.

The Discipline Committee dismissed both motions.

Applying the factors from R. v. Last, the Committee found that the public interest in avoiding a multiplicity of proceedings outweighed any potential prejudice, and that the panel's structure mitigated the risk of propensity reasoning.

Regarding the electronic hearing, the Committee held that section 7 of the Charter does not protect the pure economic interest of practicing a profession.

Furthermore, applying the Baker factors, the Committee concluded that electronic hearings do not inherently hinder credibility assessments or violate procedural fairness.

The member was found guilty of professional misconduct for posting pictures and videos of the public without consent, and for posting derogatory, racist, and prejudicial statements online.

The member failed to participate in the discipline proceedings and publicly disparaged the College, demonstrating ungovernability.

The Discipline Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the member's certificate of qualification and registration, finding that he lacked insight, showed no remorse, and posed a risk to the public.

The member was also ordered to pay $15,000 in costs to the College.

The Discipline Committee held a penalty hearing for a teacher previously found to have engaged in professional misconduct by yelling at students, making threatening comments, and failing to follow school policies.

The member did not attend the hearing.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a four-month suspension commencing in September, completion of coursework on anger and classroom management, and a medical assessment prior to returning to teaching.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for verbally and psychologically abusing several students over three academic years.

The Member admitted to the allegations in an Agreed Statement of Facts, acknowledging she made intimidating, mocking, and insensitive remarks, and engaged in aggressive behaviour towards students, including those with Individual Education Plans.

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 her teaching certificate, and the completion of coursework on anger management, classroom communication, and student assessment.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for using inappropriate physical force against a student who had kicked him and was misbehaving.

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 failing to maintain the standards of the profession and engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct.

Accepting a Joint Submission on Penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand and imposed conditions on the Member's certificate requiring the completion of coursework in classroom management and anger management.

The Member applied for reinstatement of his teaching certificate, which had been deemed revoked under section 30.3 of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996 following a 2009 finding of professional misconduct involving the sexual abuse of a student.

The Member was permitted to apply for reinstatement because he had received a criminal pardon for his related conviction.

Applying the Lamarche factors, the Discipline Committee denied the application, finding that the Member lacked sufficient insight into his misconduct, had not undertaken adequate psychological counselling, and continued to view his relationship with the student as having developed naturally.

The Committee concluded that reinstatement would pose an unacceptable risk to students and negatively affect public trust in the profession.

The Registrar was directed to immediately revoke the Member's certificate.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member who was criminally convicted of sexually assaulting a former student he had coached.

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

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

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the member's teaching certificate and a written reprimand.

The Member, a teacher, admitted to professional misconduct after sending a nude photograph of himself to a colleague.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and Guilty Plea, finding the Member's actions constituted disgraceful, dishonourable, unprofessional, and unbecoming conduct.

Accepting a Joint Submission on Penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a two-month suspension of the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration, and the successful completion of a course on maintaining professional boundaries.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought allegations of professional misconduct against a member for taking surreptitious photos and videos of members of the public and posting them on social media with offensive, defamatory, and racist captions.

The member did not attend the hearing.

The Discipline Committee found that the member's off-duty conduct breached the ethical standards of the profession, failed to comply with the duties of a teacher under the Education Act, and constituted disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The member was found guilty of professional misconduct, with a penalty hearing to be scheduled.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a teacher for alleged professional misconduct, including verbal and emotional abuse of students, inappropriate boundaries, and threatening comments.

The Discipline Committee qualified the school principal as a participant expert and admitted her contemporaneous investigation notes as reliable hearsay.

The Committee found that the member frequently yelled at students, made threatening remarks such as 'I'm going to gun you down individually', and paid inappropriate attention to two students, causing them distress.

The member was found guilty of professional misconduct for failing to maintain the standards of the profession, abusing students verbally and emotionally, and engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

A penalty hearing was ordered to be scheduled.