Erica Richler

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, pled guilty to professional misconduct after engaging in verbally and emotionally abusive behaviour toward a colleague following the end of their consensual relationship.

The Member sent offensive and threatening text messages and continued to pursue the colleague despite being asked to stop.

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

The member, a contract teacher, was recorded on video taking $33.00 from a locked drawer in the school's office over a five-day period.

He resigned and later made restitution of $100.00.

The member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and the completion of a course on ethical behaviour.

The Committee also ordered that the decision be published with the member's name, rejecting the member's request for publication without name, emphasizing the need for transparency, accountability, and deterrence.

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

College counsel determined there was no evidence to support the allegations and no reasonable prospect of obtaining a finding of professional misconduct.

The member consented to the motion.

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

The member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for failing to maintain professional boundaries with a student.

Despite directions from the principal to cease contact outside of school, the member continued to communicate with the student electronically, met socially, and discussed the student's sexuality.

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

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct.

As the member had already resigned and undertaken never to teach again, the Committee ordered a reprimand and directed that the findings and order be published with the member's name in the College's official publication.

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

The key witness was reluctant to participate in a hearing.

The Member agreed to resign, undertake never to seek reinstatement or teach again in Ontario, and have his status marked as 'Resigned-Cancelled' on the Public Register.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion, finding the resolution reasonable and in the public interest.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought allegations of professional misconduct and incompetence against the Member following three unsatisfactory performance appraisals.

The Member struggled with classroom management, differentiating curriculum for ESL and special education students, and tracking student progress.

The College withdrew the professional misconduct allegations, and the Member pleaded no contest to the allegation of incompetence.

The Discipline Committee found the Member incompetent and, accepting a joint submission on penalty, ordered terms, conditions, and limitations on his certificate requiring the successful completion of an Additional Qualification course in special education or a remedial course.

The Member, a teacher, pled no contest to allegations of professional misconduct arising from inappropriate Facebook and text message communications with students, taking a student off school property for lunch without permission, and misleading Board officials about his conduct.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct.

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

The Committee also ordered the publication of the Member's name in the College's official publication, rejecting the Member's argument for privacy.

The member, a school principal, was found guilty of professional misconduct for publishing a weekly newsletter containing inappropriate and offensive jokes over a 23-week period.

The jokes referenced staff members, students, sexual content, race, and disabilities.

The Discipline Committee ordered that the member be reprimanded, complete a pre-approved course on professional boundaries before returning to any teaching position, and have the findings and order published with his name in the College's official publication.

The Member, a school principal, was alleged to have committed professional misconduct by publishing a weekly newsletter containing highly offensive, inappropriate, and sexually explicit content over a 23-week period.

The Discipline Committee found that the newsletters breached workplace policies and constituted sexual harassment.

The Committee concluded that the Member failed to maintain the standards of the profession and engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The Member was found guilty of professional misconduct.

The appellant, an undischarged bankrupt, appealed an order refusing to set aside a previous order that permitted the respondent to enforce several German judgments in Ontario.

The appellant argued that a mutual release signed in a separate action precluded the enforcement.

The Court of Appeal upheld the motion judge's finding that the release did not apply to the respondent, who was not a party to that action.

The Court also refused to admit a settlement agreement as fresh evidence, noting the appellant had previously refused to include it and it failed to meet the Palmer criteria.

The appeal was dismissed.

The Member, a teacher in a Deaf/Hard of Hearing Department, pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct for making inappropriate comments of a sexual nature to a female co-worker using American Sign Language.

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

The Committee ordered a reprimand, completion of a course on workplace boundaries, and publication of the decision in summary form without the Member's name, noting the lack of prior history and the specific deterrence already achieved.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for professional misconduct relating to boundary violations with two male students.

The member pleaded no contest to failing to maintain the standards of the profession and engaging in unprofessional conduct.

The misconduct included suggesting outings, giving an inappropriate birthday card, providing a disposable camera, hugging a student, and leaving students unsupervised.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, the completion of a course on appropriate boundaries, and publication of the decision without the member's name.

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

Upon consent of the parties, the Discipline Committee granted the motion and authorized the withdrawal of the allegations.

The Member, a school principal, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after being convicted of criminal harassment against a female teacher at his school.

The Member pursued an unwanted personal relationship with the teacher, including making unwanted phone calls, sending gifts, and besetting her home.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a three-month suspension to be postponed and waived if the Member completes a course on boundary violations and professional ethics, and publication of the decision.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for taking unauthorized photographs of female students using a cell phone camera, despite previous warnings from the principal.

The member pleaded no contest and admitted that his actions constituted professional misconduct, specifically failing to maintain the standards of the profession and engaging in unprofessional conduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, the completion of a course on appropriate boundaries, and publication of the decision without the member's name.

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

The College provided evidence that the member had passed away prior to the hearing.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion and authorized the withdrawal of the allegations.

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

The allegations were originally based on three unsatisfactory Teacher Performance Appraisals.

Since the Notice of Hearing, the Member completed four relevant courses and received two positive appraisals in her role as a Special Education Resource teacher.

The Member consented to the withdrawal.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion and authorized the withdrawal of the allegations.

The appellant appealed a judgment of the Superior Court of Justice.

On consent, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and ordered costs payable forthwith to the respondent in the amount of $19,000.

The Member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for failing to complete remedial courses on classroom management and professional boundaries within the time limit imposed by a 2006 Discipline Committee decision.

The Committee accepted the guilty plea and found the Member guilty.

While the Committee largely accepted the joint submission on penalty, it rejected the proposed reprimand and ordered publication without the Member's name, noting the Member was unrepresented, had no intention to return to teaching, and the breach was not intentional.

The Member's certificate was suspended for three months and he must complete the courses before returning to teaching.