Ontario College of Teachers v. Price, 2025 ONOCT 61

DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE OF THE ONTARIO COLLEGE OF TEACHERS

Citation: Ontario College of Teachers v Price 2025 ONOCT 61

Date: 2025-11-18

DECISION, REASONS FOR DECISION AND ORDER

IN THE MATTER OF the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996 and the Regulation (Ontario Regulation 437/97) thereunder;

AND IN THE MATTER OF a discipline proceeding against

Geoffrey William Price, a member of the Ontario College of Teachers.

BETWEEN:

ONTARIO COLLEGE OF TEACHERS

– and –

GEOFFREY WILLIAM PRICE (REGISTRATION #642178)

PANEL: Lois Figg, Chair Natasha Teja, OCT Anne Laflamme, OCT

HEARD: November 14, 2025

Sarah O’Neil, for the Ontario College of Teachers Geoffrey William Price, self-represented Erica Richler, Independent Legal Counsel

PUBLICATION BAN: Pursuant to subsection 32.1(3) of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996, no person shall publish the identity of, or any information that could disclose the identity of any person who is under 18 years old and is a witness in a hearing or is the subject of evidence in a hearing.

1This proceeding was heard electronically before a panel of the Discipline Committee (the “Panel”) of the Ontario College of Teachers (the “College”) on November 14, 2025, in accordance with rule 8.01 of the Rules of Procedure of the Discipline Committee and of the Fitness to Practise Committee.

2Geoffrey William Price (the “Member”) attended the hearing and did not have legal representation. The Panel was advised at the outset of the hearing that the parties had entered into an agreement with respect to the hearing.

A. PUBLICATION ban

3The Panel ordered a publication ban pursuant to subsection 32.1(3) of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996 (the “Act”), which makes such an order mandatory. Accordingly, no person shall publish the identity of, or any information that could disclose the identity of, any person who is under 18 years old and is a witness in a hearing or is the subject of evidence in a hearing.

B. THE ALLEGATIONS

4The allegations against the Member in the Notice of Hearing dated March 11, 2025 (Exhibit 1) are as follows:

IT IS ALLEGED that Geoffrey William Price is guilty of professional misconduct as defined in the Act in that:

(a) he abused a student or students verbally, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsection 1(7);

(b) he abused a student or students physically, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsection 1(7.1);

(c) he abused a student or students psychologically or emotionally, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsection 1(7.2);

(d) he committed acts that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsection 1(18).

C. STATEMENT OF UNCONTESTED FACTS

5College Counsel presented the Panel with the parties’ Statement of Uncontested Facts and Plea of No Contest (Exhibit 2), which provides the following:

1. Geoffrey William Price is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. Attached hereto and marked as Appendix “A” is a copy of the Ontario College of Teachers Registered Member Information with respect to the Member.

2. At all material times, the Member was employed by the Toronto District School Board as an occasional teacher.

3. In the 2022-2023 academic year, the Member was on assignment as a teacher at [XXX] Public School (the “School”) in Scarborough, Ontario.

4. In the 2022-2023 academic year, Student 1, Student 2, Student 4, and Student 5 were [XXX]-year-old male students at the School and Student 3 was a [XXX]-year-old female student at the School.

5. On September 28, 2022, the Member engaged in a physical and verbal altercation with Student 1 that was aggressive and intimidating. After Student 1 put his hands in his pants, the Member grabbed him and carried him over to the sink in the classroom in an angry manner. Student 1 became very upset and was crying to the point where he looked like he was going to vomit. The Member then grabbed Student 1 and carried him in one arm to a garbage can, and told Student 1 in an intimidating tone, “if you’re going to vomit then vomit!” The Member yelled at Student 1 that he was crying “for attention” and that it may work at home, but that it would not work at school. When the Member yelled at Student 1, he did so in close proximity to Student 1’s face. The Member’s actions scared the staff and other students in the room.

6. On September 28, 2022, the Member engaged in a physical and verbal altercation with Student 2 that was aggressive and intimidating. Student 2 was at the playdough table and was having a hard time sharing with other students. The Member walked over to Student 2, stood over him, and stated that he needed to share or he was going to have a “time out”. Student 2 began to cry. The Member responded by raising his voice and yelling at Student 2, “only babies cry at school” and that he needed to stop crying. When Student 2 continued to cry, the Member yelled at Student 2 again and repeated that “only babies cry at school”. The Member also yelled at Student 2 that if he did not stop crying, he would have to go to the “baby corner”. Student 2 did not stop crying. The Member then grabbed Student 2, carried him in one arm, and forcefully put Student 2 in a chair in the back corner of the classroom. The Member continued to yell at Student 2 in a close proximity to Student 2’s face, stating “only babies cry at school” and that he better stop crying or he will stay there.

7. On September 28, 2022, the Member engaged in a physical and verbal altercation with Student 3 that was aggressive and intimidating. While students were lined up by the classroom door to go inside the classroom, Student 3 was slowly coming over to the door. The Member yelled at Student 3 to “hurry up”. Student 3 tried to explain why she did not come to the door right away, but the Member continued to yell at her to hurry up. The Member told Student 3 that if she did not hurry up, she would have to go to time out. Student 3 started to speak, but the Member said, “we don’t say ‘but’ to the teacher. You come when you’re called.” Student 3 said “but” again. The Member then moved closer to Student 3, clapped his hands aggressively and close to her face, and stated in a firm voice, “we don’t say ‘but’ to the teacher.”

8. Later during the day on September 28, 2022, Student 3 was having trouble closing her snack bag. The Member yelled at Student 3 to hurry up. Student 3 said she was having trouble closing her bag. The Member then told Student 3, in an aggressive tone, to “stop talking back to the teacher” while close to Student 3’s face.

9. On September 28, 2022, the Member engaged in a physical and verbal altercation with Student 4 that was aggressive and intimidating. Student 4 was wearing a “chew toy necklace” because he frequently puts objects in his mouth. After Student 4 put the chew toy necklace in his mouth, the Member pulled the chew toy necklace out of Student 4’s mouth and told Student 4, in a firm voice, to “stop chewing”.

10. Later in the day on September 28, when Student 4 was playing with puzzle pieces in the back of a classroom, Student 4 put one of the puzzle pieces in his mouth. The Member said to Student 4, in a firm voice, “stop chewing things and spit it out.” Student 4 did not take the puzzle piece out of his mouth. The Member then yelled at Student 4 to “spit it out”. Student 4 began to cry as the Member physically pulled the puzzle piece from Student 4’s mouth.

11. Throughout the day on September 28, Student 4 put different items in his mouth and the Member continued to yell at Student 4, close to his face, stating “I told you to stop chewing things”, “spit it out”, and “stop putting things in your mouth”.

12. At one point on September 28, Student 4 put a large toy in his mouth. The Member yelled at Student 4, “I told you to stop chewing”. The Member then grabbed Student 4, put him on the floor, and yelled at him to “stay there”.

13. On September 28, 2022, the Member engaged in a physical and verbal altercation with Student 5 that was aggressive and intimidating. Before lunch, students were watching a video and mimicking the dance movements in the video. Student 5 was not participating. The Member asked Student 5 to try to dance, but Student 5 did not dance. The Member then grabbed Student 5’s arms and moved them to mimic the dance movements in the video. The Member told Student 5 to “do what they are doing.” The Member repeated himself a few times, getting louder each time he repeated himself. The Member then moved away from Student 5, but Student 5 continued not to dance. The Member asked if Student 5 heard him. Student 5 nodded his head, but did not dance. The Member then grabbed Student 5 and carried him in one arm to the back of the classroom in a forceful manner and placed him in a chair. The Member then yelled at Student 5 in a close proximity to his face.

14. After Student 5 sat in the chair for a few minutes, the Member asked Student 5 to dance again, telling him to “follow along like I showed you.” Student 5 continued not to participate. The Member threw his hands up in the air and walked away.

15. The conduct described in paragraphs 5 to 14 caused one or more students to experience adverse emotional and psychological effects.

PLEA OF NO CONTEST

16. By this document, the Member pleads no contest, for the purposes of this proceeding only, to the truth of the facts and appendices referred to in paragraphs 1 to 15 above (the “Uncontested Facts”).

17. The Member hereby acknowledges that paragraphs 5 to 15 of the Uncontested Facts constitute conduct which is professional misconduct as defined in the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996 and pleads no contest to the allegations of professional misconduct against him, being more particularly:

(a) he abused a student or students verbally, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsection 1(7);

(b) he abused a student or students physically, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsection 1(7.1);

(c) he abused a student or students psychologically or emotionally, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsection 1(7.2); and

(d) he committed acts that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsection 1(18).

18. By this document the Member states that:

(a) he understands fully the nature of the allegations against him;

(b) he understands that he is consenting to the evidence as set out in the Uncontested Facts being presented to the Discipline Committee;

(c) he understands that, by pleading no contest to the allegations, he is waiving the right to require the College to otherwise prove the case against him and the right to have a hearing;

(d) he understands that the Discipline Committee can accept the Uncontested Facts as correct, and can accept that those facts constitute professional misconduct;

(e) he understands that the Discipline Committee’s decision and reasons shall be published on the College’s website, and that a summary of the Discipline Committee’s decision and reasons, including his name, shall be published in the official publication of the College;

(f) he understands that any agreement with respect to the penalty proposed does not bind the Discipline Committee; and

(g) he understands and acknowledges that he is executing this agreement voluntarily, unequivocally, and with the advice of legal counsel.

19. The Member provides this plea of no contest pursuant to Rule 3.02 of the Rules of Procedure of the Discipline Committee and Fitness to Practise Committee under protection of the Evidence Act, R.S.O. 1990, for the purposes of this proceeding under the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996, and for no other purpose. The Member’s plea of no contest does not constitute an admission by the Member as to the facts or findings in any other civil, criminal or administrative proceeding.

20. In light of the Uncontested Facts and circumstances and the plea of no contest, the Ontario College of Teachers and the Member submit that the Discipline Committee find the Member guilty of professional misconduct.

D. DECISION

6Having considered the Statement of Uncontested Facts and Plea of No Contest and the submissions of College Counsel, the Panel rendered an oral decision on November 14, 2025, finding that the Member engaged in acts of professional misconduct as alleged, contrary to Ontario Regulation 437/97, subsections 1(7), 1(7.1), 1(7.2) and 1(18).

E. REASONS FOR DECISION

7The Member did not contest the facts and exhibits referred to in paragraphs 5 to 15 of the Statement of Uncontested Facts and Plea of No Contest and pled no contest to the allegations of professional misconduct against him. He acknowledged and the Panel accepts that the Uncontested Facts constitute professional misconduct under the heads of misconduct set out above. The Uncontested Facts demonstrate that the Member engaged in multiple physical and verbal altercations with very young students and demonstrated a pattern of intimidating and aggressive behaviour towards these students.

8The Member abused students verbally, contrary to 1(7) of Ontario Regulation 437/97. The Uncontested Facts demonstrate that the Member engaged in multiple verbal altercations with students and repeatedly used an intimidating and aggressive tone. The Member yelled at multiple students in close proximity to their faces and made several demeaning and hurtful comments. For example, the Member yelled at Student 1 and told him that he was crying “for attention”; the Member raised his voice and yelled at Student 2 and told him that he needed to stop crying and “only babies cry at school”; and, the Member clapped his hands aggressively close to Student 3’s face and stated in a firm voice that “we don’t say ‘but’ to the teacher” when Student 3 was trying to explain herself. Teachers must always speak to students in a respectful manner and must avoid yelling at students. Teachers should also never demean students or make disparaging comments towards students. Overall, the Panel finds that the Member’s manner of expression constitutes verbal abuse.

9The Panel finds that the Member physically abused students contrary to subsection 1(7.1) of Ontario Regulation 437/97. The Uncontested Facts demonstrate that the Member had multiple physical altercations with students. In particular, the Member grabbed multiple students and forcefully placed them either in a chair or on the floor. Additionally, when Student 5 did not participate in mimicking dance moves in a video, which was being shown to the class, the Member grabbed his arms and moved them in a way to force Student 5 to mimic the dance moves. Teachers must maintain appropriate physical boundaries with students and must never resort to physical intimidation to try to manage or exert authority in their classrooms. Such aggressive acts towards students, especially very young students, constitutes physical abuse.

10The Panel finds that the Member psychologically and emotionally abused students, contrary to subsection 1(7.2) of Ontario Regulation 437/97. The Member’s multiple physical and verbal altercations with students had a negative emotional impact on Student 1, Student 2, Student 3, Student 4 and Student 5. The Uncontested Facts demonstrate that the Member’s actions also scared the staff and other students in the classroom. Among other things, the Member’s intimidating and aggressive tone, and behaviour, including making demeaning comments towards students, yelling at students, clapping his hands in close proximity to students’ faces and forcefully grabbing and placing students in a chair or on the floor were emotionally and psychologically abusive towards the students affected. Additionally, multiple students began to cry as a result of the Member’s behavior.

11The Panel also notes that the Member yelled at Student 1 who then became very upset, began to cry and looked as though he was going to vomit, to which the Member responded, “if you’re going to vomit then vomit!”. By his conduct, the Member disempowered his students. For example, he repeatedly yelled at Student 3 who told him “but” and made multiple demeaning comments to students, such as “only babies cry at school”. The Member also grabbed Student 5’s arms to mimic the moves of a dance video eventhough Student 5 did not want to participate in dancing. The Panel is of the view that this behavior demonstrates the Member’s attempt to demoralize the young students in order to make them docile and cooperative. The Panel also infers that other children who witnessed the Member’s misconduct would experience adverse psychological and emotional effects, such as fear and discouragement. For the reasons highlighted, the Panel finds that the Member’s conduct was inappropriate and constituted psychological and emotional abuse.

12The Member’s numerous instances of misconduct are manifestly disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional, contrary to subsection 1(18) of Ontario Regulation 437/97. Through his conduct, the Member fell short of his professional duties when he behaved in a manner that was demeaning, intimidating and disempowering towards his students. By making demeaning comments, grabbing students and forcefully placing them on the ground or in a chair, in addition to yelling and clapping his hands in close proximity to students’ faces, the Member engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional conduct.

F. undertaking, agreement and acknowledgment

13On September 20, 2025, the Member entered into an Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgment with the College in which he agreed to the following terms:

1. I hereby resign as a member of the College and surrender irrevocably my Certificate of Qualification and Registration effective immediately.

2. I undertake that I will never seek reinstatement of my Certificate of Qualification and Registration.

3. I undertake that following my resignation, I will never teach again in any public or private school in Ontario or work in any position that requires membership in the College.

4. I acknowledge that I will not be entitled in the future to seek membership in the College after having resigned permanently from membership in the College and having irrevocably surrendered my Certificate of Qualification and Registration pursuant to this Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic].

5. I acknowledge that the College will be entitled to rely on this Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic] to deny any application I make to the College for registration, membership, or similar status with the College.

6. I acknowledge that my status on the Public Register of the College will be “Cancelled-Resigned” and the notation will read as follows:

“On September 20, 2025, the member resigned his membership with the Ontario College of Teachers and has undertaken never to teach again in any public or private school in Ontario or to work in any position that requires membership in the Ontario College of Teachers. The member has also undertaken never to seek reinstatement of his Certificate of Qualification and Registration. The member resigned his membership while a disciplinary proceeding was pending.”

7. I acknowledge that the College is authorized to provide information regarding this Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic] in response to any inquiries it receives from any authority that regulates the practice of teaching in any other jurisdiction.

8. I acknowledge and understand that the decision and reasons of the Discipline Committee in this matter will be available on the College’s website.

9. I understand and agree that this Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic] is legally binding on me and that the College may take any legal action against me to enforce it that the College deems appropriate.

10. I fully understand the terms of this Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic].

11. I confirm that I am entering into this Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic] voluntarily and without compulsion or duress, and that I have been advised by the College of my right to obtain independent legal advice on this Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic] and its contents. I have had ample opportunity to consult with legal counsel regarding the terms of this Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic] and any other related legal issues.

G. PENALTY Decision

14The parties entered into a Joint Submission on Penalty (Exhibit 3), which was presented to the Panel. In an oral decision rendered on November 14, 2025, the Panel accepted the Joint Submission on Penalty and made the following order:

1. The Member is directed to appear before the Discipline Committee immediately following the hearing of this matter to receive a reprimand, which will be delivered electronically, and the fact of the reprimand is to be recorded on the Register of the Ontario College of Teachers.

Acknowledgements[sic]

The College and the Member acknowledge that the above request is made with due regard for the Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgement [sic] in which the Member undertakes to permanently resign as a member of the College, attached as Schedule “A” to this joint submission.

H. REASONS FOR PENALTY DECISION

15The Panel accepts the penalty jointly proposed by the parties and notes that the Member has resigned as a member of the College and undertaken never to seek reinstatement and to never again work in any teaching position in a public or private school in Ontario or in any other position that would require a Certificate of Qualification and Registration.

16The Panel recognizes that, once it ensures that it has jurisdiction to make the order requested, the law confines the Panel’s role to determining whether the proposed penalty is so unreasonable that accepting it would bring the administration of the discipline process into disrepute or be otherwise contrary to the public interest.¹ The Panel finds that the penalty proposed in the Joint Submission on Penalty, in light of the Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgment, is neither unduly harsh nor unduly lenient such as to bring the administration of the discipline process into disrepute, based on the following prior decisions of the Discipline Committee presented by College Counsel: Ontario College of Teachers v. Mazerolle, 2022 ONOCT 88 (“Mazerolle”), and Ontario College of Teachers v. Campbell, 2022 ONOCT 6 (“Campbell”). Moreover, in reviewing Mazerolle and Campbell, the Panel is satisfied that the penalty agreed to by the parties is consistent with the caselaw presented.

17The Panel considered the Member’s circumstances in comparison to the cases provided. The aggravating factors in the Member’s case are that the Member’s students were extremely young (i.e., [XXX] years old) and involved repeated acts of verbal, physical, psychological and emotional abuse. In terms of mitigating factors, the Member did not contest his misconduct and entered into a voluntary undertaking, saving the time and expense of a contested hearing and very young witnesses from testifying. After weighing these factors, the Panel accepts that the penalty proposed, in conjunction with the Member’s Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgment, would not bring the administration of the discipline process into disrepute.

18The Panel finds that the Member’s pattern of abusive conduct towards very young children warrants a reprimand. Members are expected to treat students warmly and with respect, and to avoid engaging in harsh verbal and physical reprisal of students. The reprimand will allow the Panel to directly address its concerns with the Member and will serve as a specific deterrent. Recording the fact of the reprimand on the Register will serve as a general deterrent to other members of the profession.

19The Panel is further satisfied that the terms set out in the Member’s Undertaking, Agreement and Acknowledgment will ensure that students are never again exposed to the Member’s inappropriate and harmful behaviour.

20The Panel is satisfied that the penalty is appropriate in the circumstances and meets the principle of serving and protecting the public interest.

Footnotes

1. 1See R. v. Anthony-Cook, 2016 SCC 43, [2016] 2 S.C.R. 204, and Bradley v. Ontario College of Teachers, 2021 ONSC 2303.