‘Appalling’ says Legault of Quebec teacher screaming at first-graders
Posted April 25, 2023 6:06 pm.
Last Updated April 25, 2023 6:12 pm.
A Quebec teacher caught on tape screaming at her first-grade students has gotten a strong reaction from Premier François Legault.
“It’s appalling,” Legault said at a press conference Tuesday in Quebec City.
The incident involved a teacher at the École des Grands-Vents in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que.
“It’s completely unacceptable for children to be bullied like that, it’s totally unacceptable,” he said in disbelief.
Legault said he was happy to see the the teacher suspended and that investigations were launched by the Deux-Montagnes police department and the Centre de services scolaires des Mille-Îles.
Education Minister Bernard Drainville said he was left shaken by the recording.
“Honestly, it’s awful when I hear that. “It’s awful as a minister, and it’s awful as a father of three children.”
Drainville says a general investigation mandate applies in this case because it concerns any inappropriate behavior that puts the psychological safety of children at risk.
The minister believes the teacher should not have been in class.
“Certainly, in the state she was in, she was absolutely not able to teach children,” he said.
Drainville confirmed psychological support was offered not only to the children in the class and their parents, but to all children and parents in the school.
“Honestly, I can understand as a parent that these parents are in shock, that they fear that their child has been marked by this,” he said.
—This report by La Presse Canadienne was published in French and translated by CityNews
