Drainville wants to quickly oversee the management of sexual misconduct cases in schools

Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville wants to act by the start of the 2024 school year to crack down on sexual misconduct in schools, following the publication of a report that reveals numerous shortcomings.

Wrongdoing is perpetuated because employees move from one School Service Centre (SSC) to another without their records following them, because others benefit from amnesty, the heavily redacted report notes. It also found victims are poorly accompanied or the handling of their complaints is not transparent.

“I was surprised by the extent of the shortcomings, which explains my sense of urgency,” said Drainville on Friday morning at a press conference at the National Assembly to comment on the report.

He referred to improvements in the handling of complaints by the National Student Ombudsman, who took up his duties on Monday, only to hint that he would not be passing judgment on his work just yet.

The report refers in particular to the “culture of leniency”, “complacency” and even “conflicts of interest” in School Service Centres.

“I am extremely disturbed”, said the Minister in English.

The more than 120-page document, which looks at 18 cases, is representative of the current situation in schools, the Minister believes.

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“A sampling like this allows us to say that the report’s conclusions are based not on one incident or two, but on many incidents in many establishments, in many organizations. That’s what makes me think it’s a pretty good reflection of reality.”

The Minister is considering adding amendments to his massive Bill 23, which is currently before the National Assembly.

Drainville commissioned the inquiry following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct in schools. The work took place from March 21 to July 31. The report was submitted to the Minister on August 6 and made public on Friday.

He maintained that corrective measures will be put in place before the start of the 2024 school year, namely a more efficient complaints handling procedure, but also better support for victims and whistleblowers.

“Providing adequate support to victims, before, during and after the complaint, is as important as handling the complaint itself.”

The hundred-page document identifies several problems in the management of cases, including a lack of communication between the various employers, a lack of consistency in the supervision of teachers, and limited training for those involved.

In particular, one director “failed to take the necessary steps with the previous employer following information received that (the teacher) could pose a threat to the physical and moral integrity of students”.

In particular, the authors suggest improving the transmission of information from one employer to another in order to detect problematic employees as soon as they are hired. They also recommend better follow-up on the evolution of criminal records, since at present, it’s only up to the employee to keep their employer informed if their situation changes.

“It’s nonsense that a teacher, and more broadly, a service center employee, can commit sexual or violent acts and move from one service center to another without consequence,” deplored the Minister.

Drainville also expressed concern that certain sanctions imposed on staff are deleted from their files after a certain period of time.

For example, in Montreal, for teaching staff, a written warning remains on file for five months, while a written reprimand or suspension remains on file for 12 months.

The report recommends eliminating amnesty in cases of sexual misconduct and violence.

The Minister promised to hold discussions with the unions to ensure that the personnel file “is not an obstacle to the protection of children”. He also wants to ensure that checks continue to be carried out during employment.

The report also suggests that victims and whistleblowers should be better informed of the progress of complaints, as they are often not followed up.

In Montreal, “only a written complaint submitted by a person identified as a victim and providing sufficient detail can be deemed admissible”, which therefore rules out witnesses.

In other cases, we don’t even meet the victim, but his or her parents.

Another example: the teacher in question does not hold a teaching certificate, a situation that has become more common with the shortage of personnel. The sanction cannot therefore be to suspend the certificate.

The report therefore recommends a control mechanism for individuals without a certificate.

Drainville undertakes to make the suspension or revocation mechanism “simpler and more accessible”.

In a press release, Québec solidaire (QS) proposed that the Minister adopt the framework bill the party had tabled last spring to prevent and counter sexual violence in schools.

In recent months, several media outlets had exposed disturbing cases in schools. The report does, in fact, deal with some specific cases in schools in the Greater Montreal area, but these sections have been heavily redacted.

In all, 26 “problem situations” were assessed in the report, but 18 cases were retained and analyzed. Over 25 preparatory meetings were held with whistleblowers and witnesses. Nearly 80 interviews were conducted.

Four other “situations” were retained and will be dealt with at a later date.

Only one case involved a private school, Collège Saint-Charles-Garnier.

The National Student Ombudsman became operational on August 28. Anyone wishing to lodge a complaint can contact their school, the School Service Centre or their local Student Ombudsman to ensure that a complaint of a sexual nature is dealt with promptly.

Here is a list of the organizations studied and the individuals involved in the 18 cases:

• CSS des Trois-Lacs: secondary school teacher
• CSS des Affluents: elementary school teacher
• CSS des Mille-Îles: elementary school teacher
• CSS de Montréal: supervisory staff, three secondary school teachers and a recreation technician.
• CSS des Patriotes: secondary school teacher and primary school teacher
• CSS de la Pointe-de-l’Île: high school special education technician and high school teacher.
• CS Eastern Townships: incident not involving a staff member
• Collège Saint-Charles-Garnier: high school teacher
• CSS de Laval: trainer and high school teacher
• CSS des Premières-Seigneuries: high school teacher
• CSS Chemin-du-Roy: elementary school teacher and high school teacher.

-This Canadian Press article was translated from French by CityNews