Quebec school districts are improperly handling teacher misconduct cases: report

Quebec's education minister says it doesn't make sense that a teacher can commit sexual misconduct and then be transferred without consequences to another school district. Bernard Drainville made his comments Friday in reaction to a report that identified numerous shortcomings in how misconduct cases against teachers are treated within the school network.

Quebec's education minister says it doesn't make sense that a teacher can commit sexual misconduct and then be transferred without consequences to another school district.

Bernard Drainville made his comments Friday in reaction to a report that identified numerous shortcomings in how misconduct cases against teachers are treated within the school network.

Drainville requested the report earlier this year after several allegations of sexual misconduct in schools came to light.

The report raises several problems with the way teachers' files are handled, including a lack of communication between schools and limited training for people who intervene in misconduct cases.

It says schools should do a better job of researching teachers' criminal histories, noting that it is currently up to the teachers to alert their employers if they are charged with crimes.

The report also recommends that school districts improve the way they share information with each other to better detect problematic employees at the time of hiring.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 1, 2023.