(Everyday For Life Canada) — A Toronto Catholic District School Board former student trustee filed a disciplinary complaint against Trustee Michael Del Grande with the Board. Del Grande has never taught a day in life but does have a teaching licence. The proceedings are all part of punishing Del Grande for making comments challenging the board’s Code of Conduct. He also dared to tell the student trustee who launched the complaint that Catholic teaching is against abortion. The developing unborn baby is not a mere bundle of cells. However, expressing a contrary point of view these woke days can be very costly, even when it supports Catholic doctrine and the board happens to call itself Catholic.
Today’s politically correct environment makes it difficult even for elected persons to speak out. We will come back to this point later. But first, a little background about complaints that go before the Ontario College of Teachers and the decisions made.
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The quarterly magazine Professionally Speaking by the Ontario College of Teachers informs “its members about the activities and decisions of the College. The magazine provides a forum for discussion of issues relevant to the future of teaching and learning, teachers’ professional learning and standards of practice.” The last issue was published in December 2021.
The magazine also reports the results of cases brought before “three-member panels of the Discipline Committee to assess alleged teacher incompetence or professional misconduct. The certificate of a member found to be incompetent or guilty of professional misconduct may be revoked, suspended, and/or made subject to terms, conditions or limitations.”
The worst punishment is the revocation of the license to teach. In this issue, we find the decision reached for 30 teachers, and 15 of them had their certificates revoked. That’s the worst punishment possible. What was the professional misconduct that cost them their teaching licences? While each case is a little different, the 15 teachers lost their certificates because they had committed serious sexual abuse, sexual assault, or were in possession of pornography. They all committed a criminal act.
Here’s one case:
MEMBER Gary George Somerfield; REGISTRATION NO 169611; DECISION Revocation, reprimand
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the teaching certificate of Gary Somerfield, a teacher formerly employed by the Lakehead District School Board, for possessing child pornography. Certified to teach in June 1986, Somerfield did not attend the hearing on April 29, 2021, and was not represented by legal counsel. Police seized 11 electronic devices belonging to Somerfield. Two of those items contained 58 unique digital images that met the definition of child pornography under the Criminal Code. Somerfield was found guilty of possessing child pornography in a criminal court. He was sentenced to six months of imprisonment, received a three-year probation order, and was made subject to a number of ancillary orders.
The Discipline Committee panel found Somerfield guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be revoked. The panel also ordered that he receive a reprimand. In its decision, the panel stated, ‘The Committee denounces the Member’s egregious misconduct in the strongest terms.’
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Here’s another:
MEMBER Quang Tran; REGISTRATION NO 503703; DECISION Revocation
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the teaching certificate of Quang Tran, a teacher formerly employed by the York Region District School Board, for sexual misconduct. Certified to teach in July 2006, Tran, who represented himself, did not attend the hearing on April 3, 2019. Tran communicated with a person he thought was a 15-year-old girl. He then arranged to meet her at a hotel room for the purpose of having paid sexual intercourse. When he went to the hotel room with cash, he learned that the girl was an undercover police officer.
In a criminal court, he was found guilty of two counts of luring a child, and one count of communicating with a person for the purpose of obtaining sexual services of a person under 18 years of age. Tran was sentenced to a total of nine months in custody and two years of probation.
The Discipline Committee panel found Tran guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be revoked. In its decision, the panel stated, ‘Members of the teaching profession hold a unique position of trust and authority, and through his reprehensible conduct, the Member undermined the trust and confidence that the public places in the profession.’
One more decision. Read about all disciplinary cases HERE.
MEMBER Kassandra Marie Penney; REGISTRATION NO 632981; DECISION Revocation, reprimand
A Discipline Committee panel revoked the teaching certificate of Kassandra Marie Penney, a teacher formerly employed by the District School Board Ontario North East, for sexually abusing a student. Certified to teach in June 2012, Penney did not attend the hearing on May 5, 2021, but was represented by legal counsel. Penney groomed the student with gifts and money, then engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with him for more than a year. She also engaged in a pattern of inappropriate conduct with three other students, which included socializing with them outside of school, providing them with alcohol and letting them stay at her residence without their parents’ knowledge.
The Discipline Committee panel found Penney guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that her Certificate of Qualification and Registration be revoked. The panel also ordered that she receive a reprimand in writing. In its decision, the panel stated, ‘By engaging in such reprehensible conduct, the Member demonstrated a fundamental breach of her duties as a teacher.’
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Let’s go back to the beginning. The reader can see just how serious the misconduct and decisions are reached in each of these cases. And rightly so. Criminal acts have been committed and an appropriate punishment must be handed out. The teaching certificate is revoked. The teacher could even end up in jail and probation.
But should a Catholic trustee be before the Ontario College of Teachers for speaking out against abortion? Of course not. He’s merely defending Catholic teaching. Should Trustee Del Grande be forced to go before a teacher disciplinary committee if he hasn’t taught a day in life? Of course not.
Yes, do punish serious teacher professional misconduct but not those who disagree with the woke mob and turn the process into a political witch hunt. This is a grave injustice being done to silence not just those with other views, but those who dare to defend Catholic doctrine, in a separate school board. Protecting the faith is exactly what he was elected to do. The Ontario College of Teachers should immediately dismiss this bad faith claim against Del Grande.
Reprinted with permission from Everyday For Life Canada.