Thirteen teacher complaints made in three months, misconduct report shows

THERE were 13 disclosures about teacher-related misconduct — with an “almost even” split between employer and public tipsters — during the first quarter of the year.

Four of the 13 initial cases flagged to Bobbi Taillefer, Manitoba’s commissioner of teacher professional conduct, were dismissed, according to a new 16-page report.

“Remember, it’s only certified teachers that are covered,” said Taillefer, whose office fields and investigates complaints.

“This is hypothetical — if a person made a complaint about a teacher that was uncertified and not covered by the legislation, then I would be required to let them know that this process does not cover that (teacher) and why.”

Concerns about limited-teaching certificate holders, such as uncertified substitute teachers, are dealt with through the education department’s professional certification unit, she said.

Uncertified teachers — oftentimes internationally trained educators in the process of upgrading their credentials or substitutes without an education degree — work in schools across Manitoba and are in demand in rural areas with shortages.

While Taillefer confirmed each dismissal was connected to a complaint made by a member of the public, she declined to share details because of the small amount of data compiled.

She refused to say whether an uncertified teacher’s conduct was flagged at any point this year.

Taillefer cited concerns about identifying individuals, including witnesses and respondents who have a right to due process. She did, however, pledge to include information about her first 15 months on the job in her 2025-26 report.

The francophone teacher has served in various union leadership roles throughout her 39-year career. She began her position as the province’s independent education commissioner in January.

Taillefer said she’s spent much of 2025 doing presentations to raise awareness about Manitoba’s new teacher registry. She’s met with trustees and human resources professionals to explain the online tool, which lists disciplinary records of certified kindergarten to Grade 12 teachers throughout the province.

The commissioner said she’s come to the realization educational outreach will always be a critical part of her job.

“My office is committed to transparency and will share more detailed data in future reports, once a larger volume of data is available to better inform stakeholders, partners and the public,” she wrote in the report.

“However, we are equally committed to protecting the privacy of individuals (including students and witnesses).”

Of the nine remaining cases, two were under investigation and seven were in the preliminary review stage as of March 31.

Taillefer is required by law to publish a report on teacher complaints annually. Subsequent summaries will include a roundup of findings throughout the fiscal year of April to March.

The first of its kind report includes incidents between Jan. 6 and March 31, as the new disciplinary protocols came into effect at the beginning of the year.

She has published two “consent resolution agreements” on the teacher registry since the report was released. She has the discretion to call a public hearing if any allegations are particularly egregious.

These contracts, commonly known as CRAs, include agreed-upon facts in a teacher misconduct case and consequences.

The latest one — the first agreement published entirely in French — describes a winter incident when a child’s mouth was taped shut in response to their disruptive behaviour.

It said music teacher Julien Hochman-Bérard, who signed the agreement on Oct. 22, applied painter’s tape to a child’s mouth for multiple minutes after other classroom-management techniques proved unsuccessful in January.

The six-page document indicates the educator had previously used painter’s tape on his own lips in a humorous way to encourage students to remain silent and follow instructions.

Superintendent Alain Laberge said a “prompt” internal investigation took place. He confirmed Monday that the teacher met all conditions required to return to work in the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine.

Hochman-Bérard was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 14. He served a three-day unpaid suspension and was required to develop a classroom management plan with another teacher in the division. His classroom was also subject to “regular observation” earlier this year.

Hochman-Bérard is no longer employed by the francophone school division. He now teaches at a different Winnipeg school division and his teaching certificate is currently in good standing.

“Let (the registry’s contents) be cautionary tales,” Taillefer said.

The commissioner said her hope is that faculties of education are showing pre-certified teachers her new report and the online database.

She travelled to Calgary earlier this fall to attend a national conference that brought together professional regulatory body registrars of all kinds.

One of her takeaways was the importance of using “trauma-informed practice” to assist people who are making disclosures, she said.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Manitoba Commissioner of Teacher Professional Conduct 2024/25 Annual Report