Classroom confidential

Trustee quits to protest secrecy over abuse

A long-serving school trustee says he was blind to the psychological abuse a former teacher inflicted on a young student that was uncovered in a Free Press investigation, apologizing to the victim for being “kept ignorant” by board leadership and vowing to resign.

River East Transcona School Division trustee Rod Giesbrecht claimed a decision by board chair Colleen Carswell left other elected officials in the dark regarding the safety of students at Sherwood School, where teacher David Wray’s misconduct occurred.

Giesbrecht, a trustee with the division for 20 years, said he could no longer associate with a leadership culture that he accused of prioritizing silence over transparency in the face of serious abuse allegations.

“Today, I will begin the process of resigning as a trustee for RETSD,” Giesbrecht posted Tuesday on a Facebook community page in his ward. “After reading the six-page article in the Free Press and witnessing the insensitive response of the board chair, I can no longer associate with such behaviour.”

Child protection experts say Manitoba’s new teacher registry conceals more than it reveals

Despite promises that a new teacher registry launched at the start of the year would enhance transparency within the education system and improve children’s safety, critics have dismissed it as weak, opaque and inferior to those in use in other provinces.A Free Press investigation confirms those concerns.

Teacher discipline commissioner’s undisclosed union role could silence victims, others from reporting misconduct, child-protection advocate warns

The discovery that Manitoba’s new independent commissioner of teacher discipline was simultaneously still advocating for educator’s rights in another province will prevent parents and students from reporting cases of professional misconduct, warns the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

“We are deeply concerned to learn that Manitoba’s new Commissioner of Teacher Professional Conduct — a body tasked with investigating complaints from students and parents over serious allegations involving teachers — is also simultaneously acting as the head of a provincial teachers’ union and advocacy group. This is highly inappropriate and a clear conflict of interest,” read a statement by Noni Classen, Director of Education and Support Services at the centre.

“Of most concern, however, is the undermining of public trust in this new office going forward and the real possibility that it may discourage students, parents, and school staff from reporting serious professional misconduct involving teachers. Fostering a strong sense of confidence in these accountability systems is crucial to ensuring individuals being victimized feel empowered to come forward and seek help.”

The statement comes a day after the Free Press learned that Bobbi Taillefer was working as Manitoba’s new commissioner of educator misconduct while at the same time fulfilling her duties as executive director at the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.

Critics stunned to learn Manitoba’s new teacher oversight commissioner also leads Saskatchewan educators’ union

A new commissioner tasked with disciplining Manitoba educators for misconduct since the start of the year was doing so while still maintaining her job as head of the Saskatchewan teachers’ union, the Free Press has learned.