Following an investigation into Bedford Elementary School in Montreal, Quebec, 11 teachers have been suspended for “introducing Islamist religious concepts” into school contrary to the province’s secular requirements, which resulted in reports of neglect and abuse.
Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville announced the suspension of the 11 teachers involved in the investigation on Tuesday and called for a mandatory audit of three additional schools suspected of having similar issues.
A 90-page report by the Ministry of Education said a “dominant clan” of teachers had been operating there since 2016-2017 and allegedly created a “toxic environment” of “fear and intimidation” ever since.
Drainville said he believes other teachers did not come forward earlier out of fear of reprisal.
The investigation report on Bedford Elementary School mentions that the teachers, primarily of North African descent, were influenced by a local mosque.
The report accuses the teachers of using intimidation, physical and psychological violence, and humiliation techniques against the students. The teachers allegedly dismissed autism and learning disabilities as non-existent, calling students with such disabilities “lazy.”
Gender-based segregation was also reported. Teachers allegedly banned girls from playing soccer while the boys were allowed to.
There were reports that when one student collapsed in class, instead of calling for medical attention, the teacher began to pray for the student rather than assist them. The report also claims that the school provided no “effective mechanism” to evaluate teachers’ on-the-job competency. Auditors’ efforts to observe the learning environment were rejected.
Another ministry report said the overall level of competency of the teachers was “worrying” and that the report showed learning gaps in several subjects such as oral communication, science and technology, ethics and religious culture, and sex education.
At the National Assembly of Quebec Wednesday, Drainville forwarded a motion to hold an inquiry into the group of 11 teachers, for the province to denounce the alleged abuse at the school, to affirm the importance of defending equality between men and women, and the secular nature of the state in all its public institutions.
Premier Francois Legault said he was shocked that Islamic religious concepts were being introduced into the public elementary school and that science was being denied and of the allegations overall.
“Our first concern must be the children. As a government, our first responsibility is to clean up this school and protect the children,” Legault said in a statement posted on X. “There’s something very disturbing in this case, this attempt by a group of teachers to introduce Islamist religious concepts into a public school. In Quebec, we decided a long time ago to take religion out of public schools. We’ll never go back on that decision.”
He said between the Minister of Education and the Minister of Secularism, the government is taking the necessary steps to “correct the situation.”
“We need all Quebecers to denounce these situations without fear of intimidation,” he said. “The whole of Quebec must defend the choice of secularism in our public institutions. Let’s not be afraid.”
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet blamed Ottawa and Canadian multiculturalism for the idealogy that led to the abuses occurring.
“Why is a clear truth not stated? The National Assembly of Quebec and the broad Quebec consensus want a neutral and secular state and institutions,” Blanchet said on X.
He said a minority of “certain religious communities” want to make public schools into “ultra-conservative” religious schools with intimidating, sometimes violent and often sexist values.
“The activist minority feeds on Canadian multiculturalism and the tacit support of the federal parties and Ottawa to infiltrate the teaching community in certain Montreal schools,” he said. “Ottawa’s attitude encourages them to do so.”
Blanchet said multiculturalism, federal opposition to Quebec secularism laws, and the refusal to remove religion from protected classes in matters of hate speech are “seen as adversaries of the way of life collectively desired in Quebec.”
