Education Advisory

That headline is on today’s front-page of the Vancouver Sun. The page two headline of this continuing story is: Most complaints closed without explanation.

Please read the total story. It is very alarming and troubling about the climate in BC education as there are actually 160 outstanding complaints by parents not yet dealt with.

This story deals with a complaint by Leanne Dufour of Whistler whose daughter “was savagely beaten by school bullies” at age 15, 3 1/2 years ago. The administrators called the mother “wacko” and “vile” when she complained and removed her child to another school.

The Vancvouer Sun obtained a list of complaints through a freedon-of-information request. Of the outstanding cases of parental concerns, the reporter lists 8 where “some educators are alleged to have”:

• Had an inappropriate relationship with a student and lied about it during a school board investigation
• Failed to protect children from bullying and discrimination by other students
• Engaged in lewd and inappropriate behaviour on a school field trip and retaliated after a complaint was made
• Posted sexually explicit writings on a university website
• Touched male students inappropriately
• Made negative comments to a student and asked the rest of the class to write about him when he was absent
• Yelled, shamed, ridiculaed and harangued students in front of class and been poorly prepared to teach Grade 5
• Bullied and humiliated parents who complained about a job action

I quickly wrote a letter to the editor voicing my concerns:

Letter to Editor, Sun, re:

Misconduct reporting a sham, Feb. 05/07, Vancouver Sun

Sir:

It is deplorable that a decision concerning a complaint about the education, health or safety of a student in our system should be delayed for over three years. What untold damage might there be from such unresponsiveness?

That the parent, who is a natural advocate for a child, is deprived of reasons for denial of her complaint is further cause for concern.

I think cases such as this should be handled by the provincial Ombudsman office. Clearly, an impartial, independent third party is preferable to any procedures undertaken by the one-sided BC College of Teachers.

Further, I think we should look at the whole question of how parents and their concerns are treated in the public school system: Are they valued clients and partners in education, or viewed as troublemakers?

What’s going to happen to that long list of unresolved complaints as reported in the paper? Will these incidents continue for another three years?

Sincerely,

Tunya Audain