Tracy Schmidt, acting Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister announced today.Manitoba’s several new measures introduced to improve student safety and bring greater accountability to discipline and transparency for teachers through legislative amendments.
“There is nothing more important than ensuring that children are safe…Teachers have a great role to play in a child’s life and parents…strengthening the teacher professional conduct review process through an online registry and the appointment of an independent commissioner…reliable, transparent way that keeps student safety at the centre,” said Schmidt.
The Education Administration Amendment Act’s new teacher certification and professional conduct framework includes a public registry of certified Manitoba teachers who have a teaching certificate as well as information on whether a teacher’s certificate has been suspended or cancelled. The teacher registry is now available to the public online.
“The new framework modernizes the way we regulate the teaching profession in Manitoba..this is an issue that’s close to my heart because when we talk about teacher professional conduct, we’re talking about student safety.” added Schmidt.
With the new teacher professional conduct review process being effectively led by an independent commissioner, Bobbi Taillefer, who will receive and investigate complaints, facilitate consent resolution agreements and refer cases to a hearing panel for adjudication.
The hearing panel will be made up of teachers, representatives nominated by the Manitoba School Boards Association and members of the public, which include:
- Erin Bockstael (public representative), manager of family and community programs at the Women’s Health Clinic;
- Gavin Bruce Strang (public representative), a professor in the department of history at Brandon University;
- Gord Schumacher (public representative), the executive director of the Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police;
- Raven-Dominique Gobeil (public representative), the senior in-house attorney for the First Nations Family Advocate Office;
- Kevin Sterner (independent schools representative);
- Morgan Whiteway (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
- Elizabeth Mitchell (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
- Alison Bourrier (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
- Charles Cochrane (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
- Vinh Huynh (Manitoba Teacher Society representative);
- Jesse Thomaschewski (Manitoba Teacher Society representative); and
- Nicole Lavallee (Manitoba Teacher Society representative).
“Moving forward, Manitoba students and parents will benefit from enhanced protections and transparency,” said Noni Classen, director of education and support services, Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “We believe these changes will enhance the trust and confidence students and their families have in Manitoba’s school system.”
The registry is available to the public at:
www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/profcert/registry/index.html.
The commissioner of teacher professional conduct’s website is also available to the public at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/commissioner/index.html.
