Eleven teachers at Bedford Elementary in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood have lost their licences after an investigation into a “climate of fear and intimidation” at the school. Quebec’s Education Ministry confirmed the news on Tuesday, citing “findings revealed in the investigative committee’s report.” The ministry refused to comment further as the decisions are currently under appeal. The Montreal school service centre says the problematic staff has since been replaced. The union representing the 11 teachers did not comment, but indicated that their members still have the right to appeal the decision, meaning the case isn’t fully closed for now. In Quebec City, opposition parties unanimously supported the decision to fire them. “I’m satisfied. We don’t want these teachers around our children. We don’t want that kind of behaviour in our schools, whether it be Bedford or elsewhere,” said Michelle Setlakwe, the Liberal MNA for Mont-Royal. Pascal Bérubé, Parti Québécois MNA also agreed it was the right call. “The fact that those teachers were fired is a very good thing. And this is what had to happen. And the CAQ government didn’t need to write a bill to do that,” added Sol Zanetti, a spokesperson for Québec Solidaire. The move comes after Quebec’s Education Ministry said in October 2024 that it would bring “unprecedented measures” in response to allegations of pushing, yelling, bullying, as well as the physical and psychological abuse of students at Bedford Elementary. Then-education minister Bernard Drainville had warned that if the teachers’ actions posed a risk to the students’ safety, their credentials would be withdrawn. “Refusing to recognize that autism exists, refusing to teach sexual education or science, having a student lose consciousness and instead of helping, you start praying?” he said at the time. “This [is a] whole environment, where adults, who are supposed to take care of our kids, are taking care of themselves before taking care of our kids.” The misconduct also reignited the province’s debate on secularism, particularly in an educational context, with Bill 94, An Act to strengthen school secularism, passing into law in 2025. The law stipulates that students must attend school with their faces uncovered, as must most staff. The use of French at school is also mandatory when staff communicate with students or when colleagues speak to one another. Long-term support The government report employs the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) to maintain long-term monitoring and support “to truly change the school’s management culture.” “If the administration does not oversee planning or pay attention to classroom practices, how can it ensure the quality of educational services?” it asks. “Without rigorous pedagogical management practices, the situation regarding non-compliance with the curriculum is likely to recur both at Bedford School and in other institutions.” It additionally recommends that teachers be evaluated every two years, and a better framework be established for management, curriculum oversight and solving issues of harassment and violence. The report goes on to state that changes already made at the school have led to clear differences in the children’s behaviour. “We were told that: ‘The children are smiling now, they’re having fun, they love their school,’” it notes. “Isn’t that precisely what we want for our children when they walk through the doors of a school? Isn’t this a fundamental mindset for learning?” The Bedford Elementary scandal, where a “dominant” clique of teachers “of North African descent,” according to the report, intimidated students and other staff, led the government to initially suspend their licences and audit another 17 schools.
