Later, in a phone call, that parent said her child told her she had seen their teacher taping her daughter Shelly to a chair in their classroom to keep her from standing up so much. “I was in shock,” said Shelly, who is a pseudonym. CBC News agreed not to use her name to protect the identity of her daughter, a kindergarten student. “I kept going over it in my head. And at first, you just want to believe that a teacher would never do something like that.” Shelly says she later spoke to her five-year-old daughter, who told her the teacher taped her to the chair. “She told me she had to sit in her seat and she kept getting up. And so the teacher said she would have to tape her so she wouldn’t get up again.” The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) says the teacher at Seventh Street Junior School has been placed on home duty. The council also confirmed it was investigating claims two children were stuck to chairs. This is not the first time an Ontario teacher has faced such allegations. Early childhood experts say the practice should never be used and warn it can have long-term effects.
Alleged incidents
Shelly says trying to talk to her daughter about the incident has been challenging. She says every time they tried to bring it up she was “obviously upset” and asked to talk about something else. But he says he managed to get her to show what happened. “I sat down and she showed me that a piece of green tape was placed on her thighs on the sides of the chair.” Her daughter told her it happened more than once, Shelly told CBC News. Shelly says she immediately notified the school principal and the Children’s Aid Society. The TDSB confirms it is investigating allegations involving two students in the class. (Farrah Merali/CBC News) The TDSB told CBC News it contacted the Employee Services department, the Children’s Aid Society and the Toronto Police Service. But Shelly says one of her biggest frustrations is that other parents weren’t immediately alerted to what happened. “I felt really conflicted that I was told to be discreet about the situation and not talk about it… These parents — what if it happened to their child?” A month later, a letter was sent home to parents informing them that the teacher had been placed on leave. Shelly says she took her daughter to a doctor and a psychologist to make sure she had the resources to deal with or talk about what happened. “It’s really unclear how she’s really handling this because of her age,” he said. Shelly says she’s trying to understand the impact the alleged incidents have had on her daughter, but it’s hard because she’s only five. (Paul Borkwood/CBC News) More than anything, she wanted her daughter to understand that what apparently happened was wrong, something she says she didn’t understand at first. “Her comment was, ‘But she can do that because she’s the teacher, right?’ And that’s when my heart sank. I just felt so sad that he felt it was okay.”
“Abusive” behavior
In October 2021, a Kitchener, Ont., teacher taped two students to their chairs to prevent them from socializing. The 53-year-old was initially charged criminally, but the charges were dropped after she signed a peace bond. “It’s abusive — really, really abusive,” said Dr. Linda Cameron, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and an early childhood expert. Dr. Linda Cameron is a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and an early childhood specialist. (CBC News) Cameron acknowledges the stress teachers and young students are experiencing due to COVID-19 and returning to the classroom, but questions why staff didn’t know what was going on. She says that when it comes to kids who don’t want to sit still, kindergarten-age students need activity and playtime to balance out learning. “The teacher didn’t know what to do and chose an alternative that is completely inappropriate,” said Cameron, who worries about the long-term impact the alleged incidents will have. “I’m sure the kid will remember that forever. Through his school experience, it will affect him emotionally.”
Next steps
The TDSB says it followed protocol to place the teacher on homework pending the investigation. “These allegations are very serious and, if true, would be completely unacceptable and could lead to serious consequences up to and including dismissal,” TDSB spokesman Ryan Byrd said. He says the school was unable to share details about the allegations immediately with parents after they first came to light because it had to allow Toronto police and the Children’s Aid Society to investigate. The council says it is also offering social support to pupils in the class where the incidents allegedly took place. The TDSB logo is seen here on an exterior brick wall. Students and local residents. (EVAN MITSUI) Toronto police told the CBC they have determined it is not a criminal matter, and the Ontario College of Teachers will not comment on or confirm any investigations on its part. As for Shelly, she says she wants the teacher out of the schools. “The psychological impact of exerting your power on a young child who doesn’t know any better — that alone is enough to say that these practices are not things we should be using in classrooms or anywhere.”
