World
WATCH: Teacher suspended for stuffing 12-year-old in locker
By CM Chaney · November 2, 2023
In brief…
- Ottawa teacher got 2-day suspension for locking student in locker in 2020 incident.
- 12-year-old boy said teacher held locker door shut for 2 minutes as punishment.
- Police labeled it assault but didn't charge teacher who said she acted in jest.
- Boy's family still seeking teacher's relocation nearly 3 years later.
A teacher in Ottawa, Canada, received a two-day suspension following a 2020 incident where she allegedly locked a 12-year-old student in a locker for about two minutes, CBC News reported Tuesday.
The event occurred during lunch when the Grade 8 boy at Collège catholique Franco-Ouest showed friends he could fit in his locker. According to the student, the teacher then instructed him to re-enter the locker before closing and holding the door shut.
“I was afraid,” the boy said. “She was doing stuff such as banging on the locker door and there were talks about doing this every lunch and doing this for five or ten minutes and getting a lock, so I was very afraid of those things becoming a reality.”
Nearly three years later, the family still seeks the teacher’s relocation. Ottawa police labeled it assault but filed no charges, acknowledging the teacher said she acted in jest and realized it was inappropriate.
The school board suspended the teacher for two days after an internal probe. The Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) also investigated, reaching a confidential agreement with the teacher.
Efforts by the family to privately prosecute were halted when the Crown requested a stay of proceedings on September 20, 2023.
The boy’s father filed a new OCT complaint, alleging the teacher was in close proximity to his son despite limited contact conditions. The teacher remains employed at the school based on current personnel lists.