>> This is Marketplace.
>> You should feel safe in the
school.
>> A cross-country test.
The first of its kind.
>> This teacher was thrown back
into a classroom with new kids.
>> What's kept secret about
your kid's teacher.
>> What was your reaction?
>> Upset.
I thought the school didn't
really care.
>> Secret files?
Dangerous teachers.
>> He asked me to go on web cam
and just spill something on
myself.
>> Who's looking after your
child?
This is your Marketplace.
(♪♪)
>> Across the country we all
remember our favourite teacher.
>> Mrs. Gamble in Grade 5.
>> Mr. Chegoback.
>> Mrs. Wall, my english
teacher.
>> My favourite teacher was
Calvin Degou.
>> Someone who changed our
lives for the better.
>> And she really got me into
reading with the first
Harry Potter book.
>> She's the one who got me
to like math.
>> She was an amazing woman and
she was a great teacher.
>> Get out of my room!
>> Anne-Marie: But a negative
experience in the classroom can
be just as long lasting.
>> Go to the calm down
chair and sit.
>> Anne-Marie: So what does
happen when there's a bad apple
in the classroom?
To find out we're grading each
province on the information
they share about teachers
creating our own unofficial
report card.
What we find will shock
you.
>> First stop, Fredericton, New
Brunswick.
Carlie's in grade 9 and on most
days likes going to school
but that wasn't always the
case.
>> I felt like I had a book
bag of bricks on my back.
I felt stressed, I felt
worried, I felt in danger.
I felt like it was just me and
the other students in my class
and like I couldn't do
anything.
I wanted to do anything to get
out of school.
I want to like hurt myself, I
didn't want to go to school at
all.
>> Anne-Marie: Karley's fear is
fuelled by a bully.
She says it's not a fellow
student.
It's her elementary teacher.
Here's what she remembers.
>> She would yell and scream at
us.
Arreter, arreter.
>> She would also cuss
sometimes.
>> Sometimes she hit kids'
fingers with ruler or she would
tap them with a cane.
And it just wasn't okay.
>> Do you guys want peanut
butter on celery?
>> Yes, please.
>> Okay.
>> Anne-Marie: Karley tells her
mom Gina Merryl.
At first she's not convinced.
>> We all had mean teachers
growing up who, you know,
really in hindsight
weren't that bad and I kept
telling her, you know, Karley,
it's not that bad.
Get through school, it's okay.
>> Anne-Marie: But soon Gina
realizes Karley's not okay.
>> That school year she missed
41 days of school.
She would have headaches
constantly, bad, bad
headaches.
Stomach aches, I had taken
her to the emergency room, at
one point in time, where she
was just, the pains were so bad
in her stomach anything I did
didn't help.
>> Anne-Marie: Desperate Gina
turns to the school for help.
>> So I approached the teacher
first.
Spoke to her myself.
I then went to the principal
and vice principal.
>> Anne-Marie: Nothing changes
so Gina writes directly to New
Brunswick's education minister.
That leads to an investigation
and Karley's teacher is found
guilty of unprofessional and
inappropriate conduct but the
details are vague.
>> Can you read me the letter
you got?
>> Sure.
The complaint has been
determined to be founded under
category 2 misconduct.
Please be advised that the
appropriate action has been
taken.
>> Anne-Marie: What was the
appropriate action?
>> I don't know.
What was your biggest concern,
Gina?
>> That there was going to be
other kids that went through
with what my daughter went
through.
>> Anne-Marie: Gina's worried.
She wants to know if other
parents will ever know what
happened.
(phone ringing)
She calls New Brunswick's
department of education to
find out.
>> Hi.
Is there anyway to obtain any
information on my daughter's
teacher.
>> Oh, unfortunately we're not
allowed to share this
information.
>> Oh, not in New Brunswick.
That's private information.
>> Anne-Marie: Private in the
public education system?
>> Here's where we put teacher
transparency to the test.
>> Hi, there.
I'm calling to find out what
information you share on
teachers disciplines in
Prince Edward Island.
>> Each province and territory
regulates its own teachers so
we call each one.
>> Hi there, I'm wondering
what information you share on
teacher disciplines in Nunavut.
>> Reporter: Over and over
again we're told that
information is completely
private.
>> We think secrecy like that
deserves a failing grade.
So on our unofficial national
report card, we're giving a
majority of provinces and
territories an F.
>> Saskatchewan and Alberta
they pass but with a D.
They will release some data but
it's minimal or hard to access.
(♪♪)
>> To learn how all this
secrecy affects kids in the
classroom we head to Halifax,
Nova Scotia.
It's home to the aims institute
a think tank on education where
we find the perfect tutor.
Paul Bennet has been a teacher,
principle, and school
superintendent.
Hey Dr. Bennet.
He now studies teacher
discipline.
He thinks we need more
openness.
>> Public access would
significantly improve the
system.
It would make everyone much
more atune to the importance
of performing well and it
would give those teachers
that are doing a great job and
that's the majority of them
some confidence.
>> What do you think we should
be able to find out?
>> Whether teachers have had
any current or past
indiscretions, whether they've
been found guilty of any
offences, and what steps have
been taken to try remediate
those.
>> Anne-Marie: Information like
that might be good for parents,
but what do teachers think of
their records being public?
After school we catch up with
Toronto second grade teacher
Megan Bruni.
>> I think they should have
access.
I mean the parents do need to
give the trust and they should
wonder what's happening at
school.
>> Anne-Marie: Would public
accountability, public access
make better teachers?
>> It would, because the
teachers would be held more
responsible and accountable.
For their jobs.
And with that accountability,
the teachers would be more
inclined, there's more of an
incentive to do well.
To do your best.
>> Anne-Marie: She should know.
In the province where she
works, parents do have access
to teacher records.
>> Turns out only two provinces
make that information public.
Ontario and B.C.
Both have public online
databases.
>> You can enter your teacher's
name and then see if they've
been disciplined before.
Transparency like that is
worth extra credits so our
unofficial report card gives
both Ontario and British
Columbia a B.
Why not an A?
Because transparency alone
isn't keeping troubled teachers
out of the class.
(♪♪)
>> Oliver don't forget your book
bag.
>> Anne-Marie: Just ask this
Toronto mom and her 12-year-old
son.
>> Here,
Let's get going okay?
>> Anne-Marie: When Mimi choi
dropped Oliver off at school
she had no idea his teacher had
been in trouble before for
physical abuse on three other
kids.
Now Oliver is coming forward
with his story.
>> What did Oliver tell you
happened?
>> He told me that he was going
back to his class after
recess...
He saw the teacher coming
down the Hall and when they met
at the door, the teacher
grabbed his shoulder and pushed
him and Oliver hit his head on
the door.
>> Anne-Marie: Mimi can't
believe it.
The principal calls in police
and children's aid.
(♪♪)
>> Hi, Oliver.
I'm Ralph.
I'm a police officer.
>> Anne-Marie: They interview
Oliver to assess what happened
>> So he pushes you across here
and then your head hits this
side of the door?
>> Yeah.
>> Does that make sense, this
side of your head?
>> Yes.
>> Anne-Marie: Police don't lay
charges.
They tell Mimi there's not
enough evidence of intentiona
assault but for Oliver, a
line was crossed.
>> How did you feel being
treated like that by a teacher?
>> Surprised, shocked.
>> Anne-Marie: On Mimi's
request we're not showing his
face.
>> Had anybody ever shoved you
like that before, not your
friends?
>> No.
>> Anne-Marie: Certainly not an
adult.
>> No.
>> Anne-Marie: The school does
remove the students from class
but won't say for how long.
>> What was it like when you
didn't know if he was
coming back or not?
>> I was kind of scared or
nervous and I was hoping that
he wouldn't come back.
>> Anne-Marie: Mimi's anxious
too so she begins some
detective work of her own,
starting with Ontario's
teacher database.
What she reads shocks her.
The teacher's discipline record
with details of the three
previous incidents.
Pulled the ear of one young
student.
Held the arms of another and
touched or squeezed a third
around the neck.
The teacher insists he in no
way intended to cause harm.
>> What did you think when you
discovered that this teacher
had been found guilty of
physically mistreating kids
before?
>> It was both horrible and, I
guess a little gratifying
because it confirmed, you know,
what Oliver had experienced.
That this was a pattern.
>> Anne-Marie: For those
offences, the college suspends
the teacher for 20 days and
orders counselling in anger
management.
>> Whatever courses he took
have done nothing as far as I
can tell.
(♪♪)
>> I didn't understand that it
was a sexual thing.
>> Anne-Marie: Broken trust,
dangerous teachers.
(♪♪)
>> Sharpen your pencil.
This is your Marketplace.
(♪♪)
>> Anne-Marie: Our unofficial
report card on teacher
transparency has given nine
provinces and territories a
failing grade for keeping
teacher discipline secret.
Two provinces do share
information.
B.C. and Ontario.
But there's room for
improvement.
It can take years to determine
if a teacher is guilty.
(♪♪)
>> Two students in Toronto
learned that the hard way.
We're bringing them together
for a reunion.
>> Come on in.
>> Sorry.
>> Karman North and Danielle
Grey are now in their 20s.
>> How's it going?
>> Hi!
>> Nice to see you!
>> Anne-Marie: They haven't
seen each other in almost 10
years.
>> Thanks for coming today.
>> Yeah.
>> Back in junior high they
attended class with the same
popular teacher.
>> What was Mr. Bradford like?
>> As a teacher I guess you
could you say he was considered
a cool teacher.
He was very outgoing.
>> I felt very comfortable
around him.
He made jokes, and he was kind
of more of a friendly figure
than a teacher figure.
I really liked him a lot.
>> Gavin Bratford taught music
when Karman was in grade 7 and
Danielle in grade 8.
He befriended both students
inside class and out.
>> He noticed I was like a bit
of a an outcast and so he would
say, you know, you and me we're
different.
People don't understand us.
It really did start off just
establishing a relationship
with trust.
>> He brought up the fact that
if you added him on MSN, which
was the messenger back in the
day, that he would send you
kind of school assignments.
And being a teenager in my head
I thought that was cool.
>> Anne-Marie: But the more
they talked, the more
disturbing the conversations
became.
>> He would always ask me do
you have any secret ambitions
in life and I thought that was
a strange thing to ask.
He would tell me that his
secret ambition was to hit a
student in the face with a pie.
And then he asked me if he could
hit me in the face with a pie.
>> Anne-Marie: The messages
often centred around food and
veered from bizarre...
To sexual.
>> And he said, maybe I could
spill something on you.
Maybe I could spill coffee on
you or water and then he asked
me like, maybe wear a white
shirt tomorrow.
>> Anne-Marie: Was there ever
anything more than chatting?
Did he ever send videos or
pictures or did you?
(♪♪)
>> He started asking me to go
on web cam and he asked me to
go on web cam and just spill
something on myself.
He was -- he pressured me
about it.
He definitely, like, wouldn't
let it go.
>> Anne-Marie: He was
persistent.
>> Yeah, yeah, very.
>> Anne-Marie: Karman keeps the
web cam off.
So does Danielle but they're
not the only students Gavin
Bradford is talking to.
>> Mr. Bradford was actually
speaking to 21 different
students.
Did you know that?
>> I didn't know that.
>> I didn't either.
>> Anne-Marie: All 21 students
are female.
(♪♪)
>> Anne-Marie: You're really
young, you're not full
teenagers yet.
How did you feel when you read
this?
I knew that there was something
off about it and at the same
time, I didn't really
understand the magnitude of the
situation.
>> Just really confused because,
I mean I just feel like if
it had been a few years later I
would have thought immediately,
okay, this is wrong.
>> Anne-Marie: Karman tells
her mom.
She takes a copy of those
messages straight to the
principal.
>> Apparently the principal
went white in the face,
completely shocked and upset
about it and then he was gone
the next day.
>> Anne-Marie: Bradford's gone
from the school but it's up to
the Ontario college of teachers
to decide if he'll lose his
teaching certificate for good.
>> For Karman and Danielle it's
an open and shut case.
They don't expect a decision to
take long.
So how many teachers have lost
their certificates?
That's mostly a secret, too.
So through Canada's access to
information laws we request
records of all teachers who
have had certificates revoked
going back 10 years.
The process takes months but
eventually a national picture
emerges.
>> Interesting.
>> On average, 40 teachers lose
their certificates each year.
Those numbers should be a lot
higher, according to education
expert Paul Bennett.
>> We know that there's more
incidents going on than are
publicly reported and we have a
very good evidence that many of
the cases are buried.
>> Anne-Marie: The numbers we
uncover are all over the map.
In the past decade some
provinces and territories have
revoked nearly 200
certificates.
Others as few as zero.
Details reveal teachers losing
certificates for verbal,
psychological and emotional
abuse.
Viewing child pornography on
school computers, physical
violence.
Indecent exposure and sexual
assault.
>> Well, that's one of the
reasons we need serious reform
and we need a process that
ensures the public that serious
infractions or acts of
indiscipline or worse are not
tolerated in the school
system.
>> Teacher Megan Bruni agrees.
>> It's very difficult to be
fired as a teacher which I
think is silly.
I mean, I'm lucky that I have a
job.
There's a whole lot of teachers
trained out there that don't
have work that are enthusiastic
and would do an excellent job.
So I think it's more
frustrating to know that there's
ineffective teachers in the job
while there are those waiting
to get work.
(♪♪)
>> Failing system?
>> Anne-Marie: So the Ontario
college of teachers ever
contacted either of you?
>> No.
>> You were never interviewed?
>> No.
>> We fight for answers.
>> Real learning coming right
at ya.
This is Marketplace.
>> Anne-Marie: Most provinces
keep information on educators
who have been disciplined
secret including New Brunswick
where Karley's elementary
teacher was found guilty of
misconduct.
Her mom Gina Merryl believes the
teacher is gone for good, until
she receives a message on
Facebook from a mom with a
daughter in a different school.
>> This person said that her
daughter was going through a
very similar situation.
Wanted to know if it was the
same teacher.
>> It was the same teacher, the
exact same teacher.
I was floored.
This teacher was thrown back
into a classroom with new kids,
new parents, nobody knew, maybe
of the story.
And she was doing it all over
again.
>> Anne-Marie: Moving teachers
around is a dirty secret in the
school system.
>> Tell me about this term
passing the trash.
>> So a pattern exists where
teachers that are troublesome,
are having trouble with the
kids, or are collecting parent
complaints get passed on to
another school.
It also conceals from the public
what's actually happened.
>> In Toronto Oliver's teacher
moved to his school after
being disciplined for
physically abusing three
students where he taught before.
>> After his run-in with
Oliver the teacher's gone for
the rest of the year but now
they're told he'll be back in
September.
>> What was your reaction?
>> Upset.
I thought the school didn't
really care.
They didn't want to have any
interaction with him.
>> Not wanting her son to face
the teacher again Mimi pulls
him from the school.
>> And you had to leave not
the teacher.
>> Right.
>> So you got the worst part.
>> Uh-hum.
>> Anne-Marie: The outcome
still brings tears.
>> I have some tissues if you
want...
(♪♪)
>> Anne-Marie: And Oliver's not
the only one getting upsetting
news.
When Karman and Danielle were
in junior high, their teacher
Gavin Bradford was caught
sending sexual messages to 21
female students including them.
The Ontario college of teachers
investigates to determine if
his teaching certificate should
be revoked but Karman and
Danielle hear nothing.
>> So the Ontario college of
teachers never contacted either
of you?
>> No.
>> You were never interviewed?
>> No.
>> Anne-Marie: Did they ever
talk to your parents?
>> No.
>> Anne-Marie: Finally, almost
5 years later they've graduated
by the time headlines on their
food fetish teacher hit the
news.
The story became an
international scandal.
The Ontario college of teachers
eventually found Bradford
guilty of sexual abuse and
revoked his certificate but too
late.
He's already been teaching in
Scotland for at least two
years.
>> Almost five years between
the complaint coming forward
and his certificate being
revoked, there was nothing to
let anybody know what had
happened to you or to you or to
19 other girls.
>> It's not right.
I mean he basically got a fresh
start.
There should be faster movement
because there's a huge
difference between somebody
coming with allegations and
hears the conversation with a
teacher in your school board.
>> Anne-Marie: We asked the
Ontario college of teachers
about the Bradford case.
They won't comment on specific
files but do say their time
lines for actions are improving.
>> Let's check on that.
We review the colleges last 100
cases and find the amount
of time from incident to
decision is just shy of four
years.
>> For teacher Megan Bruni
that's too long for students
and the accused.
>> It's a possibility that if
the teacher is guilty of that
wrongdoing, then they're still
working in the classroom with
children and then if the teacher
is not guilty, they have that
hanging over their head or not
working and their reputation is
on the line for that amount of
time.
>> Anne-Marie: Mimi's also
worried about time.
Six months ago she filed her
own complaint with the Ontario
college of teachers.
They've just told her they need
more time to investigate.
>> Mimi's not waiting around.
>> Have a great day.
>> Thanks.
>> Bye.
>> Anne-Marie: Oliver's already
enrolled in his new school.
>> There are some hopeful signs
of change across the country.
Saskatchewan just uploaded
their own online database of
teachers.
It won't reveal past findings
but future disciplines will be
posted and in New Brunswick,
the department of education
tell us they're now reviewing
the information they make
public.
Too late for Karley but she's
learning to trust teachers
again.
>> Phys-ed, how are you doing
there?
>> Good.
We started square dancing.
>> Square dancing?
[Laughter]
>> Anne-Marie: Now she wants to
do what she can to help fellow
students.
>> Karley, why did you decide
to talk to us?
>> I feel like you will be able
to get the message out and like
show that we should have like a
voice.
>> Charlsie: You threw your
coffee cups in recycling.
And we found them here.
>> Tyana: There it is, it's in
the garbage only.
>> Asha: From what's in your
eggs.
Are you ready to hear the
results?
>> David: To secrets about the
meat you buy.
>> We would dip it in blood.
We would re-wrap them and put
on a new sticker.
Girl: Disgusting!
>> David: Toxins in your kids
jewellery.
>> David: It has taken us no
time at all to find someone who
would use cadmium.
>> Charlsie: Busting your cell
phone bills.
>> Woman: We are paying far too
much.
>> Asha: Facing racism.
>> Woman: Go back to where
you're from.
I'm like where, Halifax?
>> Charlsie: And exposing
sexist dresscodes.
>> Woman: They're selling sex.
>> David: We take it all on.
>> Asha: Tell us
>> Charlsie: What you want us
>> David: to investigate next
>> Asha: Because this is your
Marketplace.
(♪♪)  
