Ptu’s Serge Laurendeau blasts LBPSB

The PTU brought along a large delegation of teachers and asked for support from Council over a recent event involving teachers at Pointe-Claire’s St.Thomas High. It is a story which is becoming increasingly commonplace in North America, and has raised its ugly head this year a few times at LBPSB high schools.

The popular use of online chat rooms such as “Facebook” have become a haven for abuse, and recently, as has been widely reported in the media, teachers of the above mentioned high school have become victims of racist, sexist, and derogatory comments made by the students towards the teachers. Harassing calls have been made to the teachers’ homes. The words used by the students are not suitable for publication in this paper.

The sanctions given to the ringleaders of this harassment campaign were a 2-day vacation or suspension. It was time to catch up on maybe some TV viewing!

The union has been requesting that the Board transfer these students out to other schools, not expulsion, and at the end of the year. This would seem a reasonable request.

During the council meeting, they came to get support from the council and the transfer demand, all they got from Chairman Tabachnik was a statement they could not override a decision at the local level.. Loud boos and jeers were heard from the teachers when the Chairman mentioned that the Commissioners get the same stuff from angry parents, by just dismissing it as free speech.