The Discipline Committee hears matters regarding allegations of professional misconduct and/or incompetence which have been referred by the Complaints Committee following investigation.
The College is mandated to publish a summary of its disciplinary decisions and reasons when the Discipline Committee makes a finding of guilt. These disciplinary decisions are then published on the College’s website, on our blog and on CanLII, the Canadian Legal Information Institute’s website.
Cynthia Nicole Rochon, RECE # 51048
Facts: The Member pled guilty to professional misconduct. Following an uncontested hearing, the Discipline Committee accepted the following admissions as facts.
The Member grabbed a four-year-old child and slammed them onto a chair. The Member screamed at the child, told them they were acting like a baby, and asked if they wanted a diaper. The Member also violently grabbed the child by the arm and brought them outside of the classroom to the cubby area where she told the child they were a baby, and then left them alone and unsupervised for several minutes.
On multiple occasions during naptime, the Member struck the children’s backs and was rough with them. The Member also yelled at an almost three-year-old to sit up and read a book when the child wanted to nap. The Member then threw a blanket over the child’s body and head and instructed them not to move or take the blanket off and to go to sleep. The Member pinned the same child down using the force of her body to prevent the child from moving on their cot and then told them they were “stubborn”.
On multiple occasions, the Member threatened, yelled at, mocked, and made inappropriate and sometimes vulgar comments to the children.
The Member also prohibited the children from speaking during mealtimes, threatening that they would not be allowed outside to play if they spoke at the table.
Finding: In its decision, the panel found that the evidence supported findings of professional misconduct.
The Member was found guilty of several acts of professional misconduct pursuant to Ontario Regulation 223/08 under the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007, including failing to supervise adequately a person who was under her professional supervision; verbally abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; physically abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; psychologically and/or emotionally abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; failing to maintain the standards of the profession; acting or failing to act in a manner that, having regard to the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional; and conducting herself in a manner that is unbecoming a member.
The panel stated that RECEs are held to a high standard and even one incident of abuse of a child is too many. The Member’s conduct was unacceptable and inconsistent with the College standards and values.
Penalty: The Committee directed the Registrar to suspend the Member’s certificate of registration for at least twelve months and to impose terms, conditions and limitations on the Member’s Certificate of Registration, including coursework on anger management, building positive and responsive relationships with children, and positive intervention strategies, as well as receiving mentoring. The Committee also required the Member to appear before it to be reprimanded and ordered the Member to pay $1,000 to reimburse the College for a portion of the prosecution and hearing costs.
The full decision can be found here , linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Diala Mahfouz, RECE # 13927
Facts: The Member pled guilty to professional misconduct. Following an uncontested hearing, the Discipline Committee accepted the following admissions as facts.
The Member and another RECE engaged in a pattern abusive behavior toward the children under their supervision over the course of approximately five months. This included forcefully and aggressively grabbing children and pushing children, yelling at them close to their faces, and using derogatory and abusive language toward them.
The Member and her colleague also inappropriately punished children. For example, they yelled at and belittled children for having toileting accidents and they left children alone and unsupervised in the hallway with the door of the classroom closed.
On one occasion, the Member and her colleague stood by as a child choked until they vomited. She blamed the child, saying they deserved it for putting too much food in their mouth. The Member and her colleague then failed to report the incident to the parents or the child care centre. Further, the Member and her colleague made negative comments to the children about their parents.
Finding: In its decision, the panel found that the evidence supported findings of professional misconduct.
The Member was found guilty of several acts of professional misconduct pursuant to Ontario Regulation 223/08 under the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007, including failing to supervise adequately a person who was under her professional supervision; verbally abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; physically abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; psychologically and/or emotionally abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; failing to maintain the standards of the profession; acting or failing to act in a manner that, having regard to the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional; and conducting herself in a manner that is unbecoming a member.
Penalty: The Committee directed the Registrar to revoke the Member’s Certificate of Registration. The Committee also required the Member to appear before it to be reprimanded and ordered the Member to pay $1,000 to reimburse the College for a portion of the prosecution and hearing costs.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Naina Mubin Shaik, RECE # 69173
Facts: The Member pled guilty to professional misconduct. Following an uncontested hearing, the Discipline Committee accepted the following admissions as facts.
The Member and her colleague, a non-RECE, were responsible for supervising 17 kindergarten children. Among them was a five-year-old whom the Member forcefully grabbed and pinched, yelled at, called an inappropriate name, and forced to sit down when they were running around the room.
As a result of the Member’s actions, the child was hurt, became upset and angry, and sustained bruises where the Member pinched them.
Although the Member’s colleague attempted to comfort the child, the Member did not do so. Instead, she told her colleague that the child was “too much”.
Finding: In its decision, the panel found that the evidence supported findings of professional misconduct.
The Member was found guilty of several acts of professional misconduct pursuant to Ontario Regulation 223/08 under the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007, including physically abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; psychologically and/or emotionally abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; failing to maintain the standards of the profession; acting or failing to act in a manner that, having regard to the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional; and conducting herself in a manner that is unbecoming a member.
The Panel acknowledged that this was a single incident, but even a single incident can constitute physical and emotional abuse to a child. It can also constitute a breach of numerous standards of practice.
Penalty: The Committee directed the Registrar to suspend the Member’s certificate of registration for at least eight months and to impose terms, conditions and limitations on the Member’s certificate of registration. The Committee also required the Member to appear before it to be reprimanded and ordered the Member to pay $1,000 to reimburse the College for a portion of the prosecution and hearing costs.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Magdelene Vasanthkumar, RECE # 28111
Facts: The Member pled guilty to professional misconduct. Following an uncontested hearing, the Discipline Committee accepted the following admissions as facts.
On multiple occasions, the Member engaged in aggressive, forceful and demeaning conduct toward five toddlers she was responsible for supervising. This included hitting one child and making them cry. Later that same day she hit, grabbed and dragged the child, again making them cry.
The next day, the Member quickly ran to the child and struck them on the head then pushed them to the floor. She then grabbed the child by the arm and dragged them across the classroom and roughly sat them on the floor. Shortly after, the Member hit the child on the arm and shoulder area. The next day, the Member grabbed the child by the ear and hair.
The Member also hit three other children on their heads with enough force to cause two children’s heads to jerk forward. She dragged the two children across the floor by their arm and tossed one of them onto the floor. The Member pinched the third child’s cheeks, hit them on the head again, and grabbed, pushed and dragged them on the floor. The Member pulled the hair of a fourth child, causing them to fall to the floor. The Member walked away leaving the child crying on the floor.
The Member also observed her room partner engage in aggressive, forceful and abusive conduct towards the children and did not take steps to prevent this conduct from recurring. Nor did she report this conduct to the Children’s Aid Society or to the Centre’s management.
The Member pleaded guilty to five counts of assault relating to the above and was found guilty and received a fifteen-month conditional sentence, three-year probation and a DNA order.
Finding: In its decision, the panel found that the evidence supported findings of professional misconduct.
The Member was found guilty of several acts of professional misconduct (Ontario Regulation 223/08), including verbally abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; physically abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; psychologically and/or emotionally abusing a child who was under her professional supervision; failing to maintain the standards of the profession; acting or failing to act in a manner that, having regard to the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional; contravening a law, which contravention has caused or may have caused a child who was under her professional supervision to be put at or remain at risk; and conducting herself in a manner that is unbecoming a member.
The Panel found that the Member’s conduct left lasting effects on the children and families both psychologically and emotionally. Further, her conduct and decision to not report the misconduct of another RECE exposed the children to additional, prolonged abuse.
Penalty: The Committee directed the Registrar to revoke the Member’s Certificate of Registration. The Committee also required the Member to appear before it to be reprimanded. The Committee also ordered the Member to pay $1,000 to reimburse the College for a portion of the prosecution and hearing costs.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.