The Discipline Committee makes decisions in cases where an RECE is accused of professional misconduct and/or incompetence by the Complaints Committee after an investigation.
The College is required to publish summaries of all Discipline Committee decisions. We are also required to publish written decisions from Discipline cases, which can be found on the Hearings Office’s website and on CanLII, the Canadian Legal Information Institute’s website.
Le Khank Ngoc (Kate) Tran, RECE #118476
Facts: The RECE pulled the ear of a 3-year-old and made comments like “does it hurt, does it hurt?” and “if you don’t like it then don’t do it to your friends”. This caused the child to cry. The RECE released the child’s ear only after another staff member confronted her.
At a different child care centre, the RECE aggressively sat a 22-month-old down in their chair, slapped their hand or arm and said “no we don’t hurt our friends”. This caused the child to cry.
She did not participate in or attend her hearing
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct, including physically and psychologically or emotionally abusing a child. The Committee also decided that she was guilty of acting in a way that other RECEs would find disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional and that is unbecoming an RECE.
The Committee ordered revocation of the RECE’s certificate of registration, and that the RECE repay $10,000 of the College’s costs.
The Committee believed revocation was necessary to properly protect children and families. The RECE showed no signs that she was willing or able to be remediated. She repeatedly refused to meet with her professional obligations, she engaged in physical and psychological or emotional abuse at two different centres, and she refused to improve her practices at both centres when her employers urged her to do so. She also showed no accountability or remorse for her actions. Based on these factors, the Committee did not believe that the RECE could safely return to practice.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Cassandra Elizabeth Ruth Drynan, RECE #106201
Facts: The RECE, who was in a supervisory position, restrained a pre-school aged child with a blanket and her limbs during nap time for approximately 30 to 45 minutes numerous times over a three-month period. This caused the child, who had no known need for sleep management interventions, to kick, punch and cry. The RECE taught other staff, including a placement student, how to restrain the child in a similar way.
When the Ministry of Education inspected the centre, the RECE lied about her conduct but later admitted the truth.
During the College’s investigation, the RCEC failed to provide the information requested and ignored almost all of the College’s attempts to communicate with her. She did not participate in or attend her hearing.
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct, including physically and psychologically or emotionally abusing a child and failing to maintain the standards of the profession. The Committee also decided that she was guilty of acting in a way that other RECEs would find disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional and that is unbecoming an RECE. Because the RECE refused to cooperate with the College, the Committee further decided that she was ungovernable.
The Committee ordered revocation of the RECE’s certificate of registration, a written reprimand, and that she repay $15,000 of the College’s costs associated with the hearing.
The Committee said the RECE’s conduct was abhorrent and unconscionable, showing a lack of insight and remorse. The extreme seriousness of her conduct coupled with her outright refusal to cooperate with the College and her lack of willingness to be remediated warranted the most severe penalty, which is revocation. Nothing less would effectively denounce the severity of her misconduct and protect children from her abusive actions.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Ghazaleh Karami, RECE #63662
Facts: The RECE used aggressive and forceful conduct with a three-year-old who was laying on the ground outside and did not want to go inside. The RECE grabbed the child by their hand/wrist, dragged them at least 40 feet, and tossed them through a gate. This caused the child to show signs of distress until, throughout, and after lunchtime. Later the same day, the RECE grabbed the child, yelled in their face, and tried to forcibly remove their jacket as the child cried and tried to get away.
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct, including physically, verbally and psychologically or emotionally abusing a child and failing to maintain the standards of the profession. The Committee also decided that she was guilty of acting in a way that other RECEs would find disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional and that is unbecoming an RECE.
The Committee ordered a 10-month suspension; terms, conditions or limitations meant to improve the RECE’s practice, including courses and mentorship; and a verbal reprimand.
The Committee decided that the RECE engaged in an unnecessary power struggle with the child. In the second incident in particular, she escalated the situation rather than de-escalating it. Even though she did not intend to harm the child, she did not support their emotional well-being. The Committee believed that the RECE should build her toolkit of strategies to promote children’s well-being and holistic development. For this reason, the Committee ordered the RECE to undergo remedial education and mentorship.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Withdrawal of accusations
The Discipline Committee can allow the College to withdraw accusations of professional misconduct if it is in the public interest to do so. If the accusations are withdrawn, the Discipline Committee makes no decision about whether the RECE is guilty or not guilty of professional misconduct. The Discipline Committee does issue a written decision explaining why it was in the public interest to allow the withdrawal.
The Discipline Committee allowed the College to withdraw the accusations of professional misconduct that had been made about Nicole Anne Brunelle, RECE #131867. The Discipline Committee’s decision can be found here,linked under the heading “Special Notices”.