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.
Muskan Muskan, RECE #69930
Facts: The RECE was physically and verbally abusive toward four 1.5-year-olds close to other children, who saw what she did. Her actions included pulling, pushing, shaking, grabbing, and aggressively lifting children, as well as slamming some onto their buttocks. She also spoke harshly to them and pulled a toy out of one child’s hands. This all happened within a short period of time on one day.
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct, including physical abuse of a child and failing to maintain the standards. 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 said that the RECE’s actions were especially egregious because she physically abused 4 young children, who at higher risk for some injuries because of their physical development and who are not able to clearly and accurately report what was done to them. The RECE’s actions also affected the children’s families: one parent said the RECE’s conduct had shaken their trust in child care and led to constant anxiety about future mistreatment of their child, and another family contacted police.
The Committee said that the RECE was in a position of power over very young children, and she did not take that responsibility seriously. She should have prioritized their needs and treated them with respect, which required maintaining her own emotional self-regulation. RECEs should remember that children rely on adults for co-regulation, and adults cannot co-regulate with children unless they themselves are emotionally regulated.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Nancy Lina Pin-DiValentin, RECE #02211
Facts: The RECE was supervising children in a soccer field fenced on only three sides because the preschool playground was under construction. She failed to notice that a 3-year-old child walked away unsupervised and was missing for 15-30 minutes. The child was found at a nearby adult learning centre about 400 metres away.
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct, including failing to adequately supervise a child and failing to maintain 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 4-month suspension; terms, conditions or limitations meant to improve the RECE’s practice, including mentorship; and a verbal reprimand.
RECEs have a personal responsibility for playground safety checks and frequent headcounts on a daily basis. RECEs are also responsible for proactively raising any concerns or deficiencies with management.
The Committee also wrote: “The place where this incident happened was clearly inappropriate for preschool children to have outdoor play. The Centre should have made every effort to remove the construction materials from the Ministry-approved play area before letting children play outside.”
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Diana Marie Cotaras, RECE #17223
Facts: As the Executive Director of a child care centre, the RECE mismanaged funds, stole money, and covered up her actions. She used the centre’s credit card to pay for more than $17,000 of personal expenses. She took $2,200 that families had fundraised to support a local charity. She also stole a $360 gift card that families had purchased for another staff member.
During this time, the RECE was instructed to follow procedures to make sure funds were used only with proper authorization. She did not follow those instructions. She continued to misuse the credit card and misappropriate funds, and she took steps to conceal her personal charges to the centre’s credit card. The RECE also proposed improvements to the centre’s financial management policies after an audit but contravened the policies she herself had proposed.
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct for failing to maintain the standards. 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 15-month suspension; terms, conditions or limitations meant to improve the RECE’s practice, including courses, mentorship and financial restrictions in her employment; and a verbal reprimand.
The Committee said that the RECE removed money from the service of children, breached the trust of families and her colleagues, and risked the centre’s reputation. In taking steps to cover up her misconduct, the RECE showed that she knew what she was doing was wrong. It was unacceptable that she did not make children and their families her priority.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Claudia Beatriz Guevara, RECE #06576
Facts: The RECE came into the classroom during her lunch break when she heard a 2.5-year-old child crying. She yanked and manipulated the child’s body to make them sit up and lie down, held the child down briefly while they resisted, and held and let them go so they fell on their knees. The child continued to cry. The RECE then left the classroom and went back to her lunch break, and another staff member comforted the child. The child developed bruising from the RECE’s rough handling.
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct, including physical abuse; psychological or emotional abuse of a child; and failing to maintain the standards. 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 was concerned that when the RECE did not prioritize helping the child. They were concerned that she came into the classroom emotionally dysregulated and that she escalated the situation with the child instead of deescalating it by supporting the child’s needs.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Kimberly Erin Patricia Cullum, RECE #24253
Facts: The RECE grabbed a 14-month-old child’s face and forcefully squeezed their cheeks. The child was upset and cried and had bruising that was visible for at least five days. Moments before the incident, an Assistant Supervisor walked by the infant room and heard the RECE using a harsh tone with the child and thought she seemed frustrated and upset. The Assistant Supervisor asked the RECE if everything was okay and if she “needed a minute”. The RECE declined.
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct, including physical abuse; psychological or emotional abuse of a child; and failing to maintain the standards. 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 9-month suspension; terms, conditions or limitations meant to improve the RECE’s practice, including courses and mentorship; and a verbal reprimand.
The Committee emphasized that RECEs need to be able to notice when they are struggling to self-regulate and should take steps to make sure that their dysregulation does not negatively affect children or others around them.
The full decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.
Breanna Odette Benjamin, RECE #123144
Facts: A three-year old child who had a bite mark and bruising on their shoulder told the RECE that their father bit them. The RECE did not take adequate steps to protect the child. She did not document what she saw and heard, did not report to the Children’s Aid Society, and did not follow her employer’s policy to immediately report suspected child abuse.
In a separate incident, the RECE took a different child who was not following directions into a storage closet. She closed the door behind them and raised her voice at the child for several minutes. The child was scared and upset.
Decision: The Committee decided that the RECE was guilty of professional misconduct, including psychological or emotional abuse of a child and failing to maintain the standards. 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 an 8-month suspension; terms, conditions or limitations meant to improve the RECE’s practice, including courses and mentorship; and a verbal reprimand.
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:
- Rose Marie Anne Commanda, RECE #08108. The Discipline Committee’s decision can be found here, linked under the heading “Special Notices”.