A Yorkdale Central School special education teacher who was fired in November by Good Spirit School Division (GSSD) will face a Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) disciplinary hearing May 28.
In October 2014, a superintendent with the school district reported a number of questionable social media posts by teacher Jesse Baron of Saltcoats. An investigation prompted director of Education Dwayne Reeve to recommend Baron’s termination. At its November 27, meeting the school board unanimously accepted the recommendation.
Reeve would not comment on the nature of the posts, saying they were “inappropriate,” but not directed at any specific individuals within the school division.
“I don’t want to go into details, it just didn’t meet the standards of conduct we expect from our staff,” he said.
Reeve did reveal, however, that the relevant administrative procedure was subsection 4 of the division’s social media policy, which reads, in part: “Employees can be disciplined by the division for commentary, content, or images that are defamatory, pornographic, harassing, or that can create a hostile work environment.”
The posts were serious enough to warrant the most serious discipline available to the board, he confirmed.
When such a decision is made, a school board must refer the matter to the STF and the Ministry of Education, which GSSD did.
Following the STF investigation, the executive of the provincial organization determined there were grounds for a disciplinary hearing under Section 25(1) of the Teachers’ Federation Act (2006), which reads: The ethics committee shall, on a written order of the executive or on its own motion, conduct a hearing to inquire into any complaint and determine whether or not a member is guilty of professional misconduct or conduct not becoming to a teacher.
If found guilty by the panel, depending on the severity of the misconduct could face penalties up to and including a recommendation to the Minister of cancellation of his teaching certificate.
Attempts by Yorkton This Week to contact Baron were unsuccessful.
