Quebec Private School Mothers File Lawsuit Over Bullying

Four mothers are suing a Quebec private school and the provincial ministry of education, the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur, after their children were bullied in school.

One of the mothers instituting the lawsuit, Sonia Grenon reportedly recalls her son’s primary school experience “hell”, where he suffered beatings, death threats and continued bullying at the Académie des Sacrés-Coeurs, a private primary school in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville.

The term “bullying” once referred to physical actions such as hitting, kicking and punching. According to the Government of Canada, the definition of bullying has evolved over time as research has revealed that other types of non-physical behaviour can have similar impacts on the victim. The damaging effects of psychological and verbal bullying as well as social exclusion are now being recognized as bullying.

Lawsuit Reveals Widespread Problem

“Once, some children sat on him and put his face in the snow. One of the teachers had to lift one of the children up because my son was suffocating,” Grenon reportedly told Radio-Canada.

She claims that the Académie des Sacrés-Coeurs did nothing to solve the situation. It was another parent who informed her about what was happening in the schoolyard.

Through the discussions, Grenon also realized that her son was not the only victim of bullying in the school. The children of Nancy Woods, Christine Gingras and Véronique Perreault were also bullied during their time at the Academy.

The four mothers banded together in 2016 and have been working together ever since.

Moms Fight to End Bullying

At the very beginning of the process, the four moms asked for an apology from their children’s school.

When they didn’t get an apology, the group called on the Minister of Education, the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, and even the Protecteur du citoyen.

“We have reached an administrative dead end. We see a governance vacuum and we tell ourselves [that] the only option we have left to use our democratic right is legal recourse,” explained Perreault to Radio-Canada.

In the absence of answers, they are now turning to the courts: The four mothers filed a lawsuit against the Académie des Sacrés-Coeurs and the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur.

“At every level of government, we were faced with the same observation: there may be laws, but in some cases they are not enforced,” laments Grenon.

Study Shows Bullying Leaves Long-Term Impacts

According to the anti-bullying mothers, even though years have passed, their children still suffer the consequences of childhood bullying: anxiety, dropping out of school and disinterest in studies.

In Quebec, 15% of students – 160,000 children – experience recurring bullying, according to a survey conducted by the Chaire de recherche Bien-être à l’école et prévention de la violence de l’Université Laval in 2017.

In 2011, the suicide of 15-year-old Marjorie Raymond shook Quebec. Her suicide was deemed partly due to the bullying she was experiencing at school.

Following the tragedy, the Government of Quebec was quick to pass legislation to combat bullying and violence in schools.

Since 2012, private schools have been required to have an anti-bullying and anti-violence plan. However, private schools are not subject to the same laws as public schools. For example, in the private sector, parents cannot appeal to the student protector, who intervenes when complainants are dissatisfied with the way their complaint was handled.

Furthermore, surveillance cameras have been installed in many schools, and awareness workshops have increased.

As bullying is repetitive by definition, the effects of victimization on children and youth can be traumatic and long-lasting. Generally, children who are victimized report symptoms of depression (such as sadness and loss of interest in activities), symptoms of anxiety (such as tenseness, fears and worries), loss of self-esteem and sometimes, increased levels of aggressive behaviour, according to the Government of Canada.

Other Parents Launch Bullying Lawsuits

The bullying lawsuit filed by the four mothers is not the first of its kind in Canada. In 2019, a Toronto father filed a $5.5-million suit alleging his daughter was unjustly expelled from Havergal College, a prestigious private school, after he complained that she was being bullied.

Another lawsuit has been filed against the same school for bullying issues in May 2020, claiming $38 million in damages, after the school allegedly failed to protect a student from “relentless” bullying and dismissed her suicide attempt as “a contrivance.”

In B.C., the Crofton House School, an all-girls private school is also being sued by one of its students over its alleged failure to respond to concerns about rampant bullying and harassment.

Have you or your child been bullied in school? Has action been taken to stop the bullying? Share your story with us in the comments below!

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