A 5-year-old girl was allegedly tied to a chair by her teacher

Shelly says she heard about what happened to her daughter from another relative. Radio-Canada has agreed not to use her real name in order to protect the identity of her daughter, who is in kindergarten.

A Toronto mother speaks out after her daughter 5-year-old told her that her teacher had tied her to a chair with duct tape.

At the end of May, Shelly received an email that took her completely to heart. unprepared: a parent had written to tell him that his daughter had mentioned something worrying at home.

Later, in a phone call, that parent said her child told her she saw Shelly's daughter tied to a chair with tape. The teacher allegedly did it to keep him from getting up too often.

“I kept replaying that call in my head. At first you want to believe that a teacher would never do something like that.

— Shelly, mother of a 5-year-old girl in Toronto

I was in shock, says Shelly, whose name is a pseudonym. Radio-Canada has agreed not to use her name to protect the identity of her daughter, who is a kindergarten student.

Shelly says she then told her daughter about 5 year old, who reported to her that the teacher had indeed tied her to the chair with duct tape.

She told me she was supposed to be sitting in her chair and she kept getting up, explains this mother. His teacher then told him that she was going to have to tie him up to prevent him from getting up.

Toronto School Board TDSB confirms it is investigating allegations involving two students in the class.

The Toronto Public School Board (TDSB) says the teacher at Seventh Street Junior School has been placed under house arrest. He also confirmed he was investigating allegations that two children were tied to chairs.

This is not the first time an Ontario teacher has faced such allegations. However, early childhood experts say that this practice should never be used and warn that it could have long-term repercussions.

According to Shelly, talking to her daughter about the incident was difficult. She reports that her daughter became agitated when she tried to talk to her about it and asked to change the subject. Shelly says she managed to get her to show what happened though.

I sat down and she showed me that a piece of green tape had placed across her thighs and up the sides of the chair, Shelly says.

Her daughter told her it had happened more than once.

“It's unclear how she handles the situation because of her age.

— Shelly, mother of a 5-year-old girl in Toronto

Mother says she immediately notified the school principal and the Aid Society in childhood. For its part, the school board says it has contacted its employee department, the Children's Aid Society and the Toronto Police Service.

Shelly points out that one of her biggest frustrations is that the other parents weren't immediately alerted to what had happened.

I felt really conflicted with the fact that I was told to remain discreet about the situation and not to talk about it, she explains. These parents, if this happened to their child too?

A month later, a letter was sent to the parents' home to inform them that the teacher had been put on leave.

Shelly says she's trying to understand the impact the alleged incidents have had on her daughter, but c It's difficult, because this one is only five years old.

Shelly says she took her daughter to a doctor and a psychologist to make sure she had the resources to deal with what happened.

More than anything, she wanted her daughter to understand that what had apparently happened was wrong, which she didn't realize at first.

She said to me, "But she can do that because she's the teacher, right?" And that's when my heart sank. I felt so sad that she thought it was okay, Shelly says.

In October 2021, a teacher in Kitchener, Ont., also tied two students to their chairs with duct tape to prevent them from talking to each other. The 53-year-old was initially criminally charged, but the charges were dropped after she signed a peace bond.

Linda Cameron is a professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and an early childhood specialist.

“This behavior is really very abusive.

—Linda Cameron, Emeritus Professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and Early Childhood Specialist

Ms Cameron acknowledges the pressure teachers are under and younger students due to the pandemic and the return to class, but she wonders why staff were unaware of what was happening.

According to her, kindergarten students need of activity and play time to balance learning.

Linda Cameron is a professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and an early childhood specialist.< /p>

The teacher didn't know what to do and chose a completely inappropriate solution, says Linda Cameron, who is concerned about the long-term impact of these alleged incidents.

I'm certain that the child will remember this forever and ever. As her school experience progresses, this is likely to have an emotional impact on her, says the expert.

The TDSB school board says it followed protocol in assigning the home teacher until an investigation takes place.

These allegations are very serious and if true are completely unacceptable and could result in serious consequences up to and including termination, said school board spokesperson Ryan Bird.

He explains that the school could not immediately release details of the allegations to parents after they came to light, as it had to allow time for the police and the Aid Society to childhood to investigate.

TDSB says it is also offering support to students in the class where the incidents allegedly occurred.

< p class="e-p">The TDSB notes that it is also providing support to students in the class where the incidents allegedly occurred.

Toronto police have indicated that they determined it was not a criminal matter, and the Ontario College of Teachers would not comment or confirm an investigation on its part.

< p class="e-p">As for Shelly, she says she wants the teacher removed from the schools.

The psychological impact following a exercise of power over a young child, she says, is enough to demonstrate that these practices should not be used in classrooms. asse nor elsewhere.

With information from Farah Merali, CBC News