This afternoon in the GTA, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced new measures to prevent and protect children from sexual abuse in schools.
Lecce says he wants parents to be aware of the information linked to the safety and security of their children. He says that's why Ontario will become the first area of Canada to publicly disclose information on educators who have been involved in sexual abuse in other serious criminal proceedings. Today, Lecce says they're building on that commitment of transparency.
"These changes include the imposing of a lifetime ban on any educator who's involved in physical sexual relations with a child, or involved in any way with child pornography. We are retroactively imposing lifetime bans on educators who engaged in physical sexual abuse of children and for previous similar acts by teachers and early childhood educators whose memberships were reinstated or not revoked in the first place."
Minister Lecce adds he's also imposing mandatory input from regulators.
"We're requiring both the Ontario College of Teachers and the College of Early Childhood Educators, both regulators, to provide funding for therapy and counselling to children and students who are victims of sexual abuse and prohibited sexual acts."
Additionally, Lecce announced that the ministry will make information public regarding criminal proceedings involving educators from the colleges that are licensed here. There will also be mandatory sexual abuse prevention training for all educators that must be completed by this September.
