"The children are smiling now, they are having fun, they love their school."

"The biggest challenge facing the [school service centre] will be maintaining these new management practices, especially since none of the members of the management team in place in October 2024 will still be in office as of January 2026."

"Without rigorous educational management, the situation of non-compliance with curriculum could repeat itself at Bedford school or in other establishments."

Quebec Ministry of Education report

École Bedford was placed under watch in October 2024 after an investigation by Quebec's Ministry of Education found that a group of 11 teachers had created a climate of intimidation and weren't applying the curriculum correctly. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

 

 A "climate of fear and intimidation" was perpetrated in a Quebec elementary school when teachers of North African descent decided to expose students to Islamic religious concepts when they took to imposing strict rules on the students under their tutelage. Eleven of the school's teachers were identified as representing the cabal behind the the situation at Bedford Elementary School located in Cote-des-Neighes, a Montreal borough.

 

Those eleven teaching staff had their teaching licenses suspended in 2024 while they were still being paid their teaching salary. More latterly the licenses were revoked. In May of 2023, radio journalist Valerie Lebeuf revealed the unorthodox teaching situation on her radio show. She had investigated the rumoured issue, speaking with eight individuals who had attended the school, eager to denounce the situation, but yet fearful of speaking of it in a public venue. 

 

Tensions rose between Muslim and non-Muslim school staff. Ms.Lebeuf revealed that harsh teaching methodology was implemented that had the effect of creating a toxic learning environment when a "dominant clan" of North African teachers had imposed strict rules on students, and brooked no opposition, employing intimidation methods if those of opposing views attempted to intervene. 

 

Some of the Muslim teaching staff attended a local mosque. According to a subsequent report, the mosque wielded a "strong influence" on those of the school's staff that attended services there. Mosque representatives had at a point visited the school administration for the purpose of convincing them of the importance of the school maintaining good relations with Muslim families whose children attended the school.

 

The nature of the teaching cabal's intimidation was such as to have included psychological and physical abuse; pushing, shouting, bullying of students. Bernard Drainville, at the time the province's education minister, spoke of a horrifying environment where the teachers would not recognize the reality among the children of autism, and nor would they agree to teach that part of the curriculum where science or sexual education was involved. 

 

When the situation was recognized, reported and warranted the intervention of the Quebec Education Ministry, an investigation was launched, resulting in an 89-page report confirming the allegations. The report reflected 38 cases in which teachers refused to teach the provincial curriculum and of 30 teachers investigated, ten only were found to have planned lessons in a manner that respected provincial standards. 

 

For the last 20 years, one issue has kept resurfacing in Quebec politics. It’s not language or separatism, but the relationship between Quebec society and religion — often one religion in particular. CBC

 

 Several witnesses reported that mosque members intervened to make certain that the school followed a "cultural model" in line with what the community had expectations of. Other school staff were said to have witnessed religious practices taking place in the school; teachers performing religious rituals in bathrooms and praying in empty classrooms.

 

Those students who failed to do their homework could be asked to stand against a wall, or were belittled before their classmates, making for an environment sufficiently intense to persuade students they would do well to work in  fearful silence rather than draw the attention of their teachers, and risk subsequent punishment. Physical punishment included having ears pulled, shirt sleeves tugged briskly, and even students shoved on the floor.

 

Courses such as those revolving around sex education, science and religion were either barely taught or entirely neglected. Young female students were informed soccer was "reserved for the boys", and they had no business in the game. Then-premier Francois Legault in 2024 described the school environment as a group of teachers focused on an effort to "introduce Islamic religious concepts" at the school. 

"Religion has no business in our schools."

"What happened in Bedford [elementary school] was terrible on so many levels ... we don't want these teachers around our children." 

Liberal MNA Michelle Setlakwe  

Imagine sending your child to school only to find them caught in a political firestorm. That’s the reality for families at Bedford Elementary in Montreal, where an apparent investigation into a toxic school environment has spiraled into a debate over religion and secularism. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives