Sudbury teacher suspended due to allegations she punished special needs student

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A Sudbury teacher has been found guilty of professional misconduct after allegations she was paid by the parents of a special needs student to punish their son -- who has health challenges -- through a 'boot camp' at her home.

The incidents took place in April 2021 when Marie Bonita Chantal Bazinet was a teacher with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and resulted in her qualifications being suspended for five months after a disciplinary hearing July 17.

Bazinet started teaching in 2007 and received her special education qualifications in 2020.

She was invited April 19, 2021, to her student's home by his parents and allegedly threatened to discipline him with the boot camp if he didn't follow the rules at home or school, the hearing notice said.

About three days later, his parents paid Bazinet to deliver the boot camp and she drove him to her house without the school board's permission.

"For approximately one to two hours, the member had Student 1 repeatedly scoop water out of her pool and dump it in a flowerbed and repeatedly carry a cinder block from one end of her yard to the other," the July 27, 2022, hearing notice said.

She also filmed the incident where she allegedly could be heard saying "[t]his is so you can look at it later and experience how it feels right now," and shared it with the boy's parents and two other school staff members.

Bazinet did not have the student's or parent's permission to share the video, the notice said.

She also told the boy that he would be punished the same way again the next time he misbehaved.

On April 27, 2021, she reprimanded the student over videoconference at his parent's request saying, "my yell is loud, but I could probably yell louder."

She is accused of verbally and psychologically or emotionally abusing a student, committing unprofessional acts and engaging in conduct unbecoming of a teacher.

The name of the school, grade and student involved is redacted from the Ontario College of Teachers documents about the case.

CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca has reached out to the Sudbury Catholic District School Board as to the current status of Bazinet's employment and is awaiting a response.