Report of children confined in locker at Quebec school draws education minister’s condemnation

Reports have surfaced of elementary students aged five to seven being allegedly confined by teachers into school lockers at one Laurentian's primary school. At least one locker was found to have padding on the bottom and over the hooks. The disciplinary practice found in at least one primary school in the school service center of Mille-Îles is currently under investigation by Blainville police, Quebec ministry of education, youth protection services and the school service center itself. Education Minister Joël Arsenault calls the practice unacceptable. I was thinking that some professionals or teachers have imagined that it was a good idea to lock up. Young pupils in a locker thinking that it would, you know, help any kind of student looking for a way to calm down. And to see that it was organized in such a way that this locker was part of the toolbox that professionals would use or school staff is absolutely... As first reported by news outlet 98.5, four employees of the school have been suspended. Marie-Noëlle Granger is with the Laurentian School Service Centre. She says this early on into investigations, important details are yet to be confirmed as to whether students went into the lockers on their own or whether they were placed there and whether the practice is currently being used in other primary schools. Qu'importe la raison pour laquelle, c'est l'utilisation bien sûr de l'occasion. Which of course is very worrying and which we judge as an unacceptable practice. Arsenault says the ministry plans on making additional announcements next week on violence in schools, as well as to condemn practices such as confining young students to middle school lockers.