Vancouver teacher fired over special needs complaints

A Vancouver kindergarten teacher says she doesn't regret writing letters calling the Vancouver School Board "corrupt" and discouraging the parents of a special needs child from transferring their son into her school.

According to a Labour Relations Board decision, Susan Debeck was fired for insubordination. She went to the board to argue that her union failed to properly represent her.

Debeck says she has post-traumatic stress disorder triggered by witnessing an administrator physically restraining a student.

She claims her mental state led her to hand-deliver a letter to the family of an autistic child saying: "No school wants to be overburdened with special needs students."

She also sent letters to the VSB's superintendent and chairman questioning the board's approach to special needs children.

But Debeck says she was guided by concern about resources and the ability of the public system to cope with the highly challenging needs of some students.

'My wording, I know, sounds very harsh'

Debeck says she has tried to apologize to the family.

"My wording, I know, sounds very harsh," Debeck told the CBC.

"I tried my best to explain. The intention of my letter was for dialogue with the board and me and my principal and the other teacher, so we could get everything above board. And it seemed to me that the only possibility of that occurring was to write to the parents because it was the only way to wake them up."

The LRB dismissed Debeck's complaint, but she says she has applied for reconsideration. The VSB would not comment on her employment record but says the board provides quality education for special needs students.

Debeck was fired in 2013, but details of the case only emerged with the release of the LRB decision last month.

Board vice-chair Komi Kandola found the B.C. Teacher's Federation did its due diligence with respect to Debeck's case and took steps to protect her interests by warning her that the letters could have an impact on her employment.

According to the ruling, Debeck "felt teachers were not given the skills to meet the educational and behavioural needs of special needs students, but speaking out about it was perceived by everyone, including the union, as a 'transgression.'"

Kandola made a point of saying the tribunal "is not a forum for complaints against the employer" and "I do not make any findings in that regard."

'Simply do not have the support'

According to the decision, Debeck has lengthy service with the VSB and was working as a kindergarten teacher in October 2011 when a child known as XY was registered to transfer out of his catchment and into Debeck's class.

The LRB ruling quotes from the letter she wrote to the parents.

"Although the VSB will honour your decision to have XY attend the school, you may want to know this: some staff, including myself, will resent that XY is out of catchment," the letter said.

"Philosophically, I am, at this time, opposed to the integration of special needs into the regular classroom because of the lack of infrastructure and support for these students."

"'The public discussion of special needs students in out province's schools is 'taboo' for a number of reasons' including 'the burden this has put on public school teachers' who often 'simply do not have the support they need to cope with the demands of special needs children.'"

In the weeks after the delivery of the letter, the VSB held an investigation meeting with Debeck and two union representatives, who said she had no intention of upsetting the family.

Debeck was suspended for eight days by the board, and then for another 30 days by the provincial Teacher Regulation Branch. She says the 30-day suspension was later put aside.

Debeck wrote letters directly to the VSB's superintendent and chair in 2012 in regard to a policy that is supposed to keep students studying within their catchment areas.

"In her letter to the school board chair, she also said the school board was 'corrupt' for failing to ensure its policy was being followed," the ruling says.

​Debeck claimed other teachers felt the same way, but that she was singled out for writing the letter.