Ontario Regulator Agrees to Review Standards Amid Protests Over Teacher Wearing Prosthetic Breasts in Class

A local mother and her child protest outside Oakville Trafalgar High School on Sept. 23 against a teacher wearing large prosthetic breasts to class. (Peter Wilson/The Epoch Times)

An Ontario regulator for schoolteachers has agreed to review its professional standards after an outcry over a high school teacher who wore large prosthetic breasts with protruding nipples in class, and protests by parents and students.

The teacher at Oakville Trafalgar High School (OTHS), located west of Toronto, came to public attention after students shared videos and photos of the teacher wearing the controversial apparel, prompting parents, students, and local residents to hold a large protest on Sept. 23.

Several media reported that the teacher is transgender, and before transitioning was known to students and faculty as a male and went by a man’s name. The teacher now identifies as a woman and is referenced with a female name.

Parents who took part in the protest said it was not about “transphobia” or being “anti-gay,” but was just “about the kids.” Several students told The Epoch Times in previous interviews that they found the teacher’s apparel ”disturbing,“ or it made them feel ”uncomfortable“ or ”weirded out.”

In response to the public outcry, Ontario’s Education Minister Stephen Lecce asked the Ontario College of Teachers to review and strengthen provisions surrounding professional conduct.

“In this province, in our schools, we celebrate our differences and we also believe that there must be the highest standards of professionalism in front of our kids,” Lecce said at a press conference on Sept. 26.

The College has agreed to the minister’s request and is undertaking a review, according to spokesperson Andrew Fifield.

“The College has been reviewing its professional standards in response to Minister Lecce’s request. We will provide our response to the Minister when it is ready,” Fifield told the National Post earlier this week.

“Per the Minister’s request, we are reviewing the supports and guidance the College provides to members with respect to teacher professionalism.”

The College is expected to share results with Lecce later this month, according to the National Post.

The Halton District School Board (HDSB), which oversees the OTHS, has defended the teacher.

“We are standing behind this member of staff, as prescribed by the Ontario Charter of Human Rights,” HDSB chair Margo Shuttleworth told The Epoch Times on Sept. 19.

During a HDSB meeting on Oct. 12, questions regarding dress code were raised by public members attending the four-hour meeting but were not read aloud as questions must be submitted to the board in writing in advance, reported the National Post.

The HDSB, however, said a report on dress codes for schools under its operation was previously requested, and will likely be presented at the board’s meeting in November, indicating that it will also be submitted to Lecce along with the College’s report.

The College does not have power over school boards but does license, govern, and regulate the teaching profession for publicly funded schools in the province, including issuing, suspending, and revoking teaching certificates, setting ethical standards and standards of practice, and investigating complaints about members. Teachers must have a valid teaching certificate.