Maintaining Professional Relationships Among All Educators

Increasingly, the task of educating children and maintaining safe and effective schools is being 

carried out by teams of education practitioners. In addition to full-time teachers, many schools 
employ occasional teachers, educational assistants, early childhood educators, and a number of other 
professionals including health professionals, community workers, and social workers. This plethora of 
professionals, each of whom plays a vital role in the development and education of students, has given 
rise to new concerns regarding the professional relationships within school communities. Professional 
and respectful relationships among educators and other professionals is not only a necessary ingredient 
for effective learning, it is also mandated by governmental, regulatory, and organizational policy.

Sources that establish the obligation to maintain respectful and professional relationships

The Ontario Human Rights Code and Occupational Health and Safety Act apply to all employees working 
within Ontario schools. Both of these statutes prohibit workplace harassment, defined broadly as a course 
of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. This 
includes bullying behaviour.

While the Human Rights Code prevents harassment that is based on one of the listed prohibited grounds 
of discrimination, the Occupational Health and Safety Act prohibits all forms of harassment and requires 
school boards to have specific policies setting this out.

For teachers and early childhood educators, both the Ontario College of Teachers Act and the Early 
Childhood Educators Act

 prohibit conduct that is unbecoming a member. Violation of that requirement may 

result in a finding of professional misconduct and could affect the ability of a teacher or early childhood 
educator to practice in Ontario. In addition, the Ontario College of Teachers has a code of ethics and 
standards of practice that apply to the relationship between teachers and other educators. The College 
of Early Childhood Educators has recently approved its own code of ethics and standards of practice that 
contain similar provisions regarding the requirement to treat colleagues and other professionals with 
respect, trust, and integrity. ETFO represents teachers, early childhood educators, and other education 
practitioners working in Ontario schools. The following provisions of the ETFO Constitution are directly 
relevant to the issue of respectful professional relationships, and apply to all ETFO members:

Article VI . Code of Professional Conduct

6.1 A member shall:

6.1.6 strive to eliminate all forms of harassment between individuals in the educational 

system;

6.1.7 endeavour to ensure equity and inclusiveness in the workplace; and

6.1.8 strive to achieve and maintain a high degree of professionalism and to uphold the 

honour, dignity, and ethical standards of the teaching profession.

The Teaching Profession Act applies to all teachers and other members of the Ontario Teachers Federation 
(OTF). The following provision is contained in a regulation established under the Teaching Profession Act:

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