Is it acceptable for teachers to lock their students in storage closets, steal their money for school trips, and come to school smelling of booze? Of course not. But apparently Ontario's College of Teachers thinks it is fine if those teachers stay in our classrooms.

The Toronto Star has blown the lid on the College's disciplinary procedures in a recent exposé. Created in 1997, the College's purpose is to allow teachers to govern their own profession in the public interest. On their website they state that the College "ensures Ontario students are taught by skilled teachers who adhere to clear standards of practice and conduct". It seems the College has abandoned its mandate in favour of shielding abusive teachers.

The list of behavioural violations is shocking. One teacher helped students cheat on their provincial testing. Another sent a female student "sexually charged" text messages. Yet another teachers drew graphic photos of a student's death and posted it on her dormitory door during a school trip.

And how did the College respond to this deviancy? It slapped these teachers on the wrists, then let them back into their classrooms. Teachers were often granted anonymity after pleading guilty to charges brought against them. The College then typically gave them at worse a short suspension.

Meanwhile, parents are kept in the dark as to their identities and where they teach. Their children are kept at rick on a daily basis because the College refuses to tell them who these people are.

The College leadership seems quite unable to grasp the gravity of the situation. College Registrar Michael Salvatori sanitized these failures by claiming that teachers suffered "a momentary lapse in judgement".

A "momentary lapse"? The Registrar is kidding himself. The statement of facts concerning Ryan Geekie for example reveal much more than a momentary lapse of judgement.

Over his five years as a teacher, Geekie called female students "hooker", "slut", and "pole dancer". He stuffed rolled paper balls down their shirts. He challenged his students to fist fights. He even got drunk with students at parties, and slapped female students on the buttocks with his hand.

All of these "momentary lapses" occurred over a five year period, and his punishment was a one month suspension. To this day he is listed as a teacher in good standing.

All of this leads to the inevitable question: what is the College thinking? The cases outlined in the exposé suggest that the organization was obsessed with defending the reputation of itself and its members. It claimed an interest in ensuring the transparency of the disciplinary process even as it protected the identities of transgressors.

In its quest to protect itself, it has done the profession a terrible disservice. The reputation of good teachers will be hurt even as the practices of the College are rightfully called into question. The College has harmed the vital trust that must exist between parent, student, and teacher. Until it reforms its disciplinary practices, that trust cannot be mended.

The College has commissioned the Honourable Patrick LeSage to review its investigative and disciplinary procedures. Mr. LeSage has served in the past on several high profile review committees for the provincial and federal governments. This is a good first step in achieving disciplinary reform.

But it should be made abundantly clear to Mr. LeSage by the next Premier of Ontario that changes are expected. These must include measures to restore transparency to the process. Extreme cases must result in the publication of the teacher's identity, as a deterrence. Parents must be given the opportunity to participate in the disciplinary proceedings, ideally through a reformed membership of the disciplinary committee. Most importantly, there must be a willingness to end the employment of abusive teachers who don't belong in the classroom.

I hope the College shows willingness to restore its public interest mandate. Self regulation of the teaching profession should not lead to the protection of terrible teachers. If the College is unwilling to take action on the matter, and Mr. LeSage's review does not go far enough, one options remains. If necessary, the next Premier must be willing to reform the Ontario College of Teachers Act. If the College won't protect Ontario's children, then it falls to the government to take matters into its own hands.