All Ontario teachers found guilty of sexually abusing a student — including making inappropriate comments or sending messages — will automatically lose their licences under new legislation proposed by the provincial government.

The wide-ranging changes, introduced Thursday by Education Minister Lisa Thompson, will also require new teachers to pass a math competency test before being certified.

Thompson later told reporters she was open to having current teachers take a math test as well.

“There are parts of the system that are broken,” she said in announcing the changes. “We are committed to ensuring the best learning environment.”

Although the previous Liberal government introduced legislation addressing teacher misconduct in 2016, critics said it had too many loopholes because it specified acts — intercourse, masturbation, child pornography and genital contact — which would lead to the loss of a teaching certificate.

That led to cases where those found guilty by the Ontario College of Teachers of sexual touching or lewd comments were allowed to remain in the classroom.

Although the Liberals updated the law earlier this year to include sexual touching, Thompson’s new Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act uses the broader term “sexual abuse” to ensure all such misconduct is included — something a number of advocacy groups had called for.

The idea to set tougher — and consistent — punishment was in part prompted by a Star series earlier this year that detailed the case of Richard Buckley, a teacher in Thompson’s own Huron-Bruce riding.

The Bluewater District School Board teacher sent sexual messages to a teenage girl, later threatening to commit suicide if the girl disclosed what he’d done.

At his disciplinary hearing before the Ontario College of Teachers, he pleaded guilty to psychological and sexual abuse but was allowed to continue to teach.

Under the new law, he would lose his licence.

Teachers who are stripped of their licences would be able to apply to be reinstated after five years.

As for math, while the province is consulting parents on curriculum changes, in the meantime it is focusing on teachers’ skills.

Working with the Ontario College of Teachers, the province wants all new graduates to complete a math test before they can be registered to teach.

The test is intended for all elementary and secondary educators, exempting only those whose specialty is math.

The goal is for the test to be place before the start of the next school year.

Some education faculties have already implemented math tests before graduation to address concerns about elementary teachers’ weak skills, given they are typically liberal-arts majors.

The previous Liberal government spent $60 million on a math strategy for teacher training and help.

However, students in Ontario classrooms continue to struggle with the subject, which has been reflected in provincial standardized test results.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Some have blamed the “discovery” math method and called for a more traditional, “drill and kill” memorization approach, while others have urged a balance between the two.

Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, noted the province has just launched public consultations “and less than a week into it — those consultations are supposed to go into December — they come out today with the solutions.

“They have the answers before the consultations are finished,” Hammond said.

The money would be better spent on professional development for teachers, he said, because “requiring a test on math will do absolutely nothing” to improve the system.

Hammond also said the current process for sexual abuse cases is already transparent and involves police and the Children’s Aid Society, and that teachers are held accountable. However, he said he’d have to see the details of the legislation.

“Teachers have felt like they were under attack since this government repealed the 2015 health and physical education curriculum and put up a snitch line” for parents to report issues, he said.

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner called the math tests “an unfair way to pin the blame for low math scores on teachers rather than a more constructive solution that will work for everyone.”

Schreiner also said that addressing sexual abuse is important, but “there is a tremendous irony that this comes from the same government trying to erase topics like consent, gender expression and online safety from the sexual health curriculum.

“It is hypocritical for the government to protect children from predators inside the classroom, but then withhold information that will keep them safe from predators outside of the classroom.”

NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles said Thompson provided very few details on what will be in the test and whether all teachers will have to take it.

“I think she’s missed the mark,” added Liberal MPP Michael Coteau, who like Stiles is a former Toronto public school board trustee.

With files from Rob Ferguson