A Brampton teacher battling cancer is facing “an absolute nightmare” with the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB), after being given $7,000 in sick leave benefits, then told she has to pay back the money.

“My family and I have been put in a very stressful situation when we are already dealing with serious health issues,” said Kasia Da Costa. “I am not in remission yet and have been very sick with high fevers for the last two months.”

Da Costa was teaching at Holy Cross Secondary School in Malton, in 2016, when she was pregnant. On Sept. 8, Da Costa’s water broke and she was admitted to Brampton Civic Hospital.

After being transferred to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on Sept. 9, Da Costa’s son was delivered prematurely by C-section on Sept. 15.

After being discharged from hospital, she said DPCDSB started process for maternity leave. “It was very difficult to get answers; spoke with different people many times; everyone had different information or didn’t know,” she said.

Da Costa contacted the Dufferin-Peel Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) and was told her maternity leave could be deferred on the grounds that her baby was not home with his mother.

Finally, on April of 2017, Da Costa was approved for parental leave and would receive benefits. “It was like a gift from above,” she said.

On June 19, 2017, Da Costa was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She contacted DPCDSB to switch to medical leave and was told it wouldn’t be a problem. The board said she could not switch from parental leave to medical.

Then, Da Costa was given access to sick pay from 2016/2017.

in March, she was put on an unpaid medical leave as of Jan. 8, 2018, and was told repay approximately $7,000 in benefits given to her in error.