

Sandie Benitah, CP24.com





An off-duty police officer will be present at the next Toronto District School Board meeting after a formal complaint was made about bullying between board members.

School board trustee Sam Sotiropoulouslaunched the formal complaint against trustee Howard Goodman, going into detail about his conduct at a recent meeting.

He's accusing Goodman of intimidating Director of Education, Donna Quan at a committee meeting on Feb. 26. He's calling for disciplinary action and an apology.

Meanwhile, CTV News obtained a copy of a letter sent to TDSB Chair Chris Bolton by the Quan and associate directors on the board.

The letter doesn’t name Goodman but calls out the “threatening and intimidating behaviour by a trustee.”

“This incident is not unique and has prompted us to now write to you in order to express our grave concerns about the conduct that some trustees have displayed towards staff,” the letter continues to say.

“It appears that our organization has come to condone a culture where it is acceptable for staff members to be subjected to abusive, threatening and insulting comments by elected officials,” it says. “Threatening and intimidating behaviour creates a culture of fear and anxiety that impedes staff's ability to lead with confidence, and to provide honest and forthright advice without fear of reprisal."

They are asking for a meeting with TDSB Chair Chris Bolton and vice-chair Mari Rutka.

Meanwhile CTV News spoke to the trustees on both sides of the complaint about the incident in question.

“(There were) fingers in the air and he was just right overtop of the woman,” Sotiropoulous said. “There was a palpable look of fear on her face I have to say.”

Goodman dismissed the accusation.

“If Sam thought there was a problem between Donna and me, that’s not for him to judge,” he said.

Bolton told CTV he is bringing in an off-duty officer for Wednesday's meeting to help keep matters calm.

“It's important that all staff and trustees feel safe and this is not the case right now,” he said.

This incident comes on the heels of a report completed in December 2013 suggesting the presence of bullying within the TDSB.

At the time, Quan told media, “We cannot operate in a culture of fear. Culture change takes time.”