A school board in the Montreal area says that it is no longer being attacked by a demand for almost $ 1.6 million that had claimed that a teacher sold online without his knowledge.
Ten parents of the Montreal area filed a lawsuit in March 2024 against the Board and one of their teachers after discovering the works of art available for sale such as impressions or in shirts, coffee cups, bags and decoration, with prices of up to $ 113 US.
In a statement on Wednesday, the School Board of Lester B. Pearson said he investigated the accusations and concluded that the teacher, identified in judicial documents such as Mario Perron, made an honest mistake, and added that he imposed a disciplinary sanction against him.
“The School Board and the teacher apologize for the situation experienced by the students and their parents, while reiterating that this was a mistake made in good faith as part of an educational activity, without intentions,” said the Board in a statement.
The Board says that the teacher uploaded images of the students’ art of the students to his personal page of Pixels/Fine Arts América in February 2024. He says that the work was published on the website for an educational activity on photo editing techniques, and the drawings were never destined for sale.
The Board says that the teacher did not realize that a marketing template on the website he used had been activated, without realizing adding students to the work of students without their knowledge. Some students noticed and told their parents.
The lawsuit claimed that Perron intended to personally benefit from his students’ work, but the Board’s statement says it was inaccurate. “The teacher said that at no time he intended to offer for sale any of the drawings or products of his students derived from them,” he said.
Lester B. Pearson’s school board said the website confirmed that none of the drawings or other products was sold and that Perron did not receive money.
“As soon as the teacher was notified … he immediately took measures with this website to correct the situation and eliminate the drawings of the students or derived products that could have been offered for sale,” the statement said.
The parents, who had been looking for $ 155,000 each more punitive damage and an apology of Westwood Junior High School, have abandoned the demand.
The Board did not specify what sanction the teacher received, but said it was appropriate “considering in particular that it remains a teacher dedicated to the success and learning of its students.”
Both parties agreed not to comment on the matter as part of a confidentiality agreement.
