Student and Parent Rights
The National Student Ombudsman is responsible for overseeing the complaint and report processing procedure within Québec’s education system.
As part of this standardized, province-wide procedure, the National Student Ombudsman works alongside regional student ombudsmen throughout Québec.
Together, they ensure that the rights of students and their parents are respected while contributing to the continuous improvement of educational services.
Filing a Complaint
Students or their parents who are dissatisfied with educational services they have received, are currently receiving, should have received, or require may file a complaint through a procedure consisting of up to three steps.
Step 1 – The Person Directly Concerned or Their Immediate Supervisor
To file a complaint, the student or their parent must first contact the person directly concerned or that person’s immediate supervisor.
Complaints may be submitted verbally, although submitting them in writing is recommended.
The person receiving the complaint has 10 working days to respond.
Step 2 – Person Responsible for Processing Complaints
If the student or their parent remains dissatisfied with how their complaint has been handled, or if the 10-working-day response period has expired, they may contact the person responsible for processing complaints at the school service centre, school board, or private educational institution, as applicable.
Complaints may be submitted verbally, although submitting them in writing is recommended.
The person responsible for processing complaints has 15 working days to respond.
At Collège de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, the person responsible for processing complaints is:
Mr. Jonathan Daigle
Director of Student Services
Phone: 418-856-3012, extension 346
Email: jonathandaigle@leadercsa.com
Students and parents may also contact him through Pluriportail.
Online Complaint Form: https://pne.gouv.qc.ca/portal#/portal-request-form/88a1a595-0e6a-42f6-93f5-1a7c1525b078
Step 3 – Regional Student Ombudsman
If the student or their parent remains dissatisfied with how their complaint has been handled, or if the 15-working-day response period has expired, they may contact their regional student ombudsman.
The regional student ombudsman will assist the student or their parent in preparing a written complaint.
Students and parents may choose whichever method of communication is most convenient for them:
The regional student ombudsman has 20 working days to examine the complaint and issue their conclusions.
If the complaint is found to be justified, the regional student ombudsman may make recommendations to the school service centre, school board, or private educational institution.
Before these conclusions are communicated, they are reviewed by the National Student Ombudsman, who has a maximum of five working days to decide whether to examine the complaint personally.
If the National Student Ombudsman decides to do so, they have an additional 10 working days to complete their examination and, if necessary, substitute their own conclusions or recommendations for those of the regional student ombudsman.
The regional student ombudsman then informs the complainant and the school service centre, school board, or private educational institution of the conclusions and any recommendations.
The school service centre, school board, or private educational institution has 10 working days to inform the complainant and the regional student ombudsman of the actions it intends to take in response to the conclusions and recommendations. If it decides not to act on them, it must provide the reasons for its decision.
Important: In cases involving an act of sexual violence¹, a student or their parent may contact the regional student ombudsman directly, without having to complete the first two steps of the complaint procedure.
Reporting an Act of Sexual Violence
A report may be made by any person, but only in situations involving an act of sexual violence committed against a student attending an educational institution.
Such reports are submitted directly to the regional student ombudsman, without having to go through the first two steps of the complaint procedure.
A report may be made by:
- A teacher
- A professional working in a school
- An employee or member of an educational institution’s management team
- Another student or one of their parents
- Any other person
The person making the report may choose whichever method of communication is most convenient for them:
Reports are handled urgently.
The confidentiality of information identifying the person making the report is protected, unless that person consents to its disclosure. If required by law, the regional student ombudsman may disclose the person’s identity to the Director of Youth Protection. The regional student ombudsman may also investigate an act of sexual violence on their own initiative.
Protection Against Reprisal
The National Student Ombudsman Act protects individuals against reprisals or threats of reprisal when they file a complaint or make a report, cooperate in the processing of a complaint or report, or accompany someone who files a complaint or makes a report.
It is also prohibited to threaten someone with reprisals in order to discourage them from filing a complaint or making a report.
For students or parents who file a complaint or make a report, the following actions are presumed to constitute reprisals:
- Depriving them of their rights
- Treating them differently
- Suspending or expelling the student
For staff members of an educational institution who make a report or cooperate in the examination of a complaint or report, the following actions are presumed to constitute reprisals:
- Demotion
- Suspension
- Dismissal
- Transfer
- Any disciplinary sanction or other measure that adversely affects their employment or working conditions
Individuals who engage in reprisals or threaten to do so may face fines ranging from $2,000 to $20,000. For legal entities, fines may range from $10,000 to $250,000.
1 Sexual violence refers to any form of violence committed through sexual practices or by targeting sexuality, including sexual assault. It also includes other forms of misconduct involving unwanted gestures, comments, behaviours, or attitudes with sexual connotations, including those relating to sexual and gender diversity. Such conduct may occur directly or indirectly, including through technological means. For more information, please consult the Government of Québec’s resources on the different forms of violence.
