Receipt and Review of Complaints

All professional complaints received by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation are reviewed by the Professional Complaints Committee which is comprised of an appointed member of the public and three members-at-large of the STF provincial executive. This Committee recommends actions to the STF Executive about decisions to be made regarding the professional complaint.

The first step of the Professional Complaints Committee is to assess the complaint for:

• Substantive issues (i.e., if the allegation(s) are proven would they constitute a breach of the Code of Ethics or Standards of Practice).
• Whether the complaint is vexatious, frivolous, made in bad faith or otherwise an abuse of process, not in the public interest or lacking sufficient evidence (in which case no further action is taken).
• If a preliminary investigation is required.

Please note: Complaints involving criminal convictions and raise or potentially raise a question of professional misconduct or professional incompetence  are automatically forwarded to a Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board.

The Professional Complaints Committee will submit a report with their recommendation to the STF Executive who will decide if the complaint will be either:

• Referred for preliminary investigation.
• Closed with no further action.

All decision-making processes concerning professional complaints are conducted in a manner that follows due process and is absent of conflict of interest or bias. The complainant(s) and the teacher who is subject of the complaint shall be treated respectfully at all times during the professional complaints process.

Due to the quasi-judicial nature of the associated proceedings and the consequences of decisions made, these processes may take several months to resolve.