Lawsuit dropped against Quebec teacher accused of selling students' artwork online

Sidhartha Banerjee · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 3:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

A Montreal-area schoolhouse committee says it is nary longer being targeted by a astir $1.6-million suit that had alleged pupil artwork was being sold online by a teacher without their knowledge.

Ten Montreal-area parents filed a suit successful March 2024 against the committee and 1 of its teachers aft discovering their children's schoolroom artwork disposable for merchantability arsenic prints oregon connected T-shirts, java mugs, bags and decor, with prices arsenic precocious arsenic $113 US.

In a connection Wednesday, Lester B. Pearson School Board said it investigated the allegations and concluded that the teacher — identified successful tribunal documents arsenic Mario Perron — made an honorable mistake, adding that it imposed a disciplinary authorisation against him.

"The schoolhouse committee and the teacher apologize for the concern experienced by the students and their parents, portion reiterating that this was an mistake committed successful bully religion arsenic portion of an acquisition activity, with nary sick intent," the committee said successful a statement.

The committee says the teacher uploaded images of the students' artwork to his idiosyncratic Pixels/Fine Arts America leafage successful February 2024. It says the enactment was posted to the website for an acquisition enactment connected photograph editing techniques, and the drawings were ne'er intended for sale.

The committee says the teacher failed to announcement that a selling template connected the website helium utilized had been activated, inadvertently adding terms tags to the students' enactment without his knowledge. Some students noticed and told their parents.

The suit alleged Perron had intended to nett personally from his students' work, but the committee connection says that was inaccurate. "The teacher asserted that astatine nary clip did helium mean to connection for merchantability immoderate of his students' drawings oregon products derived from them," it said.

The Lester B. Pearson schoolhouse committee said the website confirmed that nary of the drawings oregon different products were sold and that Perron did not person immoderate money.

"As soon arsenic the teacher was notified ... helium instantly took steps with this website to close the concern and region immoderate pupil drawings oregon derived products that mightiness person been offered for sale," the connection said.

The parents, who had been seeking $155,000 each positive punitive damages and an apology from Westwood Junior High School, person dropped the lawsuit.

The committee did not specify what authorisation the teacher received but said it was due "considering successful peculiar that helium remains a teacher dedicated to the occurrence and learning of his students."

Both sides agreed not to remark further connected the substance arsenic portion of a confidentiality agreement.