College’s new professional advisory on addressing hate and discrimination
June 23 2025
Today, the Ontario College of Teachers issued professional advice to 228,000 Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs) on how to address incidents of hate and discrimination within learning environments.
The new advisory is available online at oct.ca in HTML, PDF and audio formats.
The advisory provides OCTs with a starting point to examine and address hate and discrimination, including unconscious bias. It also highlights the professional and legal responsibilities of all OCTs as members of Ontario’s teaching profession.
The College sets and enforces professional and ethical standards for the teaching profession in Ontario.
OCTs are in a position of influence and trust - they play a key role in creating an educational environment that supports all students.
Case studies
The College will release an accompanying set of case studies as an appendix in August. Based on real life occurrences, the case studies are a responsive resource for boards and schools. They are designed to provide OCTs examples of how to work through and respond professionally to acts of hate and discrimination.
Why this topic?
The College has seen an increase in the number of reports related to hate and discrimination in the learning environment and in online activity.
Research in the preparation of this advisory suggested that OCTs are aware of and concerned about hate and discrimination, and that additional resources to help them recognize and address these types of issues would be welcome.
Discriminatory and hurtful actions, whether they are overt, indirect or unintentional, can have a devastating impact on students and the school community.
The professional advisory and case studies were created in consultation with numerous participants, including OCTs, parents and guardians, students, subject matter experts, pedagogical experts, and education partners and community members.
By continuing to build awareness and understanding of how to address hate and discrimination, OCTs will be better positioned to create safe and supportive learning environments for all students.
Commitment to ongoing learning and students
This is the tenth professional advisory developed for OCTs. Professional advisories are intended to inform professional judgment and practice. They apply to all OCTs, including teachers, consultants, vice-principals, principals, supervisory officers, directors of education, those working in non-school-board positions, College members in private and independent schools, and those in positions requiring a certificate of qualification.
Members recognize that a commitment to ongoing professional learning and to students and student learning – two of the standards of the teaching profession – is integral to effective practice. Professional practice and self-directed learning are informed by experience, research, collaboration and knowledge.
