A teacher was fired after appearing on the reality TV show Survivor Quebec

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MONTREAL – Deborah De Braekeler knew she had to fear the bugs to volunteer on a remote island in the Philippines. But perhaps his biggest challenge awaits him when he returns home to Quebec.

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The 39-year-old elementary school teacher is one of 20 cast members in the second season of Surviving Quebec, the French-language franchise of the popular reality competition series in which a group of thrill-seekers endure physical challenges and hardships. environmental conditions for a chance to win the $100,000 top prize.

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De Braekeler was one of the 16 remaining contestants on Wednesday night's final episode.

While viewers watch De Braekeleer tussle in favor of his rivals to avoid elimination by group vote, a different kind of drama is unfolding in Saint-Hyaquinte, Que., 50 kilometers east of Montreal. On March 26, the governing board of the school district where De Braekeleer taught 3rd grade voted 7-5 to fire her for taking an unauthorized leave of absence to attend the show.

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The decision worried some members of the community. An online petition with more than 4,400 signatures is asking the school board to change course.

“She's a highly regarded teacher,” said Joel Belanger, a school board member who voted against her removal. “It changes, people really identify with it and make it their own, so our whole community is grieving.”

Reached on social media, De Braekeler said he could not speak to reporters while on the Noovo network's show.

But in an interview Thursday, Belanger explained what happened. De Braekeleer requested two months of unpaid leave in November to attend the show, but was quickly turned down by the school board's human resources department, which cited a shortage of local teachers. Unwilling to pass up the opportunity, De Braekeleer made his own arrangements, called in replacements to cover his absence, and even filmed a video to prepare his students to leave in January, Belanger said.

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If de Braekeleer continued to take unauthorized vacation time, the human resources department warned of consequences. And at the department's recommendation, the board voted to fire De Braekeler while he was filming “Survivor” in the Philippines and was unable to defend himself, Belanger said.

The news of his dismissal has “shaken” his family in Belgium, his aunt Michele De Braekeler said in a transatlantic telephone interview on Thursday. He said his nephew began studying to become a teacher in Europe, but soon “fell in love” with Canada and decided to pursue his passion in Quebec.

“It's an aberration,” Michel De Braekeler said of the layoffs. “I think the school board lacks common sense.”

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In an emailed statement, the board – Center de Services scolaire de Saint-Hyacinthe – said confidentiality rules limit its ability to comment on De Braekeleer's case, saying only that it is bound to apply the conventions of the teachers' collective agreement. The board confirmed, however, that the agreement would allow the De Breukelers to apply for another position and continue teaching on Monday.

But the board did not reinstate De Braekeleer to his former permanent job, Patrick Theroux, president of the local teachers union, explained in an interview. Instead, De Braekeleer is now left in the odd position of filling a classroom at St. Thomas d'Aquinas Elementary School, which he left in January, he said.

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“It's a really funny picture,” he said. “Here at St. Hyacinth, a lot of effort goes into portraying the school board as a place of good values. Then we fire the missing teacher and rehire him a few days later.”

De Braekeleer's future beyond the end of this school year is uncertain, Belanger said, vowing to continue efforts to pressure local officials to reconsider firing him. According to him, his supporters are also appealing to the provincial government.

“The St. Thomas community (school) supports Deborah and will fight until they get their rights back,” he said.

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