A Quebec teacher lists student art for sale on her website; parents take legal action

A Quebec art teacher sold her students' art online without their knowledge or consent, and now parents are suing her and the school board.

The parents, Joel DeBelfel and Edith Liard, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against teacher Mario Perron and Lester B. Sent a letter to Pearson School Board (LBPSB).

They are seeking $350,000 for copyright infringement and moral and punitive damages.

“This situation is unprecedented in our judicial system and cannot be tolerated,” the letter said. “It is now being widely publicized and our clients do not rule out the possibility of criminal charges being brought against Mr. Perron.”

A legal notice has been sent to LBPSB chairman and its commissioner Perron.

The LBPSB confirmed to CityNews that it received the legal notice on Tuesday, which was then forwarded to the school board's insurance company. The LBPSB said it “takes these allegations very seriously”.

The letter says it all stems from a discovery made by students at Westwood Junior High on Feb. 8 when they found student-made work for sale on a teacher's website.

“The items, priced between $30 and $120, were used without the consent of the creators, in bad faith, and in violation of all laws regarding the artist's intellectual property,” the letter said. “Nothing allowed Mr. Perron to use the work of his students for personal gain.

“This act is even more egregious because it uses material created by students in a school setting, under authority, and sold with impunity at high prices.”

The notice said it would include the LBPSB in its legal action because it “regards teacher evaluations and their knowledge, social media profiles, etc. In this case, it is clear that the trust of the society, students, parents, in particular our clients, in the school board and its representatives has been greatly weakened.

“Also, despite all the media attention surrounding this situation, it is shocking to see that you did not allow Mr. Perron to take down the artwork online and did not inform parents of the measures that would be taken in this situation. coming days. This lax attitude is unacceptable and shows a certain disregard for the intellectual property of students at your school, as well as a lack of understanding of the applicable laws.”

Parents are asking Perron to remove all artwork from websites, social media or other platforms. They want the school board to temporarily or permanently suspend Perron from teaching their children's classes.

CityNews Montreal reached out to Mario Perron for comment, but did not receive a response.