Education Minister Bernard Drainville has been on a mission lately to instil civility in Quebec’s classrooms.

Starting this fall, students will be obligated to use the formal “vous” to address adults at school, while smartphones will be banned outright to eliminate distractions.

Despite these efforts to command respect from young people toward their teachers, Drainville has failed to show much of it himself.

In fact, Drainville’s latest manoeuvres show outright contempt toward those running and working in Quebec’s public school system, in both word and deed.

Deep cuts to education were announced on the cusp of the summer holidays, catching administrators off guard. About $570 million was slashed after plans for the coming year were already set in motion, sending educators scrambling to review staffing and squeeze resources before classes resume in the fall. The last-minute timing of the reductions was disrespectful to begin with, but their scope was the real blow.

Outraged teachers, union leaders and parents warned crucial services would be lost and the most vulnerable students would suffer.

If Drainville was hoping the umbrage would die down over the summer, he was wrong. More than 158,000 Quebecers have signed a petition spearheaded by Parti........

© Montreal Gazette