B.C. high school teacher loses licence for sexual relationship with former student

A B.C. high school teacher who entered into sexual relationship with a recently graduated student won’t be in front of a classroom for another 15 years, according to a Consent Resolution Agreement published this week.

The agreement, which doesn't say which B.C. school district the relationship occurred or even the gender of the teacher, was reached March 28 and addresses a relationship that was disclosed to the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Dec. 10, 2019.

That's when the district reported the teacher for a relationship they had with a student who had known the teacher in their Grade 10, 11 and 12 years.

"During the student’s Grade 12 year, student A spent a significant amount of time with the teacher at the school and also spent time with the teacher outside school hours," the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation stated in the agreement.

"Student A graduated in June, and then the teacher began a sexual relationship with the student in September."

How the relationship evolved is not discussed in the decision, but it does say the teacher also engaged with boundary violations with other students at the school, "such that the students viewed the teacher more as a friend than a teacher."

The district fired the teacher and the consent resolution agreement was struck, which meant the teacher admitted to their misconduct.

The teacher will not get a certificate of qualification to teach in the kindergarten to Grade 12 education system for 15 years, according to the decision.

The teacher had been certified since September 2014.


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Kathy Michaels

Kathy Michaels has been an Okanagan-based journalist for more than a decade, working for community papers along the valley and beyond.
She’s won provincial and national awards in business, news and feature writing and says that her love for telling a good story rivals only her fondness for turning a good phrase.
If you have a story that deserves to be told in a thoughtful and compassionate manner, don’t hesitate to reach out.
To reach Kathy call 250-718-0428 or email kmichaels@infonews.ca.