Vernon teacher disciplined for swearing in class

VERNON – Swearing in class isn’t just a no-no for students.

A teacher in the Vernon School District was reprimanded for using inappropriate language in his Grade 8 and Grade 12 classes, according to an Aug. 30 resolution agreement from the B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch.

The agreement states that in September 2016, Justin Robert Morgan, a teacher in School District 22, told Grade 8 Social Studies students to “shut up” and “shut your mouth” if they were talking in class. The document also says that Morgan described students who wore hats to school as “dickheads” and used words like “shit”, “ass” and “prick”.

“Some students reported feeling uncomfortable, anxious, intimidated and scared,” the regulation branch says.

Morgan also used inappropriate language in his Grade 12 Sociology class, according to the agreement.

Morgan was suspended without pay for ten days and required to take a ‘Creating a Positive Learning Environment’ course through the Justice Institute of B.C.

Morgan was previously disciplined in 2006 for “boundaries violations” involving a Grade 12 student and in 2009 for using the school computer for personal matters, using inappropriate language, and allowing students to use inappropriate language in his classroom.

As part of the agreement, Morgan agreed the incidents were true and constituted professional misconduct.

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