BC teacher caused ‘fear and panic’ taking model rifle into school

A BC high school teacher, who caused panic and a lockdown when he was seen walking into school with a vintage rifle, has been suspended for three weeks.

Christopher Jay Leveille had brought the homemade model of a rifle into school to demonstrate warfare strategies in the 1700s to his Grade 9 social studies class, but when a student saw him with what they thought was a gun, they called 911.

An emergency response team turned up and searched for a person with a weapon at the school, while the building was locked down.

Two other schools were put on “hold and secure,” and local transit was also affected.

According to an Oct. 21 BC Commissioner for Teacher Education decision, the model rifle was made with a wooden handle and a metal pipe for the barrel.

“It had the appearance of a vintage rifle,” the regulator said in the decision. “District policy prohibits students from possessing, using or displaying any replica weapon on school property or at a school event.”

The incident happened at an unnamed Vancouver high school in December 2023, and Leveille, who’d been teaching for 32 years, retired the following summer.

“In carrying a model rifle in a school, Leveille created a situation which he should have known could create fear and panic,” the regulator said. “Leveille acted contrary to his responsibility as a role model for students.”

Leveille signed a consent agreement with the Commissioner agreeing to the three-week suspension.