Vernon special ed teacher fired for helping student cheat

A Vernon special education teacher has been fired and had her teaching licence suspended for five days after she helped a student cheat on an exam.

According to a Jan. 27 BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, School District 22 teacher Tasha Dawn Whitney allowed a student to take another student’s Grade 12 literacy assessment while she was an exam invigilator in 2024.

“By actively assisting students to cheat, and by lying throughout the (School) District’s investigation, Whitney failed to act ethically and failed to role model appropriate behaviour to the students,” the Commissioner said in the decision.

The decision says that in June 2024, Whitney was texting with a student to arrange a time to complete an assessment when the student said they wanted someone else to write it.

Whitney replied, “Maybe.”

She then arranged for another student to have two laptops during the assessment and gave the login code for the student who didn’t want to sit the assessment to the other student.

The student then completed one assessment for themself, and one assessment for the other student.

When another teacher entered the classroom, Whitney told them the student had two laptops because they were completing their Grade 10 and Grade 12 Assessments at the same time.

“Whitney knew this was not true,” the decision reads.

At the end of the assessment, Whitney completed the appropriate paperwork to make it look like the student had sat the assessment.

However, the school’s principal reviewed the assessment and realized the student in question wasn’t at school that day.

“The principal and vice principal had conversations with Whitney about what had happened. Whitney repeatedly lied and minimized her role in (the student)… cheating. Whitney also lied to the teacher,” the decision reads. “During the District investigation, Whitney continued to lie about and downplay her involvement in … (the students) cheating.”

In September 2024, she was fired. According to a September 2024 School Distrist 22 job posting, a special education teacher needs a teaching degree plus a master’s degree in special education or a post-graduate diploma in inclusive education. The salary ranges from $58,000 to $110,000 a year.

The decision gives no indication of why Whitney let the student cheat. It also doesn’t say which school she was working at at the time.

Whitney, who first began teaching in BC in 2007, signed a consent agreement admitting to her conduct.

The teaching regulator suspended her licence and has to take a Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries course.

“Whitney’s behaviour failed to maintain the credibility of the profession,” the regulator said.