A British Columbia teacher has been suspended for 15 years for having “inappropriate” relationships with two students he hired to work for them after graduation.
The misconduct was reported in 2020. The consent decree provided some details about what happened but did not name the teacher, citing a section of the province’s Teachers Act that allows such documents to be released anonymously “to protect identities of students who have been harmed, abused or exploited.” The gender of neither the teacher nor the students was specified.
The teacher worked in Surrey and hired both students into positions with an unspecified company that required travel, the disciplinary decision said.
In the case of Student A, they accompanied their former teacher on three separate trips after being hired shortly after graduating from high school.
“The teacher held sleepovers that made Student A uncomfortable because they involved Student A sharing close quarters with the teacher instead of Student A having his own room,” the settlement said.
For student B, the teacher kept in touch with them for approximately a year before offering them a job. This student accompanied his former teacher on only one trip.
“During this trip, the teacher entered into an intimate personal relationship with Student B. Student B quit work approximately one week after returning from the trip,” according to the settlement.
B.C.’s commissioner of teacher regulation said a 15-year suspension was an appropriate consequence given the “pattern of conduct involving inappropriate relationships with recently graduated former students.”
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