A British Columbia teacher has been prohibited from holding a teaching licence for 15 years because he kissed a vulnerable student. The teacher had held a teaching licence since 1990. However, it was suspended under Section 50(1)(a) of the Teachers Act in 2022. “The Teacher entered into a consent resolution agreement with the Commissioner in which the Teacher admitted that their conduct described in paragraph 4 above constitutes professional misconduct,” said the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation (BCCTR) in a Tuesday ruling. The BCCTR said the teacher was employed as a high school teacher in a school district in BC. It would not provide more details to protect the student’s identity. On the day of the student’s graduation, the BCCTR said the teacher’s children, who were over 19 years old, were having a party at his house. It added the teacher had been out for dinner and came home after the party had begun. Some attendees were university students who were of legal drinking age. The student, who was not of legal drinking age, attended his home and drank some alcohol. While the teacher knew there was alcohol present at the party, it said he was unaware the student had been drinking. At one point, it noted the teacher kissed the student on the lips. This was photographed and circulated on social media. The teacher resigned from the district. In determining a fifteen-year ban on reapplication was an appropriate consequence, the BCCTR said it considered a few factors. “The Teacher endangered the emotional safety of Student A,” it said.“The Teacher’s conduct was part of a pattern of boundary issues.” This ordeal comes after a Chilliwack, BC, high school teacher had been suspended in 2022 for inappropriate interactions with his students, including kissing one on the forehead, texting another that he loved her, and calling students while drunk. READ MORE: BC teacher suspended for hugging, kissing, and drunk-calling studentsThe teacher had been suspended for one month. The BCCTR posted the disciplinary summary, naming Chilliwack teacher Sheldon Lyle Nickel as having crossed boundaries with students.
