A B.C. high school teacher who told a student they loved them while providing sexually explicit gifts has their teaching licence cancelled.
“The teacher used the position of power and trust as a teacher to exert influence and control over every aspect of the student’s life, “ the B.C. commissioner for teacher Regulation said in an undated decision released June 27.
It names neither the teacher nor the school district in which they taught.
The decision said the teacher entered an inappropriate relationship with the student in 2020 and 2021.
According to the decision, the teacher invited the student to live at their home for several months until they were asked to leave. During that time, the teacher attempted to create a parent-child relationship with the student and told the student they loved them. Further, the decision noted the teacher had made negative comments about the student’s other relationships, including that with their mother.
The teacher also withheld the student’s money and personal belongings, made sexually inappropriate comments, and bought the student “gifts that were sexually explicit in nature.”
“The teacher made many comments which were inconsistent with their responsibility as a role model to students,” the decision said. “The teacher exploited the student for the teacher’s benefit.”
The situation lasted about a year.
The decision said the teacher was aware the student was vulnerable yet did not contact the Ministry of Children and Family Development or seek or obtain other supports for the student.
In December 2022, the school district disciplined the teacher by suspending them from work without pay for 10 days and requiring them to complete a Justice Institute of B.C. course reinforcing respectful professional boundaries.
It was on Jan. 27 that the commissioner ordered an interim licence suspension and an investigation.
As a result of the investigation, the teacher agreed to cancel their licence, the decision said.
The teacher’s initial licence was issued in 1998.
The district reported the situation to the commissioner in January.
