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A B.C. teacher was suspended for three days for failing to maintain appropriate boundaries with a student.
The teacher — whose name or school district was not disclosed in a consent resolution agreement — was initially disciplined by his school district for seven days without pay in May 2023 and ordered to take a course on professional boundaries at the Justice Institute of B.C.
The teacher was communicating regularly with a student about “personal, non-school related matters” outside school hours from summer 2022 to the end of February 2023, said the agreement, posted online on Tuesday.
During this time, the student confided in the teacher about personal matters including about their family life and other difficulties. On two occasions, the teacher hugged the student.
When the student’s parents asked the teacher to stop communicating with the student about personal matters outside of school hours, the teacher didn’t do so until about 10 days after the request.
The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation found a three-day suspension and completion of the professional boundaries course were appropriate consequences.
It said the teacher failed to maintain appropriate boundaries with the student and undermined the student’s family’s confidence in the education system by disregarding their request to stop communication on non-school related matters outside of school hours.
The teacher agreed to the three-day suspension. He completed the required course March 2023.
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