A B.C. high school teacher has been fired and had his certificate revoked for having sex with a student just weeks after graduation.
The case was revealed in a disciplinary decision from the BC Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB) on Tuesday, but most of the details — including when and where the incident happened — were held back to protect the identity of the student.
According to the decision, the teacher and 18-year-old student began an “inappropriate intimate and sexual relationship” about six weeks after the student graduated.
The TRB said the teacher and student had shared a relationship that spanned four years, from Grade 9 to Grade 12, during which the two regularly spent time together, sometimes alone.
The student had confided in the teacher about personal matters, and the TRB said the teacher was aware that the student had a crush on him.
“When the student was in Grade 11, there was an incident in which the teacher had a physical contact with the student which was of a sexually suggestive nature,” noted the decision.
After graduation, the student contacted the teacher in August, leading to several meetings.
The teacher told the student that he was in love with them, and initiated sexual activity, according to the TRB.
According to the consent resolution agreement, the teacher admitted that his conduct amounted to professional misconduct.
His teaching certificate was cancelled, and he was banned for re-applying for certification for 10 years.