B.C. teacher disciplined after drafting student's apology letter in which he praised himself
A B.C. teacher has had his certificate of qualification suspended for one day after an incident in which he "failed to model appropriate behaviour expected of an educator," according to the province's Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
The incident occurred in 2021, in a Grade 10 class Andrew Duncan Nairn was teaching. A summary of a consent resolution agreement between Nairn and the commissioner posted online this week does not specify where in B.C. the incident took place.
According to the summary, one student (referred to in the summary as "Student A") thought they had overheard Nairn discussing another student (referred to as "Student B") with other educators.
Student A shared that information with Student B, the summary reads.
When Nairn found out about this, he went to Student B to ask what they had been told. He then met with Student A, "at which time he appeared angry," according to the summary.
"Student A reported that they felt pressured into making a written apology, to be sent by email, which Nairn drafted on Student A’s behalf," the document reads. "Nairn also determined who should receive the apology and hit the 'send' button on the email himself."
The summary does not provide any information about what had been said about Student B or to whom Nairn wanted Student A to apologize. It does, however, reproduce one sentence from the apology that Nairn wrote and sent on Student A's behalf:
"Please know that Mr. Nairn is a great teacher and works hard to keep good working relationships with all his students."
According to the summary, the school district sent Nairn a letter of discipline and suspended him for three days without pay. The teacher also sent a written apology to Student A's parents, addressed to Student A.
The school district also notified the commissioner, which is what led to the consent resolution agreement.
In the agreement, Nairn admitted that his behaviour amounted to professional misconduct, and agreed to a one-day suspension of his teaching certificate, to be served on Nov. 21.
The teacher also agreed to complete a course called "Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries" through the Justice Institute of B.C. by March 31, 2023, according to the summary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.