A B.C. teacher who sexually exploited a student and another who was holding a chainsaw when he told his principal he was "going postal" are among the latest to be disciplined by the Teacher Regulation Branch.
High school instructor David Victor Wiens lost his teaching certificate permanently after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a 14-year-old female student and being sentenced to a year in jail. "Conduct included kissing and petting, Mr. Wiens touching Student A's breasts through her clothing and skin-to-skin, and the student fondling Mr. Wiens' penis on at least two occasions," the branch said in its ruling.
Another teacher, Timothy John Trylinski, was suspended five days for taking a picture of a 14-year-old student wearing a low-cut top with a lollipop in her mouth. "Mr. Trylinski gave her a mug with the photograph on it, saying that she should keep it and make sure to show it to her mother. The student's parents were upset by the photograph," the branch said.
Stephen Alan Soames was suspended five days and ordered to take anger-management counselling after he brandished a chainsaw in his school as part of a dispute with another teacher.
"When the principal asked him about the chainsaw, Mr. Soames told him that he was 'going postal and giving everyone a few seconds head start.' The chainsaw did not actually work, and Mr. Soames' statement was a poorly phrased attempt at humour concerning the conflict he was experiencing with Teacher A," the branch said in its disciplinary ruling.
Another teacher, Miko McGrady, was given a two-week suspension for making inappropriate and insensitive comments to a gay student.
One teacher, Robert Raymond Kerr, was given suspensions for two separate incidents, including bullying a disruptive female student and billing both his school and union for the same expenses related to an out-of-town training conference.
An automotive teacher, Gertrudis Henricus Vossen, got a one-month suspension for charging his school the cost of snow tires he bought for his own van, as well as for fraud involving fundraising events for his school program.
Another teacher, Kai Allan Kristiansen, got a reprimand after using his brother's identification to get a driver's licence after he was banned from driving for three months when he was charged with impaired driving.
In its posted rulings, the Teacher Regulation Branch does not identify which school districts the teachers worked in.
The B.C. government moved last year to create the branch to handle discipline after dissolving the B.C. College of Teachers, which was dominated by members of the teachers union and rarely released details of any disciplinary actions.
