School District 84 has suspended a math teacher from Kyuquot Elementary Secondary School (KESS) after an audio clip of an inappropriate conversation in class was recorded and uploaded on to YouTube.
In the audio, the remote west Vancouver Island school teacher is heard talking to high school students about monkeys’ mating habits and swearing out loud.
In the background, students are heard laughing at the random trail of thoughts the teacher is talking about, including existential life problems like how he has been unable to sustain any jobs and how he likes to read and write poetry.
At one point, a student is heard saying “I’m traumatized.”
After the audio clip surfaced, parents expressed concerns about the safety of children at KESS and believe that the teacher came intoxicated to class.
The incident was reported and SD 84 immediately suspended the teacher for an “indefinite time” under Section 15.5 of the School Act.
SD84 superintendent and secretary-treasurer, Lawrence Tarasoff, told the Campbell River Mirror that the matter is under investigation.
As the investigation is just getting started, Tarasoff said that he had very little information to comment about the incident but has assured parents that the safety of children is a priority for SD 84.
In a letter sent to the parents and guardians of KESS last week, Tarasoff addressed the “serious incident” at the school and told them that the suspension will be in place until a “full and investigation” is carried out and its results have been considered by the entire board of education.
“Your child’s safety is important and I want you to be comfortable sending your child to school,” Tarasoff told the parents in the letter.
Binny Paul/Local Journalism Initiative Reporter via The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
