BURST
A B.C. teacher was suspended for 10 days without pay after he met a student who was working at a bistro and later followed her to a Walmart where he had her smell a candle before asking if she had a boyfriend.
Duane Oliver Kirkpatrick, a teacher in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school district, was dining at a “beer market and bistro” in December 2021 when he met a then-17-year-old student who was working part-time at the establishment.
According to the consent resolution agreement posted Tuesday, Kirkpatrick was wearing a T-shirt bearing the name of the school where he worked at the time he met the student.
“Kirkpatrick engaged Student A in conversation, complimenting Student A on their hair,” read the document. “Student A told Kirkpatrick that (she) was 17 years old, was in Grade 12, and was in a hairstyling program affiliated with the district high school which Student A attended.”
Kirkpatrick and the student then chatted about the rivalry between their two schools, with the conversation lasting about 30 minutes. A co-worker later told the student they could leave early, and the student mentioned they would be visiting a nearby Walmart to wait for their boyfriend to pick them up.
While the student was shopping at Walmart, Kirkpatrick suddenly appeared in the same aisle and approached the student and struck up another conversation. During the conversation, Kirkpatrick touched the student’s shoulder and “flicked” her on the forehead.
“Kirkpatrick noticed that Student A looked concerned and uncomfortable after he had made physical contact with Student A,” read the document. “Kirkpatrick then asked Student A to look at candles which were located on another floor of the store.”
While in the candle aisle, Kirkpatrick unhooked the student’s mask so that she could smell a candle.
“Kirkpatrick saw that Student A looked concerned as he did this. Kirkpatrick then asked Student A if Student A had a boyfriend,” the document noted.
The student was uncomfortable but remained in the store until her boyfriend messaged to say he was outside a short time later. When she went to leave, Kirkpatrick asked for her time, prompting the student to again say she was 17 and that she had a boyfriend.
Kirkpatrick was suspended for 10 days without pay in May 2022, following a district investigation. He was also ordered to conduct a course on professional boundaries and must participate in ongoing monitoring and check-ins with district officials. His teaching certificate was also suspended for four days.
Teacher suspended for vaping in washroom used by elementary students
A Coquitlam teacher was suspended for three days without pay after vaping in a washroom used by her Kindergarten and Grade 1 students, as well as in staff washrooms at the school.
In September 2024, it was found that Stephanie Kastoris had used a washroom attached to her classroom to vape on several occasions, according to the consent resolution agreement posted Tuesday .
“After she did so, there was a lingering scent in the air in both the bathroom and the classroom, which her students noticed,” the document read. “While Kastoris did not vape in front of her students, on one occasion she was vaping when they were lining up outside the washroom door, waiting to go outside.”
Kastoris also admitted to vaping in two staff washrooms at the school.
She was later given a letter of discipline and suspended for three days without pay, which was served in November 2024. Kastoris was also issued a reprimand by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.