A teacher with a history of inappropriate behaviour with children lied on his application form to work at a Whitehorse elementary school for three months before he was forced out.

The situation is raising questions about the effectiveness of the Department of Education’s initial screening process and students’ safety.

The man, who the Star has chosen not to name for privacy reasons, accepted a contract as a part-time learning assistance teacher last December, often working with vulnerable children.

He had substituted at schools in Whitehorse previously.

By April 1, he was no longer working for the government.

Between 2000 and 2004, the individual – then a little league baseball and basketball coach for 12- and 13-year-old boys in the Hamilton, Ont. area – invited minors he knew through the league to his home.

He hosted parent-approved sleepovers “on numerous occasions,” according to a 2007 decision by the disciplinary committee of the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT).

He also indicated in an online chat-room that alcohol would be available to the boys.

“On one occasion where the male minors visited the member’s home, he offered them alcohol and one male minor consumed alcohol,” the decision states.

The individual taught for nearly two years at a Catholic school in Hamilton, west of Toronto.

He was fired in May 2005.

Following an investigation, he admitted to “professional misconduct,” with an OCT panel finding him guilty of “disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional” conduct.

As a reprimand, he was ordered to complete a course on “appropriate boundaries and boundary violation issues,” which he did.

“He breached part of his code of ethics where, at the time, he invited students to his home,” OCT spokeswoman Gabrielle Barkany said in an interview.

“There should be a clear separation between a teacher and a student. Teachers cannot be friends with their students.”

Barkany confirmed that the man’s Ontario teaching certificate is in good standing, “meaning he can teach in Ontario schools.”

Pat Daly chaired the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, which fired the teacher after the allegations surfaced from a local children’s aid society and letters from parents.

“We did what we thought was in the best interest of our students,” he told the Star last month.

He acknowledged that the OCT panel’s rap on the knuckles technically placed the teacher in good standing. But asked whether he would consider hiring the man back, Daly – who continues to head the school board – replied: “Absolutely not.”

Education Minister Doug Graham as well as the Yukon social services branch staff were informed by Yukon Teachers’ Association president Katherine Mackwood – currently on medical leave – of his history in late February.

He was pulled from the classroom the next school day, Feb. 23, immediately after the minister was informed.

Subsequent examination of the individual’s teaching certificate application proved he had lied on at least one question: “Have you ever been subject to an investigation or proceeding relating to working with children or students in capacities other than teaching?” according to Mackwood’s sources.

One of ours

How the teacher with the troubling past wound up in a Yukon elementary school has raised broader concerns around the candidate selection process and whether parents have reason to worry about their children’s safety, said Mackwood.

“It took me less than 15 minutes to confirm with my sources that he was an undesirable, and yet they hired him,” she said of the Education department.

Despite the teacher’s good standing in Ontario, “there would be no way that you would even entertain an interview” after reading the discipline committee decision, she added.

“Our children up here deserve more than that.”

Mackwood noted she personally informed the minister of the issue on Feb. 22, and applauded Graham for his swift response.

“He did everything correctly and acted immediately and decisively.”

The department declined to comment on whether it was aware of the teacher’s history or, if not, how it slipped past both human resources and the hiring board.

The Star’s calls to the teacher, principal and school council over the past two months were directed to the department. His acceptance letter was signed by the area superintendent.

“The department cannot comment on personnel matters. We are not able to comment on an individual case,” spokeswoman Amanda Couch said in an email March 11.

The Education department also declined an interview regarding former assistant deputy minister Albert Trask.

The teacher certification board – the body responsible for verifying new educators’ credentials – had not met in nearly five years, as of March 1.

Trask headed the certification board until he left the government earlier this month, despite the fact that his own PhD came from an unaccredited online institution.

“When someone produces credentials, it is our obligation to ensure that those credentials are in good standing and, of course, accurate,” said Sandra Henderson, a retired teacher with more than 50 years’ experience in the profession who sits on the board.

That verification process should occur twice a year, according to the Education Act, so that out-of-territory or foreign teachers can be validated or rejected.

Former Education minister Elaine Taylor, responding to criticism from the NDP, told the legislature last year that “there has been no requirement to refer any of the teacher certification matters to this particular board.”

That is because every teacher – including the one in question – has arrived with a valid teaching certificate from other jurisdictions.

In the Yukon, a hiring board – usually composed of a school’s principal and vice-principal – reviews candidates for a given position based on a shortlist provided by the Department of Education’s human resources branch, responsible for the initial screening.

The hiring board conducts reference checks – candidates must supply three – after interviews are held. The successful candidate then submits certain required documents, including a teacher certification application, before a job offer is extended.

That application includes questions on past criminal charges or convictions – the fired teacher has none, according to the Star’s research.

A question of character

Wanda Cassidy, director of the Centre for Education, Law and Society at Simon Fraser University, said in any situation child well-being is paramount.

“Anyone that deals with children, I think the parents and the hiring board need to know (their background) to make an informed decision,” she said.

“No school district’s going to hire somebody without either talking to the last school or at least having a letter of reference from that school.”

Whether the Yukon education system offers occasional exceptions to that rule is not information the department is willing to release.

Robert Whitely, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan’s faculty of education, said teachers are role models and need to earn the community’s trust by displaying strong character.

“The major issue here is that teachers need to be trusted. They need to be trusted to act properly when no one is watching,” he said.

“There can be no exploitation, or even a hint of exploitation or mistreatment.”

Whitely compared the position of a teacher to that of a caring parent or unofficial guardian, occupying the status of in loco parentis.

“They have the privileges of a judicious parent, with added responsibilities,” he said.

“Would a parent give their children alcohol? Well, in my view, no.

“Teachers are in positions of power and judgment over students,” he continued. “To influence the emotional state through alcohol of a minor calls into question the appropriate use of that power and judgment.”

Whitely said it’s possible that the teacher had paid his dues through the remediation course he took eight years ago, but again stressed that “the whole question comes down to one of character.

“Plain and simply, it’s not behaviour that’s appropriate,” he said.

“Whether you’re in a school or you’re out, you’re expected to be a role model, you’re expected to be an exemplar, 24/7.”