Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK

A BC teacher who talked to his students about their first kiss, showed a class videos called How to Tell if You’re a Basic Bitch and How to Tell if You’re a Basic Bro, and mimicked foreign accents, has been barred from teaching for 10 years.

In making the ruling for the 10-year ban, the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation also highlighted that Chilliwack teacher Erik Rickard Leander Chadsey had "physical encounters" with recently graduated female students on three occasions in 1988 and 1993.

According to a June 13 BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, Chadsey had been teaching since 1987 and had previously been in trouble with the Chilliwack school district.

The decision says between 2017 and 2019, Chadsey would have a "question of the day" which would open up class discussions.

"Two such questions related to first kisses and breaking up with a partner," the decision reads. "While students were not required to answer these questions, some students reported feeling pressured to do so given that the activity was occurring in class. At least one student, in answering the question of the day, went into detail about their sexual encounters."

The teaching regulator says Chadsey did nothing to stop this student from sharing this information with the class and that the teacher would sometimes ask students to elaborate on the stories they told.

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The regulator says Chadsey occasionally shared age-inappropriate stories and age-inappropriate language in discussions with students. He also commented that two students would make a good couple.

In one class, he played videos How to Tell if You’re a Basic Bitch and another called How to Tell if You’re a Basic Bro.

"Some students found the movie, How to Tell if You’re a Basic Bitch, demeaning towards women," the decision says.

He also mimicked foreign accents in class despite having students Asian students who spoke English as a second language.

"On one occasion, Chadsey mimicked physical ticks and stutters in front of his students," the decision reads. "Chadsey told his class that he could not tell certain stories or imitate accents anymore as people found this offensive."

The decision also says that Chadsey admitted that on three occasions between the summer of 1988 and the summer of 1993, he had "physical encounters" with recently graduated female students.

There is no mention of whether Chadsey was ever disciplined for these "physical encounters" or whether the school district was aware they took place. There is also no mention of why this was being brought up more than 30 years later.

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The decision says in March 2021 Chadsey retired from the Chilliwack school district and weeks later relinquished his teaching licence.

The following month the school district reported Chadsey's conduct to the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.

Again, the decision is vague on details and doesn't clarify which specific incident led it to report Chadsey to the regulator or why it waited until he had retired.

The decision shows the school district had had issues with Chadsey years earlier.

In 2007, it issued him a letter telling him not to engage in discussion with students about intimate personal matters or matters of a sexual nature.

Thirteen years later in 2020, it issued a similar letter telling him to keep his communication with students professional. He was also told to take a course on maintaining professional boundaries.

Chadsey signed a consent agreement and admitted to his conduct. He is also not allowed to make statements that contradict the teaching regulator's findings.

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In deciding on a 10-year ban the Teacher Commissioner says Chadsey had used his position of trust as a teacher to "inappropriately engage with recently graduated female students" and "had a pattern of failing to maintain professional boundaries" with students.

"Chadsey failed to treat students equitably with acceptance, dignity and respect and failed to show adequate care for students’ mental and emotional wellbeing," the decision reads.

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