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A BC teacher who allowed a student to live with them and then gave them gifts that were "explicitly" sexual in nature has lost their licence.

According to a June 27 BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, the unnamed teacher invited the student to live with them and established a parent-child-like relationship.

The decision says the student lived with the teacher for several months sometime in 2021 and 2022.

During that time the teacher told the student they were in love with them and made inappropriate sexual comments. They also gave the student gifts that were "explicitly sexual in nature."

The teacher also made negative comments about the student's mother and "sought to influence and control every aspect of the student’s life."

The student was described as "very vulnerable."

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The decision says the teacher, who began teaching in 1988, didn't bother contacting the Ministry of Children and Family Development or trying to offer the student any other support.

At some point, the teacher asked the student to leave.

In December 2022, the school district suspended the teacher for 10 days.

A month later the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation began an investigation and suspended the teacher's licence.

"The Teacher exploited the student for the teacher’s own personal benefit," the regulator said in the decision. "The teacher used the position of power and trust as a teacher to exert influence and control over every aspect of the student’s life."

While the student is said to have lived with the teacher for several months, the decision notes that the teacher's conduct continued for nearly a year.

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The decision is scant on details and doesn't explain how or why the student ended up living with the teacher or what involvement the mother had in the situation.

The regulator has also chosen to leave the public in the dark by removing the teacher's name.

"It is not about protecting the teacher, but rather protecting vulnerable students," the The Ministry of Education and Child Care said in an email to iNFOnews.ca. "Anonymous publications only occur in cases where the Commissioner determined that making a full consent resolution agreement public would cause undue hardship to the victim of the teacher’s conduct."

The decision says the teacher signed a consent agreement admitting to their conduct.

READ MORE: B.C. teacher suspended for pushing student out of classroom

The teacher lost their licence, although could technically re-apply in the future.

However, the Ministry says the teacher would have to prove they were of "good moral character" and their disciplinary history would be considered if they chose to re-apply.

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