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October 09, 2021 - 6:30 AM
The Kamloops-Thompson school district's attempts to fire a teacher accused of inappropriate contact with a former student has once again been rejected by the B.C. Labour Relations Board.
School District 73 first investigated teacher Brett Wasylik in 2016 for allegations he showed a shirtless photo of himself, kissed a 17-year-old former student on the neck and told her she "was hot". She was working as a restaurant hostess while Wasylik was celebrating an end-of-season dinner with a sports team.
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But Wasylik was later investigated by another agency, the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, and made some admissions, but those admissions weren’t what he told the school district.
They tried to fire him in 2019 for “dishonesty” but Wasylik and the B.C. Teachers Federation grieved the firing to the Labour Relations Board and won. The school district appealed that decision and lost again this week.
In a statement to iNFOnews.ca, board chair Rhonda Kershaw said while she can’t discuss personal matters, the district isn’t resting.
"There are potentially next steps available, but I can't speak to those yet either,” she said. "The board is prepared to take all steps available to us to ensure the safety and security of our students.”
The Labour Relations Board said the district couldn’t fire Wasylik because it already disciplined him for the actions and found that the claim of “dishonesty” amounted to double-jeopardy.
Wasylik is not currently employed by the school district.
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Read the full decision from the B.C. Labour Relations Board here.
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