Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK

A BC teacher, who tried to get a student who'd complained him fired from her job, has been suspended for five days.

According to an April 22 BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, BC secondary school teacher Edward John Thomas Mulrooney had been suspended when he came across the student who had complained about him working as a cashier in a local store.

Mulrooney challenged the student as she served him in the store and later asked her manager to have her fired.

"His interaction with (the) student at her place of employment occurred in a public setting, he referred to his status as a teacher, and he was loud, threatening and intimidating," the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation said in the decision.

The issue began in early 2021 when Mulrooney was teaching in an unnamed School District No. 68, Nanaimo-Ladysmith, secondary school.

While in the hallway at the school, Mulrooney had looked at a female student and it made her feel uncomfortable.

"(The) student and the two other students she was with believed that Mulrooney looked at (her) in a way that was 'checking her out,'" the decision read.

The school district suspended Mulrooney and began an investigation.

While the investigation was underway he was told in writing not to discuss the investigation with any student or staff member.

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However, months later, while the investigation was still ongoing, Mulrooney went into a local store where unbeknownst to him the student was working as a cashier.

When he got to the check-out he accused her of "playing games" with him and she said something "disrespectful" to him.

It was during the pandemic so the student was wearing a mask and didn't have a name tag.

Mulrooney asked her name and when she replied, "Ohhh, we have never met before."

He then wagged his finger at her and told her to "stop your little lies."

Another cashier interfered and told the teacher not to speak to the student like that.

"I think if you knew the kind of life I have had to live the last year, you’d think differently," he replied.

"In the exchange, Mulrooney raised his voice, was visibly angry, and made disrespectful comments to (the) student," the decision read.

The teacher told the student if she didn't to start telling the truth he was going to speak to her manager. 

"A bystander intervened, saying words to the effect of 'We are not doing this here.' Mulrooney replied by saying 'Don’t you wish you knew what was going on before you choose me for doing something wrong,'" the decision read.

At this point, the store manager came out.

"Mulrooney referred to a 'charge' by (the) student at school and that Mulrooney could lose his job. Mulrooney asked the store manager what the store manager was going to do to keep Mulrooney from 'being challenged by vindictive young girls who obviously believe something about (him) that is not true,'" the decision said.

The decision said Mulrooney told the manager more than once to fire the student and later called the store and again asked the manager to fire her.

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The following year, Mulrooney resigned from the school district.

The decision saud Mulrooney has been teaching for nearly 25 years and in 2020 he was issued a "letter of expectation" by the school district.

He was told he needed to "maintain an appropriate and consistent level of professionalism when interacting with students and to conduct himself in a manner that fosters the well-being of students."

Following his resignation, the teaching regulator got involved and suspended his licence for five days.

The regulator took issue with the fact that Mulrooney had been previously told to keep his interactions with students professional at all times and that he spoke to the student when he'd been told not to.

"His actions were contrary to his responsibility as a role model, and his obligation to maintain the integrity and reputation of the profession," the regulator said.

Along with the five-day suspension, Mulrooney will have to take a Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries course.

There are no details in the decision about what the outcome was of the original complaint from the student.

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