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Texting teacher gets B.C. licence suspension

Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK

A Kootenay area teacher who over-personalized math lessons and got a bit too comfortable with students in 2018 has had his professional licence suspended for three days and must take a course on professional boundaries.

According to a Consent Resolution agreement with the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation published online today, Jan. 21, Paul Joseph Chow was working in the Southeast Kootenay district teaching math in the 2017/2018 school year when he said and texted things that put students ill at ease.

In the consent resolution agreement, it said he used inappropriate words and phrases in math assignments, some of which singled out past and current students by name.

“One student reported feeling worried that they might end up in one of Chow’s math assignments in this manner,” according to the document.

Some included, “Ferris wheel sexy time”, “Sexy time” and “bay of sexy.”

Others were “(Student A) and his two hot girlfriends...” or “(Student B) has math rage. He begins to smash his head on his math workbook hoping to smash the information into his head. He repeatedly smashes his head at a rate of 10 times per minute. He repeatedly chants, ‘I don’t get it I don’t get it’,” reads the decision.

He also once made a reference to a student having tooth enamel decay, in a lesson.

In addition to his personalized math problems, Chow shared phone numbers with students and exchanged text messages with them about their math class, math assignments or student council matters, very late at night.

“One student felt so uncomfortable about this that they pretended not to own a phone so that they would not receive late night messages from Chow,” according to the agreement.

Chow also engaged in social activities with students outside of the classroom which included inviting some of his current students to join him on his boat.

“Some students felt that the invitations were a sign that Chow favoured some students over others,” reads the decision.

School administrators had previously had conversations with Chow about maintaining appropriate boundaries and refraining from late night texting with students but it persisted.

On June 11, 2018 the district issued Chow a letter of discipline and suspended him without pay for five weeks. Chow served the suspension from June 25 to 29, 2018 and Sept. 5 to 29, 2018.

He was also directed to not have private or personal communications with students. When communicating with students in writing, he’s to go through his district email account and he is not allowed to communicate with students through text messaging. He’s also limited to speaking with students for school purposes, and not for the sake of befriending or hanging out in time away from school.

According to the decision published today, the commissioner on Jan. 14, 2020 considered the matter and gave him a three-day suspension of his certificate and take courses.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Kathy Michaels or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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