A teacher in B.C. has been reprimanded by the industry regulator after the commissioner found he engaged in “professional misconduct” twice in January 2023.
Gold Trail School District teacher Brian John Carmichael and the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation agreed that Carmichael acted in contravention of the Professional Standards for BC Educators.
Carmichael admitted that in January last year, he told a class about one of his distant relatives (Relative A), who was apparently a student in a math class during a previous year.
“Carmichael related to the class how Relative A’s mother told Carmichael that he could give Relative A a ‘bare bottom spank’ if Relative A was misbehaving at
School,” the consent resolution stated.
Carmichael also admitted to telling students that if they did not “ace” an upcoming test, “I’m going to have to shoot you all.”
“While Carmichael meant this as a joke, this was not apparent to all students in the classroom. One student reported feeling uncomfortable and wanting to leave the classroom immediately, another was unsure if Carmichael was being serious, and a third reported feeling concerned and confused,” the agreement stated.
Carmichael will now have to complete further education at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. If he does not successfully complete “Creating a Positive Learning Environment,” his certificate of qualification may be suspended, according to the consent resolution.
“Carmichael’s conduct had the effect of endangering the emotional safety of students when he made a comment about shooting them,” the commissioner stated.
It’s not the first time Carmichael has been sanctioned by the teaching regulator. According to the commissioner, he has previously been issued “letters of expectation” in 2013 and 2017 telling him to “establish and maintain appropriate professional boundaries with students, be respectful in his communications, and proportional in his responses.”
The resolution also states he has previously been cautioned about his use of language.