A Prince George teacher has been removed after a previous incident at his former teaching job in Campbell River on Vancouver Island has come to light.
Board Chair of School District 57 (SD57) Tim Bennett confirmed that Joshua Frederick Roland Laurin was removed from his position after the revelations.
Laurin was listed as a staff member at École College Heights Elementary but has since been taken off the website. He began in the district this past September.
"Once this matter was brought forward, he was removed from his classroom," Bennett said while Justin Peters, Communication and Community Relations Officer of SD 57 added that Laurin was removed today (Nov. 14).
In a decision on Tuesday (Nov. 12), B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation Howard Kushner says while Laurin was on a field trip with Grade 8 students as a TOC on Nov. 6, 2018, the following events happened, which he says Laurin admitted were true:
- Laurin said that he did not like his job or being around kids
- Laurin said that he liked Grade 8 because he could leave students with worksheets and then leave them to do it
- Laurin said that he would like to use one of the students on the field trip to beat two other students to death and to injure a third one
- Laurin said that he wanted to use one of the students to "whack" two others
- After the field trip, when the students had returned to their classroom, he commented that if he was going to die the following day, he would want to hurt the students as he would not then get into any trouble
- Some students who heard the comments described them as "weird" and reported feeling shocked by them, although they did think that Laurin was kidding
School District 72 (Campbell River) issued Laurin a letter of discipline and suspended him from the Teacher-On-Call list, Dec. 3 until Dec. 21, 2018.
They also required that he complete "Reinforcing Professional Boundaries" by the Justice Institute of B.C.
The decision says he finished the required course in March 2019.
The district had made a report to the Commissioner about Laurin on Jan. 8, 2019.
In April, Kushner looked into the matter and determined to propose a consent resolution agreement to Laurin.
The report says the following consequences were given to Laurin:
- Laurin understands and acknowledges that this Agreement is not effective until executed by the Commissioner and that the date of execution by the Commissioner will be the effective date of this Agreement
- Laurin admits that the facts set out in Paragraphs one to six of this agreement are true
- Laurin admits that the conduct described in paragraph five of this Agreement constitutes professional misconduct
- Laurin agrees to a one-day suspension is an appropriate consequence, the Commissioner considered the following factors
- Laurin completed the JIBC course required by the district
- The District suspended Laurin from the TOC list for three weeks
- Laurin failed to appreciate how his comments might be interpreted by students
- Laurin agrees not to make any statement orally or in writing which contradicts, disputes or calls into the question of the terms of this Agreement or the admissions made in it
His one-day suspension was served on Oct. 24, 2019.
Laurin agreed that he voluntarily entered into this Agreement after being advised of his right to obtain independent legal advice.
"This matter is currently being looked into and addressed by the district," Bennett added. "There is not much more I can say at this time."
