A local high school teacher has been reprimanded for several confrontations in classes that left his students feeling threatened and embarrassed.
Fred Barisenkoff, who has worked in School District 8 since 1999, signed a consent resolution agreement with the B.C. Commissioner For Teacher Regulation in December in which he acknowledged five instances of improper conduct. Those include:
• Patting female students on the head.
• Cursing in the classroom and raising his voice when feeling anger or frustration throughout the 2015-16 school year.
• Losing his temper in a Grade 9 classroom on Nov. 20, 2015 at a student who thought he had permission to leave class early for a hockey tournament but was prevented from doing so by Barisenkoff, who according to the document was “maybe 20 centimetres away from the student.”
• Three days later Barisenkoff told a student he was selfish and had been holding other students back after being questioned about a proposal to keep all equipment in a storage compound for a mechanics class. The student later dropped the class.
• On Feb. 2, 2016, Barisenkoff was teaching a Grade 10 to 12 mechanics class when he shamed a Grade 9 student who had been given permission to enroll in the class.
According to the document, “Barisenkoff told the student in front of his classmates that he knew a little about a lot of things, but not a lot about everything, which the student reported was humiliating. He also made the student repeatedly read a safety rule out loud in front of his classmates. This student reported feeling embarrassed. The student subsequently dropped the class.”
SD8 superintendent Christine Perkins told the Star that Barisenkoff is currently on paid leave for an undetermined amount of time. He previously worked at Nelson’s L.V. Rogers, South Slocan’s Mount Sentinel and in Salmo at Salmo Secondary School.
The reprimand also noted Barisenkoff completed a mandated anger management workshop on Nov. 14, 2016, as well as a boundaries workshop prior to Dec. 31, 2016.
Perkins said she couldn’t speak publicly about Barisenkoff’s reprimand, but that all teachers must adhere to high standards in the classroom.
“We expect our educators to be role models, and they need to act ethically and honestly,” said Perkins. “That’s everybody. They are role models for society, and that’s the expectation.”
