Vancouver Island substitute teacher said he wanted a student to 'whack' two others on Grade 8 field trip

A Campbell River substitute teacher who said that he wanted to use one student to “whack” two others during a Grade 8 field trip in November, 2018, has had his teaching certificate suspended for one day.

Joshua Frederick Roland Laurin, a School District 72 (SD72) teacher-on-call (TOC), was accompanying students on a Grade 8 field tip on Nov. 6, 2018, when he made comments overheard by some students, according to a B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation (BCCTR) consent resolution agreement. The students of the unidentified Grade 8 class described the comments as “weird” and left them feeling shocked, although they felt the teacher was joking.

According to the consent resolution agreement (CRA), the comments the students heard included Laurin saying he did not like his job or being around kids. He also said that he liked Grade 8 because he could leave students with worksheets and then leave them to it.

Laurin also 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,” according to the CRA. Laurin also said “he wanted to use one of the students to ‘whack’ two others.”

“After the field trip,” the CRA says, “Laurin commented that if he was going to die the following day, he would want to hurt students as he would not then get into any trouble.”

Around the time of the incident, Laurin was issued a letter of discipline and was suspended from the TOC list from Dec. 3 until Dec. 21, 2018, by SD72. The school district also required Laurin to complete a Justice Institute of B.C. (JIBC) course entitled Reinforcing Professional Boundaries, which he completed in March, 2019.

The district also reported the matter to the BCCTR on Jan. 8, 2019. The commissioner considered the matter on April 5, 2019 and determined to propose a consent resolution agreement to Laurin in accordance with the Teachers Act.

Now Laurin has had his teaching certificate suspended for one day by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Howard L. Kushner. The day of his certificate suspension was Oct. 24, 2019.

According to the CRA, Laurin admits the comments are true and that his conduct constitutes professional misconduct and is contrary to the Standards for the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in British Columbia. He also agrees to the one-day suspension of his certificate of qualification under the Teachers Act.

In determining the one-day suspension, the BCCTR took into consideration Laurin’s completion of the JIBC course required by SD72 and his three-week suspension from the TOC list. The BCCTR also took into consideration that Laurin failed to appreciate how his comments might be interpreted by students.

Laurin also agrees to not make any statement orally or in writing which contradicts, disputes or calls into question the terms of this agreement or the admissions made in it.

A SD72 Facebook post says Laurin is no longer employed by the school district.

See the consent resolution agreement here.

@AlstrT editor@campbellrivermirror.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter