Chilliwack, B.C., teacher suspended over inappropriate comments

A teacher in the Chilliwack, B.C., school district was handed a one-day suspension after the province's regulator found he made inappropriate comments to vulnerable students.

Robert Luke Acheson was an inclusion teacher in School District 33 in the 2022-23 school year when he made the comments, according to a consent agreement posted by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.

The commissioner found that Acheson made comments to students about their physical appearance, and also referenced another staff member's appearance to students, on several occasions.

In addition, Acheson was found to have shared an inappropriate personal story about his high school girlfriend, which included sexual details.

He consented to a one-day suspension of his teaching certificate, admitting that his conduct constituted professional misconduct, having also told another story about a "traumatic personal incident" that included sexual details.

"Acheson failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in discussions with students, by sharing inappropriate stories that included inappropriate content of a sexual nature, and by inappropriately commenting on the appearance of students and other staff," the consent document reads.

In addition to the one-day suspension, Acheson was suspended for 15 days without pay by the school district after being reported in June 2023.

He was also ordered to take a course on respectful professional boundaries, which he completed in August 2023, and was no longer permitted to undertake work with vulnerable students.