A British Columbia teacher has been reprimanded after he admitted to professional misconduct involving comments about students’ weight and unnecessary physical contact with students.
Gary William Jenkins held a professional teaching certificate that was issued on June 3, 1991, and valid from Jan. 1, 1988.
At all material times, Jenkins was employed as a teacher teaching on call by the Burnaby school district.
The district reported Jenkins to the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation on Dec. 15, 2023.
According to a consent resolution agreement, the incidents happened while Jenkins was working as a teacher teaching on call for a Grade 6/7 class in November 2023.
In one incident, Student A opened a bag of chips in the classroom.
In front of other students, Jenkins picked up the bag, referred to it as “junk food,” read the ingredients and said foods like the chips are unhealthy and can cause people to get fat.
In another incident, Student B was sitting on a sofa with their legs on a coffee table.
Jenkins asked the student to remove their legs from the table, and the student complied.
A few minutes later, the student put their legs on the table again. Jenkins again asked the student to remove their legs, and the student complied.
When the student put their legs on the table for a third time, Jenkins used his hands to remove the student’s legs and then moved the table farther away from the sofa.
During a running activity in physical education class, Jenkins called out to one student, “Come on fat kid, keep running.”
In another incident, Student C was leaving the gym after helping Jenkins clean up when Jenkins, who was behind the student, made contact with the student’s buttocks.
Later the same day, Jenkins patted Student C on the back in appreciation for helping him with computer issues during class.
On Nov. 27, 2023, the district issued Jenkins a letter of discipline directing him to complete two BC Teachers’ Federation courses, “Having Conversations” and “Professional Boundaries Issues: Teacher/Student Relationships.”
Jenkins completed both courses in May 2024.
The agreement says the district had previously raised concerns with Jenkins.
On Nov. 29, 2019, the district met with him after student complaints that he had inappropriately touched them, and outlined expectations around professional boundaries.
On Nov. 26, 2021, the district issued Jenkins a letter of expectation reminding him to maintain professional boundaries at all times.
That letter related to an allegation that, during a handball game, Jenkins touched students while trying to direct them where to move.
The commissioner ordered an investigation on March 6, 2024, and later proposed a consent resolution agreement.
Jenkins admitted that the conduct amounted to professional misconduct and was contrary to Standard 1 of the Professional Standards for BC Educators.
Under the agreement, Jenkins received a reprimand.
He must also complete the course Creating a Positive Learning Environment through the Justice Institute of British Columbia by Sept. 8, 2026, or his teaching certificate may be suspended until he completes it.
In deciding that a reprimand and coursework were appropriate, the commissioner said Jenkins had previously been directed not to breach professional boundaries by making unnecessary physical contact with students.
The commissioner also said Jenkins failed to create a positive learning environment by attempting to motivate students by shaming them.
