Duty to Report
Employers
Boards of education and independent school authorities have duties to report the following to the Commissioner
under section 16 of the
School Act and section 7 of the
Independent School Act:
- Suspensions,
- Discipline for misconduct involving physical harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or serious emotional harm to a student or students,
- Other conduct or competence that breaches the standards, if it is in the public interest to do so, and
- Resignations, if it is in the public interest to do so.
Reports must be signed by the superintendent or the independent school principal.
Certificate Holders
All certificate holders have a duty under section 38 of the Teachers Act to report – in the form of a written and signed report to the Teacher Regulation Branch for the Commissioner’s review – any conduct involving physical harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or significant emotional harm to a student or students, when they have reason to believe that another certificate holder has engaged in such conduct.
Section 17.9 of the Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA) requires certificate holders to self-report promptly to the Director of Certification if they are criminally charged or convicted in relation to a "relevant offence" (an offence listed in Schedule 1 of the CRRA), and also requires them to authorize a further criminal record check.
Certificate holders include classroom teachers, vice-principals, principals, directors and superintendents in the public, independent school systems in BC.
To learn more information about how complaints and reports are brought to the Commissioner’s attention, click here.