[quote=“mrt”]I can’t seem to find any information about the sex offender mentioned. Why were they re-instated? Are they presently working in a class room? How the hell can that be allowed? Were parents advised of the person’s conviction? Why would the BCCT allow the person to get their credentials back? Did the BCFT represent the person in disciplinary hearings?
I’m all for second chances but allowing a person that offended against students once back into the same position only creates the potential for further victims. BCCT, don’t gamble with our children.[/quote]
Sorry, but not even the Minister knows where these teachers are and if they are teaching. Only the College Councilors know this information due to the closed door meetings - with BCTF senior administrators.
[quote=“mrt”]I can’t seem to find any information about the sex offender mentioned. Why were they re-instated? Are they presently working in a class room? How the hell can that be allowed? Were parents advised of the person’s conviction? Why would the BCCT allow the person to get their credentials back? Did the BCFT represent the person in disciplinary hearings?
I’m all for second chances but allowing a person that offended against students once back into the same position only creates the potential for further victims. BCCT, don’t gamble with our children.[/quote]
If you want to know who was responsible, follow this link for names, biographies and photos of BCCT members. bcct.ca/AboutUs/council.aspx
[quote=“mrt”]I can’t seem to find any information about the sex offender mentioned. Why were they re-instated? Are they presently working in a class room? How the hell can that be allowed? Were parents advised of the person’s conviction? Why would the BCCT allow the person to get their credentials back? Did the BCFT represent the person in disciplinary hearings?
I’m all for second chances but allowing a person that offended against students once back into the same position only creates the potential for further victims. BCCT, don’t gamble with our children.[/quote]
If you want to know who was responsible, follow this link for names, biographies and photos of BCCT members. bcct.ca/AboutUs/council.aspx
Click on the name to see the information.[/quote]
I think we need to be more careful about pointing fingers. Many of these cases happened several years ago and current BCCT members were not on the council.
What bothers me is the not knowing. Not knowing why a sex offender would be reinstated. And especially not knowing if the person is in fact teaching in the public schools. They have to know the person’s name. The BCTF has a record of all its current members. The BCCT has a record of certified teachers. Why can’t they determine where a person is teaching if in fact he/she is teaching.
But again it would be nice to know why the person was reinstated. Three situations were cited. If I had been a councilor making those calls I could see myself being somewhat forgiving of a former lawyer who was charged with forgery wanting to become a teacher. I’d be hard pressed to be forgiving of a drug dealer. And I couldn’t be forgiving at all of a person charged with sexual assault of students. Zero tolerance there. So what was going through people’s heads when they made that decision? What extenuating circumstances were presented?
As for the criticism directed at the BCTF. I have been reading a lot on the various sites particularly the comments from readers. Much of the arguments centre on how self-regulatory teachers, through BCCT, can or should be. That is an argument facing all such bodies, but it is even harder for teachers because they are not self-employed and the specific skills needed to be a teacher are less defined than those of say a doctor.
Personally, if the BCTF asked its members if we should continue being a part of the BCCT, I vote to keep my $90. If the college did things arbitrarily and against what teachers felt was in the best interest of the profession and/or kids, then there are other ways to fight it.
Speaking about comparing professional practices, nurses and teachers have a lot in common when it comes to professional self-regulation. Both groups are professionals, employees and mostly union members. They are regulated by the College of Registered Nurses of BC and the BC College of Teachers - organizations empowered by government to work in the public interest. Laurel Brunke, the Registrar for the College of Registered Nurses of BC, said they are troubled by the heavy involvement of the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) in the election of BCCT governing councillors because the two groups - with different mandates - must be separate. “It concerns me when I see a slate of any kind,” she said. “The college is not about the members’ agenda; it’s about the public.”
the best self regulating groups are the lawyers, dentists and doctors, no matter how minor the offence they let the public know there are hearings inprogress and who the person is and what they are accused of, if found guilty they publish the facts and punishment in the papers, and the dentist association even makes the dentist post the offence on his office doors so the public can see it for themselves if they missed it in the paper, time for the BCCT to be disbanded and let the Ministry of Education take it over completely, hire a retired judge to look over any complaints and actually publish the names of those that were disciplined.
yes they are responsible as well but if memory serves me right the BCTF threatened a strike and told teachers not to pay their teaching ticket fees until the government gave in to them hence a BCCT that is completely useless, like I said before get rid of the board and have a retired judge take over, no influence from anyone and report all infractions to the public