A BC teacher has been handed a temporary suspension for an “unwelcome” interaction with a student off school grounds.
A consent resolution agreement between the provincial teacher regulator and Duane Kirkpatrick was published online and details the incident, which happened in late 2021.
At that time Kirkpatrick was a high school teacher in School District No. 42 (Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows.).
Student A, who was 17-years-old and in Grade 12 at a different school in the district.
The agreement said the student and Kirkpatrick had never met before. The reported incident happened began at the student's part-time job an escalated in a nearby Walmart.
On Dec. 18, 2021, the student was at their part time job and Kirkpatrick was sitting at the bistro’s counter.
.jpg)
He engaged the teen in conversation, in which Kirkpatrick complimented their hair and the student told him they were 17. They talked for about a half hour.
After being let off work early, the student mentioned they would be going to Walmart to wait for their boyfriend to pick them up.
“A short time later, Kirkpatrick appeared at the Walmart, in the same aisle as Student A,” the agreement said.
“Kirkpatrick told Student A that he was there to pick up some toiletries, although he did not have a shopping basket and ultimately never purchased anything. Kirkpatrick encountered Student A there and approached her in the aisle.”
They had another conversation and Kirkpatrick reportedly touched the student’s shoulder, flicked them on the forehead and unhooked their facial mask so they could smell a candle.
“Kirkpatrick noticed that the student looked concerned and uncomfortable after he made physical contact,” the agreement said, adding that he asked the student if they had a boyfriend.
The regulator said the student reported feeling “very uncomfortable” at this point but stayed in the store to wait for their boyfriend to arrive.
When the boyfriend arrived, the student went to leave the store but Kirkpatrick asked for their phone number. The teen again told Kirkpatrick they were 17 and had a boyfriend.
After the school district was notified of the incident, Kirkpatrick was suspended without pay for 10 days. He was also issued a letter of discipline and ordered to attend a workshop focused on boundaries.
The district also required Kirkpatrick to participate in ongoing monitoring and check-ins.
A subsequent investigation was ordered by the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, which led to the consent resolution agreement.
It also resulted in another suspension. This one will last for four days and will be served from Oct. 7-10, 2025.
The regulator said Kirkpatrick was persistent with his conduct “when it should have been apparent to him that it was unwelcome.” The regulator said he also failed to treat the student with respect, made them feel unsafe and failed to act as an appropriate role model.
