A British Columbia high school teacher has been formally reprimanded for professional misconduct after making inappropriate remarks to international students and failing to respond appropriately to a student with asthma, according to a disciplinary decision released by B.C.’s Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
William Walter McCrae, a long-serving teacher employed by School District No. 42 (Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows), admitted to professional misconduct under the Teachers Act stemming from multiple incidents during the 2023–2024 school year while teaching physical education.
According to the consent resolution agreement, one incident involved two international students from Spain who arrived late to class and began using weight equipment instead of stationary bikes, which had been assigned to their group. McCrae told the students to move and, believing they were being disruptive, stated that they were “guests” in Canada and should “go back to Spain” if they could not follow the rules.
The following day, after the students apologized, McCrae told them, “I appreciate your apology, but I don’t get paid to teach international students.”
In a separate incident, a student told McCrae they could not participate in a relay race because their inhaler had run out. The school had no medical record indicating the student had asthma, and McCrae believed the student was attempting to avoid the activity. He told the student “nice try” and instructed them to participate. After running for several minutes, the student experienced breathing difficulty and had to stop.
The school district reported McCrae to the Commissioner on Oct. 3, 2024, under the School Act. The district subsequently suspended him for three days without pay and required him to complete a course on creating a positive learning environment through the Justice Institute of British Columbia, which he completed in March 2025.
The agreement also notes that the district had previously raised concerns about McCrae’s conduct, including issuing a letter of expectation in September 2023 regarding appropriate language with students and a letter of reprimand in February 2024 related to professional boundaries.
Following a formal investigation ordered in December 2024, McCrae agreed to a consent resolution with the Commissioner. He admitted that his conduct breached Standard No. 1 of the Professional Standards for BC Educators, which requires teachers to foster safe, inclusive and respectful learning environments.
The Commissioner issued a reprimand, citing McCrae’s failure to create an inclusive learning environment for international students and his failure to protect the physical and emotional safety of the student with asthma.
The reprimand will be recorded on the Ministry of Education and Child Care’s public online registry and published in full on the teacher regulation website, as required by the Teachers Act. McCrae also agreed not to publicly dispute the terms of the agreement.
