A BC high school teacher has been reprimanded after admitting to professional misconduct related to student safety during a school field trip.
Joel Nathanael Dyck, who was employed by School District No. 85 (Vancouver Island North), agreed to a consent resolution with B.C.’s Commissioner for Teacher Regulation following incidents that occurred in May 2023.
According to the agreement, Dyck and an education assistant were chaperones for approximately 21 students in Grades 10 to 12 on a field trip to Victoria and Nanaimo between May 24 and 26, 2023.
During the trip, students swam in a pool, hot tub and lake. The agreement states no adult directly supervised students while they were in the hot tub, no adult maintained continuous observation of students in the pool or lake, and no lifeguard was present.
On one occasion, five students swam approximately 450 metres across a bay beyond the designated swimming area. At least two students were too tired to swim back and instead walked barefoot along a trail beside a highway at dusk to return.
The agreement states Dyck could see the students swimming but did not prevent them from leaving the designated area and was not in a position to intervene if one had encountered difficulty.
The document also states Dyck did not inform parents that swimming might occur during the trip, did not seek parental consent for swimming activities and did not ensure that someone with lifesaving certification was present.
The school district suspended Dyck for one day in June 2023.
Following an investigation ordered in August 2023, Dyck admitted his conduct breached Standards No. 1 and No. 5 of the Professional Standards for BC Educators, which relate to student safety and professional responsibility.
The Commissioner issued a reprimand, noting Dyck was responsible for student safety and allowed potentially dangerous activities without appropriate supervision or parental knowledge.
The reprimand will be recorded on the Ministry of Education and Child Care’s public online registry.
