BC teacher suspended for prompting school lockdown by bringing vintage rifle to class

A Vancouver teacher who caused a school lockdown by bringing a model rifle to class has been handed a three-week suspension.

On Dec. 21, 2023, Christopher Leveille arrived at a Vancouver secondary school carrying a model of a rifle.

A person saw Leveille carrying the model gun into Lord Byng Secondary, a school with more than 1,200 students, and called 911.

“The school was locked down while the emergency response team searched for the person with the gun,” stated a decision from the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation

“Two other district schools in the area were locked down and a 'hold and secure' order was in place at another district school. Students and staff at the school were impacted. Local transit service was also impacted.”

Leveille stated that he intended to use the model rifle to demonstrate warfare strategies in the 1700s to a Grade 9 social studies class.

District policy prohibits students from possessing, using or displaying any replica weapon on school property or at a school event.

While the Lower Mainland teacher has since retired, he still holds a valid teaching credential, which will be suspended for three weeks.