A B.C. high school teacher has been suspended after admitting to professional misconduct involving two Grade 12 students who brought vodka to her home as part of a student challenge.
A consent resolution agreement from the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation says Jacqueline Rochelle Sheppet was employed by the Vancouver school district when the incidents occurred during the 2022-23 school year.
The agreement says two Grade 12 students arrived at Sheppet’s home at about 10 p.m. on June 9, 2023, carrying a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses.
The students told Sheppet they were participating in a Grade 12 challenge that involved completing tasks for points, including taking a shot of alcohol with a teacher.
The agreement says at least one of the students drank a shot of vodka in Sheppet’s presence, while Sheppet consumed a shot of clear liquid.
The students were on FaceTime with another Grade 12 student while the shots were consumed.
Sheppet suspected the students were under the influence of alcohol and that they may have been drinking and driving, but she did not contact their parents or police.
Instead, the agreement says, she asked the driver to breathe on her in an attempt to determine whether he had been drinking.
The next day, Sheppet attended a graduation event and told the school principal that Grade 12 students were participating in the challenge. Before she could provide details, the principal said he would discuss it with her the following Monday.
When they met on June 12, 2023, Sheppet gave the principal general information about the challenge, but did not disclose what had happened at her home.
The agreement also outlines two incidents involving Grade 11 students.
On April 17, 2023, a student told Sheppet they had to leave class early because their parents were waiting outside. The agreement says Sheppet became visibly irritated, raised her voice at the student in front of the class and told the student they could not leave because they had to write an exam.
The interaction lasted several minutes and caused the student to cry. The student stayed in class and wrote the exam.
On June 14, 2023, another Grade 11 student asked to reschedule a final exam and provided a signed note from a parent. The agreement says Sheppet told the student they could not miss the exam without an appropriate explanation, speaking in a raised voice and aggressive tone.
The student went to the school office for help, and Sheppet followed. The agreement says Sheppet found the student crying and speaking with another staff member, then spoke to both of them in a raised voice and sharp tone.
Later that day, after speaking directly with the student’s parent and learning the reason for the absence, Sheppet agreed to allow the student to write the final exam later.
The Vancouver school district suspended Sheppet for five days on Sept. 11, 2023.
Under the consent agreement, Sheppet admitted the conduct amounted to professional misconduct and was contrary to Standards 1 and 2 of the Professional Standards for B.C. Educators.
She agreed to a one-day suspension of her teaching certificate on June 5, 2026.
She must also complete the Justice Institute course Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries by Sept. 7, 2026. If she does not complete the course by that deadline, or by a later extended deadline, the commissioner may require the director of certification to suspend her certificate until she does so.
The commissioner said Sheppet failed to treat students with dignity and respect, failed to model appropriate behaviour and failed to provide for student safety.
