Ottawa teacher who had ‘biggest crush’ on student reassigned to another school
An Ottawa Catholic School Board teacher who sent inappropriate messages to female students — including confessing his “crush” on one of them — faced a 24-day suspension, with pay, before being cleared to work again.
The details of Ted Erland’s inappropriate communications are contained in a recent disciplinary committee decision released by the Ontario College of Teachers.
The messages, sent in late 2014, were revealed after they were seen by a guidance counsellor at All Saints High School in Kanata.
Erland was immediately suspended with pay, which lasted a total of 24 days before he was reassigned to another school. He is currently teaching science at St. Paul High School on Draper Avenue, though on Wednesday an OCSB spokesperson said its “best information is that Mr. Erland will be on leave when school begins” in September.
The decision from the College of Teachers found that Erland’s “private electronic correspondence with students was inappropriate, in violation of policies to which the member was subject, and was in conflict with the standards of the teaching profession.”